A visiting professor of linguistics to a provincial Chinese university describes aspects of his experience in China, the structure of the college curriculum and university experience, the influence of communism, and university students. (MSE)

Reports on interviews conducted to assess the status of humanities instruction in North Carolina's community colleges. Includes Dallas Herring's reflections on the establishment and growth of the state's community college system. Summarizes interviews with central office representatives and two-year college managers concerning the mission and…

Recent changes in the structure and funding of Dutch universities due to retrenchment measures include a two-stage curriculum, a system of conditionally financed research, structural staffing changes, and redistribution of tasks. Far-reaching, often negative results are predicted. (MSE)

The argument of this book is that the modern American university has given up its responsibility to provide a thoughtful, coherent, and well-articulated education to undergraduates. It is asserted that the university should be neither a trade school nor a repository of tradition, but rather an institution with the responsibility for the…

This paper suggests that higher education's response to declining resources (budget cuts, program eliminations, retrenchment, reallocation, curriculum reform) may seem chaotic to faculty but are not confused, short-term measures that will disappear as the economy recovers. Union tactics or other responses that are merely reactive and depend on…

The study of philanthropy should be included in the college curriculum. Issues related to the following are discussed: Black philanthropy; community service work; raising awareness; Judaism's view of philanthropy; active citizenship; Hawthorne's "Blithedale Romance"; and philanthropy, religion, and American culture. (MSE)

While doctoral degree remains standard degree of preference when hiring for industrial laboratories, trends in actual job requirements suggest doctoral degree may provide training that is too narrow, and a master's degree may be a more appropriate qualification. In physical sciences, faculty should work with industry leaders to shape curricula…

Fundamental attitudinal and behavioral changes must occur among faculty, librarians, and students alike before colleges can implement effective information literacy programs. Successful change will require acknowledgment of barriers, collaborative effort, and establishment of a learning community for an information-rich environment. (Author/MSE)

Excerpts from the second edition (199) of the Association of American Colleges and Universities' report, "Integrity in the College Curriculum," describe the minimum required college curriculum to meet its objectives, which include: inquiry, critical thinking, literacy, numerical skills, historical consciousness, scientific literacy,…

Discusses objects, methods of instruction, content, and accomplishments of the undergraduate major in economics. Recommends a strong introductory sequence stressing application of economic tools, rigorous intermediate theory courses, background courses in quantitative methods, and a minimum of five economics electives. Suggests synthesis through a…

As students, administrators, and faculty members, women are challenging fundamental assumptions about teaching and learning. Feminist scholars and teachers are exploring research and teaching methods that reject certainty, instead emphasizing process over product, and collaboration over competition. This also means questioning the rational,…

Higher education institutions must find a balance between their internal mission and external forces in governance, autonomy, quality vs. quantity in research, curriculum breadth, curiosity-motivated vs. mission-oriented research, excellence vs. equality, and academic freedom vs. ideological conformity. Each institution will resolve these dilemmas…

In this speech, it is argued that the effect of technological, social, and economic changes poses a challenge to the system of the availability and use of public resources and the best mix of public and private funding. These issues affect teaching and research in higher education. (Author/MLW)

At a time when higher education appears to be diverging from a sense of shared purpose, learning communities offer a way to maintain the balance between striving for oneself and contributing to the common good. They promote cooperation, help students forge interdisciplinary connections, empower students, revitalize the institutional environment,…

Examines the appropriateness of the concept of "key skills" in higher education in the United Kingdom, as defined by the 1997 Dearing Commission report, and the processes required to achieve this ideal in the current higher education environment. The report distinguishes between high-level intellectual skills and the key skills of…