All college presidents technically hold employment contracts. But whether the terms of those contracts are spelled out clearly is a different story. This article reports that in a survey of 165 public universities where such documents are considered public information, one-third of public university chiefs do not have formal written agreements.…

Many Asian-American studies programs have emerged on college campuses recently, due largely to high Asian-American enrollment and student pressure. The field originated in the 1960s, and has broadened to incorporate many ethnic groups. Courses may be either broad-based, comparing ethnic or immigrant groups, or narrowly focused on specific themes.…

Growing pressure to provide more virtual instruction is spurring efforts to design large courses that balance standardization of content with flexibility for instructors. Each course uses a common template, which sets out lesson objectives, lecture material, practice activities, and assessments. The process results in a single version of each…

College summer basketball camps and tournaments have become crucial to elite high school players wanting to showcase their talents to obtain college scholarships or gain attention of professional basketball scouts. Critics of the camp system feel it contributes to a "sick" culture in college basketball that devalues education and emphasizes money,…

Despite pressure from Congress and faculty, and a series of revisions in federal regulations, the average rate charged the government by universities for overhead for federally financed research appears remains high. Average rate for the top 100 research institutions is over 50%; most of the highest rates are at private institutions; all the…

A recent flurry of announcements from some of the wealthiest and most competitive private colleges brought welcome news to lower- and middle-income families. Many Ivy League institutions, along with dozens of smaller colleges that also attract high-achieving students, unveiled student-aid plans that will significantly lower the cost of attendance…

An annual national survey of college freshmen (n=251,232) indicates that more students are selecting colleges for financial reasons. More also expect to go to graduate school, adding pressure to find well-paying jobs. Students are reporting higher high school grades but showing less interest in undergraduate course content. Women take on more…