This essay summarizes and evaluates the work of Lawrence Cremin. It reviews the criticism of Cremin's approach as a context for appraising the achievement of a third volume in his trilogy, "American Education: The Metropolitan Experience," and finds it lacking in both historical comprehensiveness and in adequacy of execution. (Author/MLW)

A study investigated the appropriateness of the American College Testing Program's College Outcome Measures Program, conducted at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, by applying the criterion of construct validity. Results indicated that while the test primarily measures individual differences, it is also sensitive to the effects of higher…

A synthesis of empirical research on the effects of scale (enrollment size) on average cost per student in higher education using a meta-analytic approach is presented. Results are reported for two-year colleges, four-year colleges, and universities, and for expenditures in several areas including instruction and administration. (Author/MLW)

After statistically removing differences associated with institutional and other personal characteristics used to determine salary, women admissions officers were shown to receive $1,000 to $3,000 less annually than did men admissions officers. Gender differences in pay increased from 1980 to 1982. (Author/MLW)

The role of the researcher is reviewed, along with definitions of the higher education research constituency, the structure of higher education research, and the emphasis on research strategy. Researchers are encouraged to develop concept and theory first, and to deal with real issues involving practitioners and constituents. (Author/LB)

Higher education research can benefit from the variety of forms the scientific method allows. Traits include: a crisp, graphic style of writing; reliance on various information resources; the ability to triangulate statistical, visual, and literary data, and to connect past and present; and a dedication to useful research based on specific data…

Higher education research must focus on three categories-(institutional and system structures, educational processes, and higher education's capacity for change)-if it is to successfully integrate educational research with educational outcomes. (Author)

The aims and methods of the National Center for Postsecondary Governance and Finance research team that has been studying institutional leadership are described. (Author/MLW)

Administrators use different organizational perspectives, or "frames," to help them understand situations, problems, and day-to-day activities. In higher education, four frames are identified as bureaucratic, collegial, political, and symbolic. Frames used by 32 college presidents are analyzed according to content, complexity,…

The definitions that college and university presidents offer when they are asked to interpret the meaning of leadership are consistent with leadership theories emphasizing social power, directive influence, and role behavior. Greater attention to the implications of alternative theories focusing on social exchange might help presidents be more…

The thinking, or "strategy," that underlies presidential behavior was examined. Presidential strategy has become more complex and it focuses more on shaping organizational members' perceptions and attitudes. Changes in presidential strategy may result from changes in the environment or in the presidents themselves as they learn on the…

Leadership is discussed from the perspective of post-secondary organizations as socially constructed and subjective entities. Six symbolic categories used by presidents are examined: metaphorical, physical, communicative, structural, personification, and ideational. Implications for administrators of understanding the symbolism of their leadership…

Four studies of leadership reach different conclusions, all apparently consistent with the experiences of practitioners. The themes of functionalism and culturalism in the study of organizations are illuminated and the usefulness of research using multiple points of view to examine a limited number of cases is suggested. (Author/MLW)

Three publications on the community college that focus on questions of scope, delivery, and quality are discussed: "The Neglected Majority" (Dale Parnell), "Access and Excellence: The Open-Door College" (John E. Roueche, George A. Baker, III), and "The Collegiate Function of Community Colleges" (Arthur M. Cohen,…

The metaphysical assumptions undergirding conventional (positivist) approaches to research in the social sciences provide a warrant both for deceptive research and for objectifying human research participants. The present status of ethical guidelines for inquiry are reviewed. Special ethical problems typical of naturalistic inquiry are outlined.…