As the leader of the nation's only campus dedicated exclusively to early college, the author heads an institution that ensures students graduate sooner than the national average. As an academic who pursued her graduate work at Oxford University--an institution that confers most of its undergraduate degrees in three years--the author has had direct…

Higher education must arrive at some fresh convictions to restore integrity to the baccalaureate degree. Assumptions about the degree's meaning should be made explicit in both the curriculum and extracurricular activities. The objectives of the Association of American College's Project on the Meaning and Purpose of Baccalaureate Degrees are…

There is no inherent flaw in the concept of single-purpose institutions as an appropriate vehicle for delivery of nursing education programs. Those programs that have successfully completed the rigorous reviews associated with accreditation have earned the right to be recognized as legitimate members of the higher education community. (Author/MLW)

In a discussion of whether higher education must define, for the general public, the meaning of the baccalaureate degree, two higher education policy specialists present their perspectives. One argues that greater emphasis should be on the education behind the degree and recommends research and experimentation into outcomes. The other finds…

The author takes issue with the National Institute of Education-sponsored report, "Involvement in Learning: Realizing the Potential of American Higher Education," saying that it belittles the importance of occupational education. He argues for the value of specialization to secure immediate employment versus the vaguer goals of liberal…

The history of the liberal arts college from its origins in the medieval universities of Western Europe and England is traced, and the present changes in the liberal arts colleges in the United States are considered. In France and Germany, instruction in the liberal arts became the responsibility of classical secondary schools as the universities…

Two higher education leaders present perspectives on the meaning of the baccalaureate degree. The first argues that institutions can satisfy the need for public accountability for the degree without sacrificing autonomy. The second stresses that a clear statement of institutional objectives and desired outcomes is important and is consistent with…

The current baccalaureate trend toward professsionalization is lamented because it responds to the superficial and ultimately meaningless accouterments of professional life. The mission of developing broadly applicable intellectual capabilities must be maintained. (MLW)

An examination of trends in undergraduate liberal arts degrees and curricula reports two findings: (1) renewed interest in the liberal arts degree has occurred primarily outside liberal arts colleges, within universities; and (2) the struggle for institutional survival has caused some colleges to scale back or abandon their original missions. (MSE)

Liberal learning and professional training both can be enhanced if humanities and nursing faculties will join in creating a larger vision of education. (Author/MLW)

Perspectives concerning the current disenchantment about undergraduate curricula and the bachelors degree are offered in this keynote address. It is suggested that rising expectations and unfulfilled hopes for higher education from the 1960s may be a factor. In the 1960s a sense of reform and rediscovery later created an expectation among students…

An examination of the transcripts of over 3,000 graduates of major Southern universities reveals that a more rigorous general education course sequence is necessary, and possible, to strengthen teacher preparation at the undergraduate level. (MSE)

Offering a degree in advance of the traditional B.A. will "exalt the liberal arts curriculum" and better serve new students. The curriculum should be expanded to accommodate the less-qualified undergraduates and full service should be offered to the public, six days a week, year round. (MLW)

Four articles on higher education curriculum are presented. In "The Articulate Curriculum" an approach to curriculum description is presented that is designed to have minimal ambiguity concerning the intention, content, and processes of the curriculum and that will lead to questioning several discrete factors in the curriculum planning…

Selected college and university programs established to assist adults in continuing their education, earning their degrees, and learning about whatever interests them are described, and an essay on lifelong learning is presented. In "Curriculum Development for Lifelong Learning," Charles S. Claxton describes how life cycle research,…