New faculty orientation programs can serve as an important introduction to an academic community. They can create expectations, provide exposure to technical assistance, and welcome faculty members to new communities. The current study explored new faculty orientation programs, cataloging their activities to identify the most common practices in…

Trustees play an important role in determining the direction, priorities, and future of higher education institutions, and as such, are critical actors in the decision-making and policy formation process. Numerous anecdotal reports have concluded that there are often competing interests in the use and structure of trustees throughout higher…

Having a strong, positive departmental chair is critical to enhancing and assuring faculty performance and student learning. Poor leadership, however, can result in increased faculty turn over, poor teaching and research performance, and even the discouragement of students from enrolling. The current study explored response strategies by faculty…

Community colleges have become increasingly reliant on diversifying their revenue sources, and turning to private fund raising has become a common strategy for many of them. Although fund raising has been a common practice in higher education since its inception, it has only emerged in the two-year college sector in the past several decades. The…

Intercollegiate athletics play a major and highly visible role in both higher education and the broader world of sports entertainment. A significant component of the entertainment derived from college athletic contests is related to the atmosphere promoted, both formally and informally, amid and around athletic events. The current study was…

The quality of college faculty members is directly linked to the institutional experience that students encounter, and as such, administrators and leaders are deeply concerned about the productivity, professionalism, and ability of their faculty. One result has been an extreme investment in faculty development and renewal activities, including…

College students have been engaged in various aspects of campus governance since nearly the beginning of the academy. This governance was formalized greatly by the academic freedom movement of 40 years ago, and the current system of shared governance has not adapted well to the changing nature of the commercial higher education institution. The…

Community colleges have a role to play in providing support for students as they exit vocational or career preparation programs. As colleges have been challenged by an expanding transfer function, it is important that colleges understand student expectations. Such understanding helps to both serve students enrolled in programs and to meet the…

Nearly 60% of all community colleges field athletic teams with over 72,000 students participating in these sports. That represents approximately 11% of all community college male students (5% of female students). Additionally, community colleges invest nearly $50 million dollars annually in financial aid to student athletes. With such a strong…

This 1993 investigation examined how centers and institutes established to study higher education and enhance student learning function, their organizational structure, and their activities. Using an open-ended questionnaire, the heads or directors of 25 such centers were asked to provide responses to questions on the organizational status and…

This study explores the professional dimensions of being selected for and maintaining the position of a two-year college president. The exploration was based on a survey of 96 college presidents regarding what they perceived to be the factors contributing to their selection as president, the job challenges, and the future of the community college…

This case study of Southern Illinois University was conducted to determine the types of volunteers needed for an annual fund drive. Based on a random sample of 138 alumni donors who completed questionnaires, a donor profile was developed. Analysis of questionnaire responses found that only 48% reported being involved with extracurricular…

Describes a study investigating primary budgeting strategies and the use of funding formulas in community colleges in Nebraska. Results indicated that college administrators place primary reliance on rationalist approaches to budgeting, use performance-based budgets, and identify composite funding formulas as the most prevalent type of formula.…

This study examined faculty perceptions of accessibility and quality of graduate programs offered via the Internet. A total of 25 faculty (38 percent return rate) with experience teaching graduate courses via the Internet completed an e-mailed survey. It was found that half of the respondents had less than one year of experience teaching graduate…

The study explored the effectiveness of a discussion support taxonomy used in a course in which graduate students served as online discussion leaders. The students' ability to effectively use the taxonomy as a support tool to facilitate the discussions was examined. A content analysis of the discussion transcripts was conducted, and findings…