A total of 165 community leaders over age 60 interned in congressional offices in a program that taught the participants their way around the federal government and its agencies. They were expected to become liaisons with their congressional offices and with government agencies and private organizations. Two interns are profiled. (MLW)

Interviews with state legislators from Wisconsin (D. Bezruki), Massachusetts (T. P. Kennedy), and Virginia (P. Leone) illustrate the roles that evaluation is playing in the current state budget crisis. The influence of evaluation data appears largely specific to individual programs rather than systematically applied to the budgeting process. (SLD)

Despite Democrats' and educators' concern over the first Republican-led reauthorization of the Higher Education Act this year, Republicans supported the bill. Some observers feel the support is a G.O.P. survival strategy, and will not continue; some conservatives feel the party is caving in to higher education interest groups' demands. (MSE)

Congress is taking an active role in understanding and responding to the underlying problems that confront America's competitiveness in the global economy. During the 109th congressional session, legislation has been introduced addressing the importance of mathematics and science in the global economy. The Senate's Protecting America's Competitive…

Following an assessment of need among state and local public administrators in Indiana, Internet workshops were organized at Indiana State University and offered to state administrators, judges, and legislators. Each workshop began Friday morning and included a lecture-demonstration on the Internet System. After lunch participants each worked at a…

Educational policy decisions are political and are affected by demographic, economic, and social factors that influence policy-makers. As the number of federal government programs grew from the 1960's to the 1980's, so did the number of special interest groups lobbying in Washington, District of Columbia, to promote legislation, regulations, and…

The Congressional Research Service, founded in 1914, is staffed by 542 research specialists who provide information services solely to the legislative function of the United States Government. The Congressional Reference Division and seven subject divisions--American Law Division, Economic Division, Education and Public Welfare Division,…

In January 2004, college students from postsecondary institutions across Wisconsin were invited to join US Representatives Tammy Baldwin and Mark Green at The Johnson Foundation's Wingspread Conference Center in Racine, Wisconsin. The purpose of the discussion was to engage students' attitudes regarding politics, and their understanding of…

This paper discusses the role of the Directorate of Studies in the legislative work of the Hellenic Parliament (Greece). The first section describes the establishment and organization of the Directorate of Studies, which consists of three departments: the department for the elaboration of bills and law proposals, the department for parliamentary…

The strategy of the Pennsylvania Association of Colleges and Universities to combat student aid budget cuts is discussed. The main event was a "Day in Washington" when members discussed the impact of the proposed cuts with the 25 congressmen and two senators from Pennsylvania. (MLW)

David L. Boren, former governor and Senator, has become the most powerful president in the University of Oklahoma's history. Boren wants to give the university the feel of a small private college. His stature gives him flexibility to act decisively and quickly. However, some faculty feel his priorities are wrong and others feel he's moving too…

Provides information about the 106th and 107th U.S. Congress sessions. Includes early bills in the Senate for the 107th Congress and information about low versus high bill numbers. Presents two activity ideas that accompany this information. (CMK)

Minority politicians who believe that colleges have ignored them in the past are winning political posts that are crucial for higher education and are using their new power. The ethnic composition of the faculty at the University of New Mexico has been the target of legislators in the last year. (MLW)

Includes "A Capital Connection: In Washington State Educators and Legislators Find Common Ground" (Lozada); "Changing Voters' Minds in Cincinnati" (Ciancio); and "In California, Businesses and Schools Recognize Their Interdependence." (SK)

An education lobbyist reviews trends in governmental relations by higher education organizations since the 1960s, notes problems during the Reagan administration, the tendency toward decentralization and fragmentation of the higher education message, and current needs for leadership among higher education interests. (MLW)