Higher education has two main needs of Congress: the need for student aid and the need for increased and sustained scientific research support. The problem is that ever-more-aggressive competition for earmarked funds does not necessarily generate additional resources for institutions to share. (MLW)

Suggestions to college administrators include realize that the essential lubricant of politics on Capitol Hill is relations of trust, confidence, and familiarity; bring solutions as well as problems to legislators; talk to members on the committee handling the issue of concern; help friends get reelected. (MLW)

Financing higher education is a four-way collaboration between the government, state and federal; the students and their families; the private sector; and the higher education institutions. Placing the entire burden of higher education on one of these parties is unreasonable. (MLW)

The Council on Postsecondary Accreditation states the purposes of accreditation to be the assurance of quality and self-improvement of institutions. Neither goal is well served by a single process. A process designed to distinguish acceptable from unacceptable performance should be different in character from one to improve an institution. (MLW)

Independently, privately supported institutions, whether for profit or not for profit, have much in common. Private enterprise and independent higher education need each other's support, and need to resist undue public influence. (MSE)

An interview with the Department of Education's Secretary Shirley Hufstedler reveals her viewpoints on higher education's problems and their solutions and her own goals and priorities as the first secretary. Minority students, access to education, financial pressures facing institutions, and burdens on institutions trying to administer federal…

An interview with the new president of the American Council on Education (ACE), Stanley O. Ikenberry, elicits his thoughts on current challenges facing higher education, upcoming changes for ACE, policy issues, student learning outcomes, educational technology, affirmative action, the relationship of higher education to the corporate world,…

Student costs in most institutions are not determined by any simple economic model or desire to charge as much as possible; they are the product of a variety of state policy decisions. State governments should become more forceful in controlling future increases, especially for noninstructional services. (MSE)

It is time for the United States to formulate a deliberate national education plan through the collaboration of industry, labor, government, private foundations, universities, and the public schools, based on the model of the recent national education commissions. (MSE)

The broad policy perspectives predominant in Washington, and the underlying values and political forces they reflect, can have a powerful impact on academe's affairs. Higher education's desire to increase access and retain those enrolled will be at odds with higher standards for grades and with less federal funding. (MLW)

Recent research demonstrates that many countries are asking similar policy questions about financing higher education and answering them in very different ways. No government seems entirely satisfied with current methods of sharing higher education costs, and many are simultaneously introducing changes in their institutional funding and student…

This article discusses one college administrator's experiences with accreditation at the departmental, institutional, and national level, as well as his experiences as the head of the Council on Postsecondary Accreditation. Examines the future of accreditation and self-regulation in higher education and possible strategies for improving the…

U.S. economic strength and national security will depend on knowledge of other nations and peoples and the ability to deal intelligently with them. Failures in the curriculum, the federal government's role, the Reagan assault, international exchanges, and initiatives in higher education are discussed. (MLW)

In an interview, Amitai Etzioni discusses the difficult economic and social decisions facing higher education today, expresses his opinions about government role in education, content of college curricula as they are used to meet social needs, preparation within colleges for the immediate future, faculty tenure, and balancing budgets. (MSE)

Evidence indicates that a higher education system operates among the federal government, state and local governments, and institutions. The three components share common goals and program interdependencies, especially in student and institutional aid. Recognizing a system exists and strengthening it through reauthorization of the Higher Education…