On April 25, 1953, three papers were published in "Nature," the prestigious scientific journal, which exposed the "fundamentally beautiful" structure of DNA to the public, and sounded the starting gun of the DNA Revolution. The authors of these papers revealed the now-famous double-helix structure of DNA, thereby unlocking the…

In 2003, the Association for Institutional Research (AIR) initiated the Best Visual Presentation (BVP) award to acknowledge the contributions made through new ways of professional communication, in addition to those made through more traditional scholarly formats. The purpose of this "IR Applications" is to provide observations from the BVP Award…

This multidimensional study examined the stress experienced by academic department chairs with emphasis on the chair's "person in the middle" role between faculty colleagues and the institution's administration. The study combined factors from the Administrative Stress Index with the Faculty Stress Index to develop a single,…

Total Quality Management (TQM) establishes business and industry standards and techniques that ensure the quality of products leaving and reaching firms through continuous actions rather than one final inspection. Deming, Juran, and Crosby, who initiated the process, share a common theme of participatory management. Management participation and…

This report describes the activities of five federal agencies as they made the transition from merit pay to the Performance Management and Recognition System (PMRS) during fiscal year 1985. It also discusses how PMRS addressed the problems identified with merit pay. In addition, the report presents information on the pay increases and performance…

South Carolina's comprehensive Education Improvement Act of 1984 includes provisions for the development and implementation of statewide incentive pay programs for teachers, principals, and schools. The provision affecting teachers mandates the development and field testing of up to three programs between 1984 and 1986 and the implementation of…

This manual provides a practical approach to effectively using volunteers in Head Start programs. It can be used as a training tool, a "ready" reference for often-needed information, and a source of simple, easily duplicated charts and forms. Topics discussed and/or illustrated include (1) components of a successful volunteer program;…

University administrators at George Mason University have aggressively solicited local corporations for donations to help finance faculty salaries in competitive fields such as engineering. They attribute their success to a "symbiotic relationship" with the Northern Virginia business community. (MLW)

A brief overview of how the School of Nursing at Ball State University successfully developed a merit and market system for allocation of salary increases is presented. A salary document developed includes: satisfactory standards, a market plan, a merit plan, and a procedure of implementation. (MLW)

The 1987 CASE Recognition Awards are presented for: general excellence in programs; student recruitment marketing improvement; video public service announcements, news, and commercial spots; total publications; magazines of the decade; improvement in periodicals; photocommunications via print; designer of the year and series; and imagination in…

The popularity of no need scholarships in the United States, the ebb and flow of federal financial aid programs, and the changing academic character of the student body served and influenced by these efforts are described. The use of scholarships as recruiting tools is discussed. (MLW)

Research on classroom rewards is reviewed with emphasis on the effect of seeing another student rewarded for performing the same task that the observing classmate has performed. Four further experiments are briefly described, and research variables are reviewed. Suggestions are made for increasing the effects on peers of implicit rewards. (GDC)

In satirical verse the author affirms the value of merit pay proposals and laments the lack of action on such proposals that has resulted from indecisiveness concerning criteria for merit pay implementation. (JBM)

Never before in U.S. history has the quality of human resources--the skills and education of its people-been so important to the economic prospects of states and their residents. Within the next 20 years, the nation will lack 14 million people with postsecondary education unless states realize significant improvements in high school and…

Christopher Columbus remains one of the most studied yet the least known of major historical figures. In this lesson, students read excerpts from Columbus's letters and journals, as well as recent considerations of his achievements so that they can reflect on the motivations behind Columbus's explorations, his reactions to what he found, and the…