The author began working with preschool-aged children long before becoming a professor, and nearly every element of the author's approach to teaching in higher education is rooted in early childhood theory and practice. In addition to provocations, he seeks to activate the "whole student," promote peer supports, and incorporate…

A study at San Diego State University (California) investigated the decision-making process in 388 cases of faculty reappointment, tenure, and promotion (RTP) over a period of five years. It examined the degree of support for RTP decisions at six different decision-making levels and in nine colleges, particularly when "no tenure/no promotion" or…

A study of 20 highly selective liberal arts colleges explored how faculty's intrinsic enjoyment of work, satisfaction with extrinsic recognition from work, and satisfaction or dissatisfaction with job conditions contribute to both teaching and research effectiveness, and what job aspects help explain a faculty member's intrinsic enjoyment of…

Planning for higher education in Washington State is described, including the structure of higher education, the state board's master plan, and progress to date in implementing that plan in a context of rapid and unforeseen economic and political change. Issues discussed include tuition trends, student financial aid, and task force recommendations…

A study of 330 faculty leaving 1 research university over a period of 10 years investigated the reasons for faculty departure from the institution. Salary, retirement, and faculty development opportunities were the three most common reasons for leaving. Trends by academic rank, gender, and discipline varied over the study's period, with…

Two surveys of Drexel University (Pennsylvania) students (n=204) investigated responses to a strike by campus janitorial and maintenance workers, with results analyzed in the context of media coverage. Evaluations of arguments made by the adversaries, impact of the strike on students, and perceptions of one side or the other as "winning" were…

Using data on degree completion among black and white community college students, a study investigated how rates in different postsecondary programs vary for blacks and whites, changes over the course of the 1980s, and institutional characteristics encouraging program completion for the two groups. The most striking result was a decline in…

The attitudes of eight part-time faculty members about their lack of job security, the increasing elusiveness of regular positions, inadequate compensation, commitment to the profession, distance from their peers, and other features of their employment situation are discussed. (MSE)

A study analyzed the administrative costs of a research university of 35,000 students by examining departmental budgets from 1987-88 to 1991-92. Focus of the analysis is on rates of growth and decline in central administrative, instructional, and academic college expenditures rather than on absolute levels of expenditure. (MSE)

A study examined the current financial crisis and politics of retrenchment in two universities during the 1992-93 academic year: the University of Maine-Orono and the University of New Orleans. Emphasis is on the role played by faculty in process and the effectiveness of alternative methods of faculty involvement. (MSE)

A study examined the nature and scope of teaching-related activities of undergraduate faculty, based on a 1992-93 national faculty survey. The research investigated faculty's professional and personal goals, principal activities and primary interests, preferences for teaching and research, expectations for students, allocation of time, teaching…

A study examined characteristics of 40 women, 20 educationally ambitious Chicanas (receiving doctorates in the 1970s-early 1980s) and 20 receiving doctorates in the late 1980s-early 1990s. A control group of males was also studied. Differences and similarities in the two groups are noted, and the effects of tracking and mentoring are discussed.…

Part of a national project on college faculty peer review in 12 institutions, this study drew on faculty's self-reflective commentaries, artifacts of instruction, and observation of discipline-specific (history and chemistry) group discussions to investigate what peers value most in teaching. Results and their implications for peer reviewers,…

A survey (n=926) of the University of Hawaii at Manoa's multiethnic student population investigated experiences with racism, sexism, and other forms of discrimination based on age, sexual orientation, physical disability, marital status, religion, or national origin. While this institution has specific policies on discrimination, students who…

Because part-time faculty play an important role in Minnesota, a study to learn about part-timer concerns, their areas of satisfaction and dissatisfaction, and the actions that would improve their situation was funded. The survey results are presented in six subsections. (MLW)