The defining task for undergraduate departments is the design of a major, including the number and content of courses as well as other requirements. Department members must weigh the desire to produce graduates superbly prepared for further study against the charge that the major requires too large a share of an undergraduate's course options.…

One of the more intriguing trends at the turn of the twenty-first century is the ascendant influence of religion in various aspects of American life. The renewed interest in religion and spirituality is not just a function of aging baby boomers acknowledging their mortality. The University of Pennsylvania reported that 86 percent of those between…

The educational purpose of the curricular breadth encouraged at liberal arts institutions is for students to acquire a variety of skills and knowledge, but it is often claimed that most skills are taught "across the curriculum," and liberal arts colleges tend to downplay disciplinary information when listing their educational goals. In this…

This document focuses on the writing skills of college students. The days of students sifting through piles of file cards, producing detailed outlines, and handwriting drafts have slipped into the distant past. Students write quickly and casually with the assistance of technology, and common sense dictates that technology needs to be used to teach…

Despite the belief that liberal learning is a necessary component of the professional nursing student?s education, the scientific focus has held prominence in nursing education (Valiga and Bruderle 1997). In the twenty first century, thoughtful linking of liberal learning to professional nursing education takes on renewed urgency. As early as the…

Presents a case study of the Women's Leadership Program at the University of Cincinnati, exploring the development and achievement of the three-year-old project and directions for its future. (EV)

A study examined general education student assessment efforts at 130 colleges and universities. Based on self-study reports and on-site evaluation reports of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools during the accreditation process, the study looked at implementation, explicit objectives, and use of quantitative and qualitative…

This third article in a series for an American Association of American Colleges and Universities project, "The State of Liberal Education," analyzes findings in five areas of inquiry conceptual foundations, curricular expressions, the phenomena and assessment of liberal learning, institutional mission, and the status and relevance of liberal…

A study surveyed college freshmen, seniors, faculty, administrators, and trustees concerning the conceptual foundations of liberal education, the phenomena and assessment of liberal learning, curricular approaches to liberal education, the role of liberal education and institutional mission, and the status and relevance of liberal education.…

A national survey of higher education stakeholders, including college-bound students, parents, executives, human resource managers, and recent graduates, found agreement that problem solving, critical thinking, and writing/oral skills can be defined as career skills and are the most important goals of higher education. However, many don't…

A study investigated what "globalism" means to 16 higher education institutions, public and private, and 16 corporations in 4 areas of the United States. Definitions of globalism, human resource implications, what corporations are looking for in recruits, the meaning of multicultural competence, and the adequacy of response of both the academic…

An interdisciplinary program is described that provides a humanistically-oriented education for preprofessional students, particularly those in the health sciences. The program offers new and diverse courses for the humanities student and was instrumental in the establishment of a Center for Science and Culture. (Author/MLW)

A study of 43 liberal arts colleges' library budgets for the first half of the 1970s is described. The combined effects of inflation and financial crunch have led to a materials v staff struggle which could result in an improper balance between these two items. (Author/MLW)

Recent departmental-level efforts at general education curriculum reform are surveyed. Discussion is given to English departments, which are well suited to lead general education reform, because they can learn from these experiences. (MSE)

Results of a 1980 survey of Minnesota women college faculty are compared with two earlier studies, revealing that women are not making the professional strides in academe they once expected, not becoming an increasingly important part of higher education, and not achieving equity with men faculty. (MSE)