Explores how even mundane conflicts on campuses can lead to ugly situations and costly lawsuits; but with conflict-resolution consultants and internal programs, colleges are trying to head off trouble before it does serious damage. (EV)

Conservatives are a small minority within the American professoriate, according to a major study whose results were released this month. The study, arguably the best-designed survey of American faculty beliefs since the early 1970s, found that only 9.2 percent of college instructors are conservatives, and that only 20.4 percent voted for George W.…

In early 1916, the legendary Yale University archaeologist Hiram Bingham III completed his third and final expedition in southern Peru. He shipped home 74 boxes of artifacts from Machu Picchu, a spectacular site in the Andes that is believed to have been the last major settlement of the Inca empire. Those boxes were supposed to be on temporary…

This article reports that Princeton University has settled a long-running dispute with the heirs of a major donor by agreeing to pay $50-million to the heirs' foundation and approximately the same amount for their legal fees. The case has been closely watched as a test of how strictly institutions must adhere to donors' wishes. The settlement…

Conduct officers have been moving away from the legalistic disciplinary systems that colleges built in the latter half of the 20th century on the belief that they'd lose lawsuits without them. Confident now that judges won't expect those systems to conform to the rules of criminal procedure, colleges are making hearings less like trials, and more…

In the summer of 2003, the "Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists" published an essay warning that the United States was on the verge of losing the peace. Dozens of similar arguments appeared that year, but this one, written by Michael V. Bhatia, a 26-year-old graduate student, was as devastating as any of them. In 2007, to the surprise of…

Higher-education institutions in the US are increasingly hiring ombudsmen to resolve faculty members' complaints before they escalate into more serious problems. Faculty ombudsmen handle a range of complaints, from mundane disputes over office space to career-changing battles over termination.

Describes how Washington & Jefferson College mended fences with its community while Northwestern University faces continued tensions. (EV)

In the 1990s, conflict management is a basic concern of university administrators. Memories of bloody campus confrontations in the 1970s persist, and institutions are reviewing policies on dissent and seeking more appropriate responses to student concerns about racism, tuition increases, gay rights, abortion, and the environment. (MSE)

Increasingly, Blacks are recognizing a need to debate civil rights and affirmative action, tolerate diversity of opinion, and acknowledge that there is no single right Black answer. Although Black scholars who oppose racial preference are still in the minority, their views are gaining currency. Some propose unusual solutions. (MSE)

Discusses a protest by students at the University of Illinois (Urbana) College of Veterinary Medicine over the killing of animals that led to temporary curtailing of lethal animal experiments. Examines the conflict between animal rights groups and some faculty who are openly skeptical about the effectiveness of alternatives to the hands-on…

The job of a college or university planned-giving officer is to seek gifts that the college will receive after the donor's death. It requires substantial interpersonal skills, legal and financial knowledge, and understanding of donor attitudes. While dealing with potential donors requires great tact, the gifts are often substantial. (MSE)

The public display of disagreement between scientists over the reported achievement of cold fusion shocked casual observers but is said by long-time observers to be unremarkable in science history. Concern on all sides focuses on the political and business aspects of discovery and the degree of scientific competition. (MSE)

The three-year-old Council for Higher Education Accreditation, created by college presidents, is addressing such challenges as persuading accrediting agencies to work together, fending off federal efforts to place more controls on accreditors, working to resolve conflicts between universities and accrediting agencies, and considering the…

Guidelines for "fair use" of CD-ROM copyrighted materials in multimedia instruction, created through a consortium of college and university media centers, set limits on the amount of a copyrighted work used in a multimedia project, and restrict the number of copies of disks or videos students and teachers can make, allowing use of such works in…