Skepticism among lawmakers in Congress that colleges are adequately trying to control costs may hinder legislation that would extend tax breaks for higher education, according to the chairman of the influential Senate Finance Committee. Senator Max S. Baucus said skepticism on Capitol Hill has been fueled by anger over multimillion-dollar coaches'…

Reviews legislative attempts to revise the Federal Communications Act of 1934 and outlines the broadcast industry's role in defeating such attempts. Suggests that the broadcast industry chose economic protectionism over increased freedom of expression. (JMF)

Southern support for racial issues has increased over time, but a gap persists between Black House members and northern and western Democrats, on the one hand, and southerners (especially southern Republicans), on the other. Region and partisanship thus explain the voting behavior of congressional representatives, even when their constituents…

The photographs of William Henry Jackson taken during the 1871 survey of the Yellowstone region of Wyoming and Montana have often been cited as the first specific group of photographs used for successful persuasion. Many historians credit Jackson's photographs as being the most influential factor in persuading Congress to designate the Yellowstone…

Higher education must tell legislatures how the state should raise the money the colleges want to spend--even if it means higher taxes--and then lobby on behalf of those proposals. This also means addressing new and potentially controversial issues about the role of colleges in state politics. (MLW)

Two-year colleges are trying to change legislators' perceptions about their institutions, demanding increased state support, and working together to lobby as a state system rather than as individual institutions. (MSE)

An Education Department plan to restructure ERIC, the government's network of education-research clearinghouses, has members of Congress concerned and they have asked that the plan not be put into effect until they can study it further. The department's plan follows a year-long review of ERIC. (MLW)

While some teachers think cable television broadcasts of congressional proceedings reveal how public policy is made, others feel it is not a representative view, has limited access, and contains little useful material for the time required to obtain it. (MSE)

Many scientists and policymakers are urging the federal government to set priorities for the scientific projects the government should support, but few can agree on how those priorities should be determined or on how much say researchers should have in the process. (MLW)

John Brademas' career in national politics and its effect on his approach to his work as president of New York University are discussed. (MSE)

The issue of sex equity in college athletics was brought to a head in 1987 in a decision by Washington state's Supreme Court in a case brought against Washington State University by former female athletes and coaches. To add two women's programs, the university asked the Legislature for additional money. (MLW)

The House Postsecondary Education Subcommittee called hearings to give higher education officials a chance to respond to accusations that colleges are greedy and spend as much as they can. Program duplication, tax breaks for parents, tuition increases, and a call for college audits are discussed. (MLW)

Leaders of urban public universities and many state legislators are challenging the high status of states'"flagship" institutions, saying local institutions can serve local needs best, and are unwilling to defer to premier research universities in requests for general support and new programs. (MSE)

The first session of the 100th Congress has been transitional for national research and development policies because of the emergence of competitiveness as a major theme in American politics, the formation of a broad-based university-corporate alliance for lobbying, and growing public awareness of the potential commercialization of technology.…

Many campus administrators in Alabama also serve in the state legislature, participating in debates and votes affecting their institutions. The potential for conflicts of interest has damaged state policy on higher education. Some recent incidents are described. (MLW)