A study investigated patterns in the characteristics, structures, budgets, administrators, and activities of multipurpose collegiate consortia over a period of 15 years. Results are compared with those of previous research on consortia, and some questions are raised regarding the visibility and viability of multipurpose consortia in higher…

The director of a college consortium must be a strong leader, whose primary duties range from providing leadership to securing resources and to clearly communicating the consortium's mission. The director must keep in mind that the consortium's work is valuable only to the degree that it eases the load on the individual member institutions and…

Describes the fund-raising activities of Five Colleges, Inc., a consortium of five Massachusetts higher education institutions whose development efforts are limited to contracts and grants. Difficulties inherent in cooperative fund raising are discussed, including competition for foundation resources, the credibility of consortia in light of their…

The Nebraska Instrument Sharing Consortium (NISC) is a group of small colleges that have banded together to provide modern instrumentation to their students at an affordable price. Consortium activities are described, including how the instruments are moved between campuses. (JN)

One way colleges can approach cost control is by taking advantages of cooperative purchasing activities with other, similar institutions. Guiding principles for effective efforts include sharing the risk, sharing the resources, providing services to other institutions, and expanding institutional bargaining power through cooperation. Significant…

The Dallas (Texas)-based Alliance for Higher Education is a consortium of colleges, universities, corporations, hospitals, and other nonprofit organizations that strategically links business and higher education through distance education initiatives. The consortium has created an infrastructure that supports economic development in the…

A New York University "magnet" program supported by the Ford Foundation provides opportunities for 11 member institutions' faculty members to pursue research, curricular, and professional projects. (MSE)

The University of Washington's Health of the Public program has convened a consortium including the region's academic medical center, the state's two largest managed care plans, and representatives of major private and public health care purchasers to collaboratively collect cross-system data on practice to improve communitywide outcomes of care.…

The Western Massachusetts Five College/Public School Partnership was organized to strengthen communication and share resources among the schools in western Massachusetts and the members of a higher education consortium called Five Colleges, Inc. (comprising Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke, and Smith Colleges and the University of Massachusetts…

When the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC), an academic consortium of 12 major teaching and research universities began implementing the Virtual Electronic Library, a Continuum of Security Needs list was created which outlines the security and authentication issues that must be addressed. The thirteen security items on the list are…

A number of college and university consortia have embarked on international educational cooperation ventures, providing valuable experiences and benefits for faculty, students, alumni, and the community. For these programs to be effective, they must have high-level institutional support, equal opportunities to participate, effective marketing and…

Technology can be an obstacle or an advantage to cooperative data sharing within and between colleges and universities. Taking a technology-oriented approach before the technology is ripe for general use can be counterproductive. Many technical difficulties can be overcome by encouraging consortium staff to promote new methods of information…

Describes the 1973 founding, history, and accomplishments of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC). Lists traits common to tribal community colleges. Discusses the AIHEC's role in providing assistance to tribal colleges and in lobbying for the passage of the Tribally Controlled Community College Assistance Act. (DMM)

The North Suburban Higher Education Consortium, a regional consortium in metropolitan Chicago (Illinois), illustrates how sharing technological resources can advance state educational technology initiatives. Begun as a modest effort to coordinate academic programs, the consortium has evolved into a complex system for the funding and use of…

Issues concerning a state policy supporting cooperative ventures among colleges and universities in Pennsylvania are discussed. It is suggested that a state policy encouraging successful interinstitutional cooperation must: avoid threatening the institutions, recognize that they must be the actual bargaining entities, inspire their interest…