Introduces Gordon Gee, the new president of Brown University (Rhode Island), noting his previous presidencies of three large public universities and his relatively conservative background. Quotes trustees, faculty, and students who praise his enthusiasm but raise questions about his announcement of a new program prior to faculty consultation. (DB)

Sylvan Learning Systems, a company best known for its tutoring and testing operations, plans to create a network of private, for-profit universities in a dozen countries overseas, at the rate of about one institution a year. The director of the U.S. Information Agency will leave his post to head the venture. The plan has received mixed reactions.…

A small consulting firm, the Registry for College and University Administrators, places retired college presidents in interim positions, usually after an administrator has left suddenly. Interim presidents have been placed at 19 institutions in seven years, mostly at small, private colleges. Almost always, the underlying mission is to lay a strong…

A survey based on tax return data shows that three presidents of private universities earned over $500,000 in pay and benefits in 1997; 46 earned over $300,000. The median at research universities was $351,453, a 6% increase. At baccalaureate colleges it was $179,322, up 4.1%. Some deferred-compensation payments skewed the figures slightly. (MSE)

Data from federal tax returns for 1994-95 filed by 479 of the nation's universities and colleges revealed the largest compensation package for college presidents was over $800,000. Most of the highest-paid were at research or doctoral institutions. Some received no pay or donated it to their college or religious order. Controversies over…

In each of the past three years, a dozen or so public and private colleges have elevated themselves to universities, less because of substantial institutional changes than to highlight institutional vision and communicate prestige, in turn improving fund raising. Many have gradually added master's degree programs. Private colleges can change…

Data on 1995-96 private college faculty and administrator compensation, based on tax returns of 477 colleges, reveals half the presidents received raises outpacing inflation. Fifty received no raise. Overall, the highest paid were medical faculty, although 47 coaches and athletic directors were among the highest paid at their institutions.…

Four articles address rising college tuition: "An Inside Look at How a Private University Sets Tuition Rates and Spends the Money"; "Comparisons of Tuition Rates Raise Tough Policy Questions"; "At Public Colleges, the Tuition Debate Is a Mix of Philosophy and Practicality"; and "Do Federal Loans Encourage Tuition Increases?" Data on undergraduate…