Educators who recognize the need to clarify their programs' goals have focused much effort over the past decade on learning outcome statements that summarize complex academic ideas in succinct terms. But have the projects gone far enough? While faculty have worked to demystify disciplines and programs, the words they use still come across as…

Northeastern University economists Paul E. Harrington and Andrew M. Sum argue that a recent report, "Help Wanted", "radically overstates the size of the college labor market." This overcount, they claim, has nothing to do with the recession. "Even in times of near full employment," Harrington and Sum argue that…

Business professionals and instructors often view writing skills as one of the most important qualifications that employees should possess. However, many business employees, including recent college graduates, have serious writing deficiencies, especially in their ability to use standard English. As a result, American businesses spend billions of…

Notes that firms no longer want college graduates with "just" high intelligence quotients, 4.0 grade point averages, technical expertise, and high ambition but are also looking for team players. Reviews economic and societal trends that have contributed to this shift in organizational psychology and examines characteristics of workers who are most…

A reflective conversation between 2 cooperative education students identifies 10 qualities a university education should cultivate: broad knowledge base, creative and critical thinking skills, adaptiveness, comfort with ambiguity, flexibility, communicative competence, collaboration and teamwork skills, multiple perspectives, self-directed…

Presents suggestions for improving the quality of new employees: look for applicants with solid academic and extracurricular achievement; make sure that all technical job qualifications are valid; broaden the recruitment base; target high-scholarship schools; encourage technical people to broaden their knowledge base; and upgrade inhouse…

Includes three articles: "More College Graduates May Be Chasing Fewer Jobs" (Shelley); "College Graduates: Do We Have Too Many or Too Few?" (Hecker); and "College Earnings and Why They Vary" (Hecker). (SK)

South Carolina's Education Improvement Act (calling for improved teacher quality and development of an alternative certification program for college graduates with no previous pedagogical) provides an example of successful alternative certification programs addressing teacher shortages. Such programs can do a superior job of supporting teachers…

The special circumstances liberal arts graduates confront in finding employment and the implications for personnel recruiters, college placement officers, and liberal arts colleges are considered. It is suggested that corporate recruiters are missing some valuable prospects by failing to recognize certain qua1ities of liberal arts graduates (e.g.,…

The relationship between business and the liberal arts is discussed by the Chairman of CBS, Inc. The following attributes are identified as valuable to a liberal arts education: an open, inquiring, and flexible mind; the possession of broadly applicable skills; the exercise of individual judgment; adaptability to change; affection for the arts;…

This article proposes that efforts to coordinate higher education and employment of graduates depends on both the educational structure of the population and the structure of employment opportunities, making comparison across countries difficult. The situation in Europe, and particularly in Finland in relation to other countries, is examined.…