This book approaches the theory and practice of assessment with an overview of the condition of American higher education, addressing its scope, objectives, and diversity. From that base, the book explores the challenges which society poses to campuses in terms of justification of expenditures and demonstration of tangible outcomes. It discusses the impact of the college experience on young people; examines strategic planning and the bringing together of the school's aspirations and projected resources into a single, integrated set of activities; and considers the evaluation of the academic program itself. Further, the book explores the assessment of student educational outcomes and the use of the assessment process at the institutional level to improve the campus. A case study from the University of Missouri, St. Louis is provided which shows what one kind of evaluative data looks like and leavens an otherwise theoretical presentation with concrete examples of data, statistical analysis, and interpretations. Contains a 133-item bibliography, and author and subject indexes. (GLR)