The objectives of this study were to identify characteristics that affect students' reported levels of risk tolerance and to measure the effect of "cheap talk" (simple, non-binding, nonverifiable messages) on classroom communication. In fall of 2017 and spring of 2018, questionnaires (n = 129) were administered in a farm management class…

The advent of electronic health records (EHRs) has led to significant changes in the role of those who managing patient health information, Health Information Management (HIM) professionals. These changes have further led to significant changes in the educational training required for HIM professionals, leading to new curriculum requirements.…

I revisit the so-called Illinois Decision of 1955, which eliminated basic writing from the University of Illinois Rhetoric Program and caused a chain of similar programmatic actions on other campuses nationwide. I contend that reviewing and archiving the Illinois Decision as a locally specific act with multiple actors besides WPA Charles Roberts…

This article examines a stated philosophy of university housing and the philosophy's effect on the facilitation of the personal and intellectual growth of students residing in the residence halls and the development of a sense of community. This particular philosophy governs the housing operations at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.…

Why do we do what we do? Why is what we do important? What are the best practices to ensure that our "why" is accomplished? These are questions of philosophy--a topic of immense importance since the "why" behind the work influences everything about the "how" and "what" of daily affairs in the world of…

This article documents the development of delivery services of library materials to remote borrowers at Milner Library, Illinois State University. Responding to a university mandate and guidelines for distance learning authored by the Association of College and Research Libraries, the Access Services librarians at Milner Library investigated the…

Illinois is the Land of Lincoln. In this great state, Lincoln got his start as a lawyer and a politician. In his 1832 Address to the People of Sangamon County, Lincoln outlined his vision for a practical and general education in which "every man may receive at least a moderate education, and thereby be enabled to read the histories of his own…

This program evaluation by the staff of the Illinois Economic and Fiscal Commission seeks to examine the impact and effectiveness of the major student financial aid programs in Illinois. Particular emphasis was placed on public university undergraduate students. In collecting information, a survey was distributed to over 7,800 public university…

This report responds to Illinois State Board of Higher Education's policies on improving undergraduate education that called for cooperation among institutions of higher education in monitoring the academic progress, retention, and graduation of undergraduate students. The report examines the enrollment, transfer, and degree attainment patterns of…

This report examines undergraduate persistence and time to degree at public universities in Illinois, focusing on the year-to-year persistence of cohorts of freshmen students admitted to 10 universities between 1983 and 1993. It also examines the public university graduating class of 1993-94 and describes the factors influencing time to degree. It…

Low graduation rates and excessive time to degree have cost implications for students, institutions, and the state and raise fundamental questions about priorities. This report examines graduation and time-to-degree rates at 10 Illinois public college and universities; the potential factors affecting graduation and timely completion; and the issue…

A history of the Board of Governors of State Colleges and Universities in Illinois is presented. Nine sections are as follows: governance in higher education (the distant and recent past and roles and responsibilities of governing boards); the context of higher education in Illinois; the board of governors of state colleges and universities:…

This report analyzes the progress made in implementing the Illinois Board of Higher Education's policies on undergraduate education, focusing particularly on public university and community college efforts to implement the Board's policies on student achievement, scholarship and general education and on faculty effectiveness and excellence in…

This annual report on college affordability provides information pertinent to tuition and fee decision making designed to assist Illinois college and university governing boards in finding a balance between keeping college affordable for students and generating sufficient revenue to defray a portion of the cost of providing quality instruction.…

Public higher educational institutions, where about 80 percent of all college students and 65 percent of all four-year college students are educated, appear to be in serious trouble. In order to delve more deeply into this topic, the author invited a wide-ranging team of experts to examine changes in public higher education over the last quarter…