All signs indicate that high school graduation rates will continue to drop due to low birth rates, leading to a potential higher education meltdown that is likely to affect all academic institutions, big and small, in the years after 2024. Higher education is facing a new and potentially grave obstacle. For several decades, there have been plenty…

This paper describes the academic consultation services offered to students with disabilities (SWD) at a small university. Each SWD is entitled to meet regularly with an academic consultant. The consultants are trained in offering a variety of services, including organization/time management, note-taking/reading comprehension strategies, goal…

External assistance in the form of consultation is seen as a major ingredient in the design and conduct of institutional advancement programs at many small colleges. Suggestions to help small college institutional advancement personnel to make the best possible use of consultants are provided. (MLW)

A small consulting firm, the Registry for College and University Administrators, places retired college presidents in interim positions, usually after an administrator has left suddenly. Interim presidents have been placed at 19 institutions in seven years, mostly at small, private colleges. Almost always, the underlying mission is to lay a strong…

Initiating a consulting model for librarianship in a small college library involved a transition to an organizational model that defines positions by their relationship to constituencies. As a case study of such a transformation demonstrates, such an ''outward'' looking organization has resulted in an increased number of instruction sessions,…

A synthesis of critical advancement concerns is presented: leadership-based advancement; clarity of purpose; marketing to advance; selling the small college; comprehensive financial development; the advancement process; and using consultants wisely. Sources for additional information are provided. (MLW)

Swarthmore College's Reading for Honors program prepares its participants for communicating their expertise and ideas with the outside world. Students in the program are subject to the scrutiny of examiners from outside the institution who determine the degree of honors bestowed at commencement. (Author/MSE)

Small colleges' and universities' personnel organizations have major differences in needs and functions, but small colleges can take practical measures to handle their needs, including: direct lines of authority from the president, preparation of a staff handbook, and use of consultants, professional associations, written resources, training…

Comparison of data from two national surveys of colleges and universities reveals that, although private, liberal arts colleges with small endowments are realizing returns comparable to those of larger, wealthier institutions, conservatism, lack of investment expertise, and inadequate long-range investment planning are limiting their earnings…

Ten keys to strengthening advancement efforts in small colleges include clarifying institutional mission; knowing and articulating your market position; maintaining a long-term focus; staying aware of global trends; establishing total institutional commitment; allocating adequate resources; promoting leadership; building a selectively…