School and college officials should make it clear that they believe that faculty self-esteem is the central variable in student learning. A plan for better learning through better treatment of teachers would include the following steps: (1) announce that the institution intends to create conditions that will enhance the professional self-esteem of…

Describes the components of distance education at the University of South Carolina and uses trend analysis to examine the impact of distance education on overall enrollment, part-time student enrollment, and average class size. (CLB)

Responses of 17 recovering alcoholic faculty to interviews concerning their own personal traits and the campus environmental and professional factors in their abuse of alcohol and drugs, and of administrators concerning their role in faculty recovery are reported and discussed. (MSE)

Describes an innovative approach to college and university facility improvement--creation of learning environments that integrate the advantages of a "virtual" learning environment with traditional campus-based instruction. Offers examples from a number of colleges and universities in which telecommunications technology, multimedia…

Master campus plans of the University of California at Santa Cruz and the University of California at Irvine are compared. The two plans had similar origins but very different outcomes. The former, based on an innovative academic idea, was revised several times from 1965 to 1993. The latter, similar to other University of California campuses, has…

Understanding and communication between the off-campus culture of practicing professionals and the on-campus culture of academic research and education require special skills of the professional school dean including maintaining a sense of fairness, insisting on excellence, encouraging collaboration, demonstrating respect for faculty governance…

The strategic plan developed for the future of Oregon Health Sciences University School of Dentistry has as a major thrust the addition of a fifth-year extramural preceptorship to the program. Reinvigoration of the minority recruitment program, initiation of an early entry admissions track, and curriculum revision are additional goals. (MLW)

Decreases in the number of Black men entering college have raised concern about their status in American society. Educators cite deep-seated economic and sociological factors, with implications for Black family and social structures, and have attempted to reverse the trend through active recruitment of Black males for college enrollment. (AF)

A study of 377 students in an Australian technological institution of higher education investigated the personal, demographic, institutional, and environmental factors associated with dropping out before program completion. Based on the findings, recommendations are made for program adjustments and improved services to accommodate student needs…

The two major cultures existing on a college campus, collegial/scholarly and administrative/corporate, can operate counterproductively. Campus human resource professionals have a role in reconciling the two cultures through orientation programs for new faculty and staff, promoting social and intellectual interaction of personnel, and communication…

New research and structures of higher education must be explored to create positive learning environments for gay, lesbian, and bisexual students, whose needs may be different from those of traditional students. This requires attention to college and classroom environment, curriculum, and services, including campus activities, career and personal…

A review of the literature on university faculty research productivity found a consistent set of 12 characteristics common in research-conducive environments. Findings included (1) the leader has a disproportionate impact through his influence on all the other characteristics, and (2) participative governance is important in promotion of research…

Literature on rape on college campuses is reviewed, beginning with definitions of rape and controversy over date or rape, analysis of the risk of rape on campus, and the actions college administrators can take to reduce the risk of sexual assault. Prevention, legal issues, and campus security safeguards are discussed. (MSE)

Escalation of worker's compensation claims led Saint Cloud State University (Minnesota) to implement an injury prevention program including warm-up exercises, worksite inspection, examination of work practices, employee training in safe body mechanics, and flexibility tests. The program is found to be effective in reducing injury and improving…

Efforts to assess quality of academic life at Vanderbilt University (Tennessee) resulted in a plan to merge qualitative and quantitative measures and uncovered political, logistical, and fiscal issues in collection and use of the two kinds of data. Although qualitative databases are costly, they are also very useful in different ways. (Author/MSE)