Practicum experiences are an integral part of teacher education programs. This study drew on perceptions of stakeholders (preservice teachers, cooperating teachers, and university professors) to examine the strengths and weaknesses of two practicum models of an early childhood teacher education program. Findings showed that preservice teachers,…

This program profile describes recent changes to the process for preparing graduate teaching instructors (GTAs) in North Carolina State University's first-year writing program. The authors--one a nontenure-track faculty member and the other a tenure-track faculty member--describe the philosophical, ethical, and practical concerns in scaling…

The shortage of skilled labor and the consequent need for workforce training have become critical issues for American businesses in our fast changing, highly technical, and competitive, global economy. College contract training programs are one potential source for meeting the growing need for training. The purpose of this research was to develop…

Excessive course attrition is costly to both the student and the institution. While most institutions have systems to quantify and report the numbers, far less attention is typically paid to each student's reason(s) for withdrawal. In this case study, text analytics was used to analyze a large set of open-ended written comments in which students…

A policy analysis of Florida's 10-factor Performance-Based Funding system for state universities. The focus of the article is on the system of performance metrics developed by the state Board of Governors and their impact on institutions and their missions. The paper also discusses problems and issues with the metrics, their ongoing evolution, and…

Greater accountability in public higher education systems is a fact of life in the current political climate. Increasingly, one form this accountability takes is performance funding, which arises from elected officials' need for assurance that taxpayer funds are not only being invested and used properly but are resulting in desired outcomes at…

The purpose of this study was to investigate an institution that has mandated mentoring as part of its mission and to examine students' perceptions of the mentoring received. The author selected Empire State College (ESC), a college that is part of the State of New York University system in the United States. Empire State is an institution with a…

Since 2004, Rhodes State College has been at the forefront of developing an institution-wide model of institutional effectiveness--Strategic and Institutional Effectiveness Planning System (SIEPS). A focus on both measuring mission effectiveness and strategic achievement led to development of a unique electronic application that tracks the direct…

In 1996, the State University of New York at New Paltz developed the Supplemental Writing Workshop Program for its basic writing students in response to public pressure to discontinue the offering of so-called remedial writing courses at four-year institutions. Our primary purpose in this article is to describe the design of the SWW Program, which…

This paper examines the difficulties of strategic planning under severe constraints in a state college. Constraints include the planning models available, the governance structure of the college and other externalities, and a not-for-profit model of constraints by Newman and Wallender. After presenting the planning challenges, we discuss…

The traditional funding model of the Cooperative Extension System has been stretched to its limits by increasing demand for information and programs without concurrent increases in funding by the public sector. As the social, economic, and political environments have evolved and become more complex, extension is often asked to apply the expertise…

A case study of a state college illustrating a framework to diagnose culture in collegiate institutions is presented. Organizational culture as a concept for understanding management and performance in higher education is explained, previous attempts to define culture in higher education are outlined, and essential elements of academic culture are…

Muffo and Coccari (1982) analyzed data pertaining to the causes of variation in the number and amount of external funds for research. By using LISREL, a reanalysis of the study shows that the only significant indicators of funding are past success in securing funds and an emphasis on graduate education. (Author/MLW)

The effectiveness and efficiency of financial aid programs for providing equality of choice between public and private institutions are examined. (SF)

Market ideology and its empirical applications, it is suggested, cannot be used to justify public higher education with a strong liberal arts component. Advocates of public higher education must articulate an effective alternative ideology that could be developed out of the progressive and democratic traditions in its political history.…