University department heads in the United States and Australia function under increased uncertainty and stress: diverse student populations; funding shortages; demands for quality; downsizing; balancing academic/administrative roles. Article examines environmental pressures on these administrators explores strategies department heads in the two…

Based on enrollment figures, it would appear colleges and universities have become more accessible to women, but several research indicators contradict this. A study at York University (Ontario) investigated the interactive effects of gender and social integration measures on accessibility, based on differential participation in extracurricular…

This study used data from a 1992-93 national survey of college teaching faculty (n=29,771) to examine attitudes toward institutional attempts to regulate racist and sexist on-campus speech. Most faculty supported prohibition of hate speech but were less likely to support administrators' right to ban extreme speakers. Unanticipated patterns were…

A study (n=1,060 students) found that white college students' sex and major were significantly related to precollege attitudes toward diversity on campus, and gender and major separately predicted participation in a racial or cultural awareness workshop. Father's education, family income, and degree aspiration were also considered as variables.…

A study investigated the development of a culture supporting scholarship in four comprehensive institutions: a merger university, a technical university, a regional state university, and a parochial college. The strategies of each institution and the disciplinary differences reflected in the cultures of the English and mathematics departments are…

A study of 233 nontraditional-age and 92 traditional-age university students investigated the utility of Vincent Tinto's model of student attrition for age-related sensitivity. Student variables considered include demographic, individual, educational, academic integration, social integration, and commitment factors. Results suggest the model fits…

Five years' experience with posttenure faculty evaluation at the University of Hawaii, Manoa, suggest that a successful review plan includes identification of specific faculty deficiencies; objectives that address those deficiencies; specific activities to implement the plan; timelines for meeting expectations; annual review of progress; and…

Geraldine Clifford and James Guthrie's book "Ed School: A Brief for Professional Education" is reviewed. They concluded that no school of education has been able to maintain a central place within a distinguished American university. Their recommendation that education faculty ought to de-emphasize the social science research model is…

In a study of the accuracy of Tinto's model of student attrition among 253 underprepared community college students, 4 exogenous variables (family background, precollege schooling, getting ready, and encouragement from significant others), 3 endogenous variables (initial commitment, academic integration, and social integration), and previously…

A theoretical model of organizational and administrative climate is presented that controls for effects of individual and institutional characteristics and predicts critical dimensions of the academic workplace including academic innovation, work challenge, and professionalism. Institutional mission and goals focusing on undergraduate education…

The "folkehojskoler," innovative Scandinavian secondary schools based on radical humanistic ideas, are examined from both empirical and philosophical perspectives, focusing on three elements: ideology; the student experience; and the teaching culture. Implications for goals, objectives, assumptions, forms, and practices in American…

The legal status of college students in relationship to the institution they attend is discussed, focusing on the contractual relationship, due process, access to education, First Amendment rights, search and seizure, federal aid regulation, residency requirements for voting, and the doctrine of academic abstention in legal matters. (MSE)

Retrenchment is explored using theories of fiscal crisis and state economic variation to interpret state and federal funding patterns for public research universities. The State University of New York at Buffalo and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University illustrate the impact of government spending patterns. (Author/MLW)

Evaluates the impact on college student retention of a University of Michigan program promoting student-faculty research partnerships premised on the fact that successful retention efforts integrate students into the university's core academic mission. A participant-control group design shows that partnerships are most successful in promoting…

Various approaches to teaching introductory courses in higher education are reviewed. Textbooks and readings are discussed as well as some case examples. A list of introductory courses offered at several institutions is included. (SF)