The word "liberal" derives from the Latin "liber," meaning "free," and describes a mind unencumbered by either prejudice or indoctrination. The adjective "liberal," however, has become, at least in some circles, synonymous with anti-capitalism, anti-business, and therefore anti-American. This author has…

Student ratings, first introduced into the college classroom in the late 1920s, have long symbolized the often uneasy relationship between undergraduates and their professors. Certainly, research about student ratings has been exhaustive over the last 50 years. Several thousand studies have been published, many concerned with issues of validity…

When one considers the possibilities for a new progressive era in American higher education, the author contends that it is wise to review the past because there are lessons to be learned. In fact, the latter part of the 20th century was one of great progress for diversity in higher education, generally speaking, and for African Americans in…

This essay examines the origins of academic freedom in the nation's higher education institutions and explores the current debate about academic freedom. It suggests that postmodernist thinking that questions the existence of any truth may be a threat to the academic freedom valued by the professoriate, who are described as a "quarrel of…

Key events and factors in the unionization of faculty at Youngstown State University (Ohio) are chronicled in the early years of the institution's inclusion in the state higher education system, 1967-73. Focus is on the early process of faculty organization, selection of a union, and collective bargaining during retrenchment. (MSE)

Three recent reports on the quality and need for reform in American higher education are examined as opportunities, particularly for faculty, to renew their commitment to excellence in their profession. (MSE)

Restrictions on intellectual freedom have existed in American colleges and universities from their founding in the mid-seventeenth century through the rise of the corporate and government dominated institutions of today, and intellectual repression is a principal factor in low faculty morale in the 1980s. (MSE)

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,…

The forgotten or unknown history of discrimination against Franco-Americans in the United States is chronicled. The patterns of discrimination began before World War I but became particularly intense after that war. While discrimination occurred within higher education, faculty have also been instrumental in combating it, and are urged to continue…

A discussion of the contemporary situation in American Indian higher education addresses three questions concerning current, past, and future Indian education: (1) how resources are currently allocated; (2) the nature of the present Indian educational-political system and any significant changes over time; (3) whether the current system is…

Men's responses to women's demands for educational equality during three peak periods of activism for women's equality (mid-nineteenth century, turn of the century, and contemporary era) are examined for the insight they offer into the different issues and shifting arguments for and against gender equality in this and other arenas. (MSE)

A review of the history of women on American college campuses looks at the emergence of women's higher education, then coeducation, the gender revolution, changed perceptions of women's participation in public life and extracurricular activities, a period of restrictive backlash, and the insights provided about today's harassment on campus. (MSE)

A discussion of the success of Oakes College (Santa Cruz, California) at attracting and retaining Black and Hispanic students looks at the early experimental nature of the college, what was learned in its early years, and the educational and policy strategies that have evolved through controversy and crisis. (MSE)

The history of the University of Vermont faculty's efforts to unionize since 1976 is chronicled, including faculty relations with the university administration, national and state labor relations boards, and the state legislature over union issues in general and a specific conflict over disclosure of faculty salaries. (MSE)