This paper examines expenditure patterns at higher education institutions in recent years, in light of the spiraling cost of higher education. It utilizes data from the U.S. Department of Education's Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), begun in 1986, and the Higher Education General Information Survey (HEGIS), which goes back…

Two studies evaluated outcomes of a University Experience (freshman seminar) course to ease the transition to college and enhance student retention at the University of South Florida. In the first study, course evaluations of "typical" USF students (N=540) who completed the course in fall 1998 were overwhelmingly positive in support of…

This paper addresses the evolution of the kinds of challenges that deans have met over time and examines perceptions of today's deans concerning their ability to deal effectively with current challenges. A sample of deans (n=695) in the colleges of education, business, liberal arts, and nursing at 360 public and private institutions was surveyed…

This paper, which examines mentor relationships of academic deans, is part of a study conducted by the Center for Academic Leadership at Washington State University between October 1996 and January 1997. The study sample consisted of 1,370 deans (response rate 60 percent) at 360 public and private institutions, and the survey gathered information…

This study examined racial and ethnic differences in student satisfaction with campus services at a state university. In March and April 1997, a total of 841 students at the University of Massachusetts Amherst completed a 19-item survey on their campus experiences and satisfaction with various services. The sample included 521 white, 105 Asian, 96…

This testimony discusses the future of higher education funding in California, focusing on the need to move from a system of "free" state higher education to one in which individuals receive the degree of financial aid that they need. It argues that tuition at state universities should be raised to help provide more financial aid to…

This paper examines the initiation and implementation of a broad-based outreach program at Michigan State University (MSU), focusing on faculty and staff reaction to the program. The MSU program involved the reconceptualization of university outreach, defining it as a form of scholarship that cuts across teaching, research, and service and is…

This study assessed gender differences in student satisfaction with college to further understand what contributes to student persistence and student outcomes. The study gathered data from 494 first and second year honors students (1,000 were originally surveyed) at a large midwestern research university. Of these, 175 were male and 319 were…

This paper examines the role played by an office of institutional research in developing a new student evaluation of teaching protocol. At Southeastern Louisiana University, a comprehensive 4-year public institution, the administration appointed a campus-wide committee to study the student evaluations of teaching and to make recommendations for…

This study attempted to identify indicators of success for developmental education students, particularly underprepared African American students enrolled at a predominantly Black university. The sample for the study included 922 students who responded to an 8-item questionnaire, which consisted of both traditional and non-traditional variables.…

A profile of graduation rates and time-to-degree was generated for undergraduates entering California State University in fall 1978 or fall 1979, as first-time freshmen (n=53,445) and community college transfer students (n=44,992). The profile analyzes: (1) the proportion of new students who ultimately graduate; (2) the distribution of degrees…

At regional state universities, teacher education is usually a university-wide endeavor. The majority of American public school teachers are prepared at regional state universities. This paper describes a successful, low-cost follow-up study model at a regional state university, Kutztown University (Pennsylvania) Since 1952, the university has…

A survey was conducted of the member institutions of the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges (NASULGC) to determine the status of outcomes assessment on their campuses, as well as the usefulness of the NASULGC "Statement of Principles on Outcomes Assessment." Seventy-three institutions (response rate = 49…

Logit analysis coupled with the BMDP4F computer program (Brown, 1983) was used to derive an appropriate model for the study of student retention and graduation. The model was then applied to graduate student retention and graduation data from the University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP). Logit analysis is a method of determining what effects…

The paper describes a model developed through a 4-year linkage between West Virginia University and Bayero University, Kano, Nigeria. The American university saw its role as coordinating, brainstorming, and cooperatively responding to initiatives and identified needs of the African university. Program organization at the American university…