A student survey conducted by the Educational Testing Service to assess what college students actually know and perceive about global relationships and to measure their comprehension of current global complexities is described. Results are provided along with a sample of test questions. (MLW)

This report is installment two of a three-part series describing research on stakeholder perceptions conducted under the auspices of the National Center for Postsecondary Improvement. The survey revealed that the public's assessment of higher education is generally favorable. The report includes discussion of survey responses and several data…

Describes the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), which annually assesses the extent to which students at four-year colleges and universities are participating in educational practices strongly associated with high levels of learning and personal development. Rather than focusing on the institution's resources, the basis of most school…

Summarizes findings from the National Study of Student Learning (NSSL), including findings that challenge conventional wisdom and findings that, in part, support it. Considers the findings' implications for faculty and administrators. Includes sidebars describing the design and conduct of the NSSL and listing other publications addressing NSSL…

Results of an American Council on Education survey on tenure practices are reported, including tables of tenure approval rates, tenure status (tenures, tenure track, and nontenure track) and tenure approval by type of institution. Data are divided by general academic field. (MSE)

A reading list for college presidents, an outgrowth of the Claremont Higher Education Management Institute, was developed from a survey of college and university administrators. They were asked what reading they believed was most essential for college and university presidents. A bibliography and a list of those surveyed is provided. (MLW)

Examined whether higher education degree production in a particular state actually affects its stock of college-educated workers. Found that the effect of degree-granting (which varies across states) on the relative concentration of a given state's university-educated workers is modest. (EV)

The belief that there should be a core of learning as part of the undergraduate program is overwhelmingly shared by the academic administrators. Chief academic officers at 1,310 four-year institutions were surveyed and they ranked their goals, objectives, and program effectiveness. (MLW)

A discussion of college guides reviews the older, standard resources briefly, looks at more recent and less well-known guides in greater detail, and discusses the methods used for institutional comparisons. Two surveys of high school seniors concerning their use of the guides are also summarized. (MSE)

The five-volume Assessment of Research-Doctorate Programs in the United States, the most authoritative academic quality ranking ever done, is discussed. The Assessment covers 2,699 programs in 32 disciplines and assesses a faculty's reputation for scholarly quality. Improvements in programs' reputations are also discussed. (MLW)

Trends emerging from a new enrollment report by the National Institute of Independent Colleges and Universities (NIICU) indicate hard times ahead for colleges in the private sector. General economic recession and cuts in federal student financial aid have had an effect on enrollment. (MLW)

Six studies of general education are described. A Penn State survey details changes in general education requirements over 15 years. UCLA's Higher Education Research Institute used the college catalog to furnish information about curricular dimensions and others attempt to determine the effects of general education. (MLW)

The Institute of Society, Ethics and the Life Sciences--also known as the Hastings Center--recently initiated a project designed to analyze the state of ethics teaching in higher education, survey the number of schools with programs, collect sample curricula for dissemination, build a communications network among teachers, and find mechanisms for…

A study of the academic profession that has sought to understand both the forces of fragmentation and the avenues of integration in the profession is discussed. Faculty were questionned about what their work was like, what authority they possessed, etc. (MLW)

A 1984 Carnegie Foundation national survey of 5,000 college students is discussed. Responses from liberal arts colleges were compared with those from all other non-specialized four-year institutions. Student attitudes toward general education, college mission, undergraduate education, campus life, faculty, and interaction with faculty members are…