A system for raising productivity in higher education institutions is proposed, based on two theories used to explain the tendency of unit costs to rise. Emphasis is on combining clear goals, accountability, and incentives with an experimental approach. An institutional research strategy for implementation is outlined. (MSE)

State case studies of resource management for higher education are examined to develop a framework for use at all levels in analyzing current state finance policy. A resource management approach that can be used in several ways in the review and planning process is outlined. (MSE)

A discussion of the relationship of the United States' Agency for International Development and agricultural universities in developing nations examines the rationale for such linkages, reviews several past assistance projects for strengths and weaknesses, distills lessons learned, and outlines specific characteristics and guidelines for future…

Research indicates the process of menstruation has no effect on female college students' academic performance when measured by quantitative tests, and it appears subjective complaints of paramenstrual dysfunction originate in socially mediated beliefs and expectations. Implications for academic assessment, student counseling, employment policy,…

A study investigated 454 internal promotions among the administrative and professional staff in a large public research university over a three-year period. Analysis indicated that despite controls for education, experience, age, and prior position, women received significantly less return to their administrative positions than men. (Author/MSE)

Repeated interviews (n=207) at two large universities suggest that new faculty teach defensively, emphasizing content over student involvement, rarely seek or receive collegial help, and resent teaching as an activity that undermines scholarship. The successful minority quickly sought help and found a workload balance. (Author/MSE)

A study of the nature and extent of mentoring and other forms of career support among faculty (n=347) found that mentoring was not prevalent. Where occurring, it was mutually negotiated, primarily between persons of the same sex and between assistant and full professors. Four mentor types emerged. (Author/MSE)

Transfer rates from community colleges to four-year colleges, based on two nationally representative longitudinal studies, reveal transfer has declined substantially for all student groups. Because there are many different explanations for the trend, current efforts to improve articulation between the sectors neglect several important causes of…

There is increased dependence of academic science on external resources with attendant consequences for academic culture. This article suggests a framework for analyzing such changes, viewing culture as a set of axes of variation and drawing upon organizational theory, particularly resource dependence and institutional perspectives, to explain why…

Research and undergraduate teaching need not be mutually exclusive. Research is tied to a seventeenth-century conception of knowledge that divides the disciplines into disconnected chunks and thereby impedes education. The demands of knowledge are beginning to break down the partitions of the research university, hence interdisciplinary programs.…

This article pursues two ends: to describe, evaluate, and compare various methodologies and strategies available for evaluating learning technologies, and to illustrate several key strategies. Evaluation methods include surveys, interviews, observations, activity measures, and combinations of these. Examples include Educom Survey, Carnegie Mellon…

No studies have tested persistence models on Hispanic community college students in which financial aid have been included. This study tested a structural equation model of retention for a Hispanic student population (N=170) to determine the direct, indirect, and total effects of campus-based resources on minority retention rates. (Author/MLW)

A nationally representative sample of youths with disabilities who recently exited high school was studied to determine their level of participation in postsecondary educational programs. The results show that disabled individuals participate at only one-quarter the rate of their nondisabled counterparts. (Author/MLW)

The development of modern universities in Africa is outlined, focusing on their influencing forces and context. The main challenge is seen as integrating roots in African culture and tradition with the modern world. Ways that the university can respond to the challenge and contribute to solving Africa's pressing problems are explored. (Author/MSE)

A survey of experienced and new presidents in 32 various colleges revealed that making mistakes is important to learning on the job, including when and how to take action, and when not to. Presidents reported learning about working relationships, contextual differences, the human side of administrative action, and their own limitations.…