The development and operations of the North Carolina Association for Institutional Research (NCAIR) are traced, with attention to specific meetings and activities. Events that led to the establishment of NCAIR are noted, including the work of the 1972-1973 planning committee. The association's mission is identified as: promoting professional…

This biography presents the life of John Andrew Rice, who founded Black Mountain College (North Carolina) in 1933 to implement his philosophy of education, including the centrality of artistic experience and emotional development to learning in all disciplines and the need for democratic governance shared between faculty and students. Born in…

Examines educational history to discover the process by which curriculum became a universal idea and how the concept of the classroom was invented. Argues that universal ideas and inventions such as the classroom result in the creation of dominant institutional categories that exert a powerful influence over what can or cannot be done by…

This case study of historical research on the topic of higher education focuses on the history of postsecondary distance education in an industrialized nation. The social history of the Open Learning Institute (OLI) of British Columbia is used to analyze how a new higher education institution establishes itself in its community, the consequences…

Presents a historical explanation of Hong Kong's expanding higher education sector. Describes quality assurance mechanisms deployed by the Open Learning Institute of Hong Kong to review and assess its own development, the degree programs it offers, and the courses in each degree program. (Author/JMV)

The founders of General College, at the University of Minnesota, established the school in 1932 out of a belief in democratic access to higher education, the need to simplify the academic bureaucracy, and the desire for a liberalized curriculum. During its first 13 years, the college assumed and maintained three basic priorities: open admissions,…

Trends toward increasing federal involvement in higher education and the potential for additional federal mandated reporting are discussed. Areas where the relationship with the federal government has aided institutions are noted, as well as the possibility of harm to innovation and creativity. Historical developments in which government became…

The history of nonacademic staff in Western European and U.S. colleges is traced, and employment patterns at one major research university since 1924 are examined, since nonacademic personnel management is one concern of institutional researchers. Nonacademic staff are categorized as follows: professional nonfaculty, clerical/secretarial,…

The book presents the history of the growth, development, and significance of Alabama's Talladega College, a black liberal arts college, from its inception in the 1860s through the student protest movement more than a century later. The historical account emphasizes such college issues as finance, enrollment, students, educational policy, and the…

Strategic planning in British universities since 1960, during periods of both expansion and retrenchment, is reviewed. Planning approaches undertaken by the government and institutions in different economic environments are explored, along with the contribution of institutuional researchers to the planning process. Background information about the…

An historical analysis of the University of Wyoming's infancy years of university extension revealed that the institution established its extension program in 1891, approximately 4 years after the establishment of the university, and was among the pioneers in developing such programs in the United States. Historical evidence has also indicated…

An historical account of the creation and development of the University of Iowa is presented. Organized by presidental administration, this institutional history concentrates on the period when the university established its place among the major U.S. universities, and follows the school's struggle to establish (through three distinct stages) a…

The early history of Bennington College, Vermont, beginning with initial endeavors by Vincent Ravi Booth in 1923, is examined. Topics include: granting of a satisfactory charter to the college; the role of educators such as Amy Kelly and William Heard Kilpatrick in initial curriculum recommendations; electing Robert Devore Leigh as president;…

Traces the historical development of technical literacy through the establishment of technical institutes in the United States. Relates the development of technical learning to the emerging industrial economy. Explains that instruction required literacy and fundamental mathematical skills. Notes scientific literacy was popularized by magazines…

The notion of applied history is used to complicate present-minded conceptions of higher education by examining both the continuities and changes in colleges and universities. The collection of essays aims to leave the reader with two habits: (1) the active use of the methods and strategies of historical research in approaching professional…