The Internal Revenue Service and Immigration and Naturalization Service have increased monitoring of tax withholding for international scholars. Higher education institutions and scholars alike will benefit from a thorough understanding of tax treaties, nonresident alien status, income taxation, and social security tax obligations and periodic…

Daytona Beach Community College (Florida) has created a health plan partnership with the local school district and county government, resulting in more favorable medical rates and lower insurance premiums. The system emphasizes preventive care, financial and benefit incentives to use preferred providers, and an extensive and comprehensive provider…

Disaster response planning should be a high and ongoing priority in college administration. To ensure safety well before disaster strikes, administrators must select appropriate and adequate insurance coverage and prepare a written catastrophe plan, developed cooperatively with students, parents, and community members and reviewed by staff…

Elements in the effort to make the annual Nova University (Florida) audit more time efficient included gaining agreement with the auditors for a specific closing date; coordinating efforts of various departments involved; identifying and eliminating major obstacles; streamlining procedures when needed; and continuous coordination and monitoring of…

A group of 17 independent colleges and universities in Virginia combine their long distance telephone traffic and network services for an expected savings of $4.65 million over 3 years. The 12-institution consortium that negotiated the plan prioritized service and system criteria and solicited bids from long distance carriers. (MSE)

The University of North Carolina responded to escalating waste disposal costs and shrinking landfill space with a structured program of recycling, including a mobile recycling drop, student family housing recycling, a newspaper drop-off site, high-volume glass pick-up, high-volume newspaper pick-up, and cardboard recycling. Campus-wide cooperation…

Suggestions for implementing new National Collegiate Athletic Association guidelines for intercollegiate athletics program financial audits include forming an internal task force, preparing an organization chart, choosing the type of audit, conducting a survey of booster groups, preparing a schedule of revenues and expenditures, selecting an…

The approach used by the University of Texas at Houston to fill a key administrative position is described. The method used a team of 13 members representing each school involved and other key constituents. Factors affecting the team's cohesiveness, procedures, and follow-up activities are explained. (MSE)

An Environmental Protection Agency program encourages energy conservation on campuses by consulting with colleges and universities willing to reduce energy used in lighting. Full program implementation in these and other organizations can create significant savings in demand for electricity and help fight global warming and acid rain. (MSE)

Although higher education institutions have undergone substantial change in recent years, the transformation they now face will be revolutionary, not evolutionary, and will occur much faster. Campus administrators and leaders must form strategic alliances to map and guide the course of change. The more the leadership team is engaged in the…

Opportunities for joint economic ventures of colleges and industry are discussed, and a variety of ventures undertaken by Duke University are outlined, including a health club, hotel, and office building. Tax and financing considerations are noted. (MSE)

The values and successes of college sports to higher education are threatened by patterns of abuse, particularly in larger programs. The Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics' report and recommendations for reform are designed to stem abuses and help athletics find its proper and legitimate role. (MSE)

A variety of consortial arrangements in higher education are discussed noting advantages such as savings realized through the cooperative efforts, enrichment of academic programs, improved student services and community outreach, as well as obstacles (organizational, procedural, and cultural). Success factors identified include presence of…

Colleges and universities are finding innovative ways to cut electrical costs while maintaining the needed light and power to fulfill their educational missions. Farsighted planning of energy use is increasing, due in part to government and corporate leadership and support and to the changing vision of college administrators. (Author/MSE)

Describes the Keene State College (New Hampshire) mode for delivery of information technology, which features collaboration of major college divisions, sustainability within realistic revenue/cost projections, and customer-based service delivery. Pre-implementation conditions, origins of the collaborative arrangement, how organization of campus…