A college admissions officer at Wesleyan University (Connecticut) offers two views of early decision programs, one based on personal experience as a student and one drawing on professional experience as an administrator and knowledge of the concerns of parents. The evolution of different kinds of early decision policies and the resulting confusion…

It is proposed that reexamination and restructuring of corporate education programs and tuition assistance policies is now appropriate. Some suggested revisions include use of preferred provider colleges and tuition discounting. The role of the college or university in negotiating changes is also discussed. (MSE)

The "U.S. News and World Report" rankings of colleges do not affect institutions equally; the schools impacted most are those that have the most to lose because they benefit from, even rely on, the rankings for prestige and visibility. The magazine relies on the rankings for substantial sales revenues, and has garnered considerable power…

This article addresses the problem of (1) maintaining the size and quality of the overall graduate school, and (2) maintaining a "critical mass" of students enrolled in programs where there is an indication of a future demand, but where there has been a decline. University marketing techniques have not generally focused on graduate student…

Competition for students will increase in the next decade. Some factors indicating an institution's vulnerability to declining enrollment can be assessed, and may also be the key to initiatives by campus leaders to help offset the decline. (Author/MSE)

Examination of popular publications that rate and rank collegiate undergraduate education reveals several methodological concerns. The challenges for consumers and researchers are to know what shortcomings exist in these ratings, what impact the shortcomings have on the rankings, and what methodological changes might improve the evaluations.…

The ideas of Williford (1987) are used to propose a four-stage model describing the evolution of marketing in many colleges and universities. It elaborates on the thinking endemic to strategic marketing management and frameworks drawn from business marketing which will likely become more prominent in higher education. (Author/GLR)

Response of colleges and universities to surveys from publishers of college guides and popular newsstand magazines is discussed, and considerations in developing a standard survey response are explored. These include the advantages and limitations of standardized information formats, how much of the information reaches prospective students, how…

Four major publishers of college guidebooks respond to the concerns of colleges and universities about the guides, the information they contain, and the demand for the information. Specific issues addressed include development of a standardized survey response, data integrity and validity, specialized information needs, publisher-institution…

An overview of college guidebooks examines their origins, development, types, impact on both consumers and colleges, and current trends and future prospects. It is argued that publishers will gain credibility by standardizing data collection and reporting formats and by no longer trying to rank colleges on criteria that change annually and fail to…

It is argued that research testing the reliability and validity of college and university reputational studies should be conducted, a concern not raised by consumers and publishers. Two studies of "America's Best Colleges," published by "U.S. News and World Report," raise questions about the guide's validity and suggest that…

Foreign students make up an important, and growing, segment of higher education in the United States. Reasons why foreign students come to the United States to study include the following: (1) the United States offers a serious approach to higher education in which students receive appropriate training and generally are able to complete the…

Commonly held misconceptions about what a college must do or provide to recruit and retain minority groups students are discussed, including ideas about program design, course offerings, student aid, minority faculty members, and support services. (MSE)

The limited research available and the observations and experiences of college admissions officers suggest that college guidebooks and ratings have a small to negligible impact on the college choices of most students. However, many families buy the guides, and their publication is likely to continue. It is important that institutions provide…

Fiscal support for higher education and policy concerns at the state level during difficult financial times are discussed, with specific reference to the western states. States vary widely in several ways: the strength of their economies, the actions of legislatures and voters to reduce the revenues or the expenditure base of state and local…