In this article, the author presents an interview with two former and the current president of the Association of American Colleges and Universities: John W. Chandler, Paula P. Brownlee, and Carol Geary Schneider. John W. Chandler was president of the association from 1985 to 1990, Paula P. Brownlee was president from 1990 to 1998, and Carol Geary…

In the Fall of 2009, the author participated in the sixth conference of Interfaith Youth Core, an organization and social movement devoted to building "mutal respect and pluralism among young people from different religious traditions by empowering them to work together to serve others". On that occasion, Dr. Eboo Patel, founder and…

Discusses the pitfalls of departmental "territoriality" and asserts that faculty groups must transcend disciplinary perspectives and assume responsibility for general education in order to protect students' broader educational interests. (EV)

A university academic administrator reflects on the multiple aspects of leadership and collaboration in creating a community of learning. Discusses characteristics of an academic leader, designing a learning environment, faculty as academic leaders, and the foundational place of liberal arts. (DB)

Discussion of educational reform at the K-12 level focuses on current pressures for high standards, the needs of the diverse student body, and testing as the measure of achievement. Suggests higher education's role is, first, to educate powerful teachers and, second, to collaborate in efforts to redesign educational forms and develop standards of…

At a time when collaborative leadership is much heralded in American institutional life as the antidote to discontent with power structures, colleges and universities have illustrated that shared governance is not inherently collaborative. The sense of common cause on campus should come from a shared knowledge base, concern with external…

At the time of the founding of the Association of American Colleges in 1915, the role of the four-year, residential, undergraduate college in American higher education was being challenged by the expansion of the state universities. In some regions of the country, leaders of the undergraduate colleges, whether denominational or independent, saw…

The business community's concern about the quality and fiscal condition of higher education presents an opportunity for partnership between business and liberal education to ensure the vitality of both institutions in American culture. Corporations need flexible, innovative, versatile individuals to provide leadership in the face of…

Outcries about the decline of civic institutions have initiated a return to civism, with partnerships forming between business, civic, and political leaders to work on civic problems, and a trend toward less government and more governance. This calls for civic education as a lifelong process, not just within the baccalaureate curriculum.…

The "Oxbridge" (Oxford and Cambridge Universities) system is examined and compared to its American counterpart. Oxbridge's struggle, in the face of demands of accountability, coordination, and professionalism, to keep the learning process an integral part of the social and personal development of the individual, is traced. (PHR)

A university graduate faculty member describes experiences in a program linking graduate students with a liberal arts college as preparation for college teaching. The primary issue that emerged was the deep prejudice and suspicion separating liberal arts and graduate university faculty and the need to encourage collaboration between these groups.…

An older graduate student preparing to teach at a liberal arts college describes participation in the Preparing Future Faculty program at Northwestern University (Illinois), a cooperative effort of the Association of American Colleges and Universities and the Council of Graduate Schools. The program provides monthly colloquia on college…

The future of college football will depend on university response to an extended period of legal, commercial, and political testing, and will be influenced by three complex illusions that have brought college football to its present condition: the illusions of the scholar-athlete, the indispensable resource, and the market opportunity. (MSE)

The role of colleges and universities in promoting the health of their students and of the community's youth is examined, and initiatives to develop partnerships with community groups are discussed. One suggested approach is to integrate health-promotion activities into the college curriculum, through public service projects and coursework.…

It is proposed that the prestige and protected environment of graduate study can inflate a student's sense of personal authority and identification without adequate preparation for realities of college teaching. Contact with faculty outside the home graduate school, as in a new interinstitutional program, is seen as healthier professional…