Views of academic deans at 15 private Minnesota colleges concerning assessment were surveyed. About half of the colleges experienced some but not great pressure for assessment from their external environment while the remaining had felt essentially no pressure. The deans identified obstacles to assessment, including fears about possible intrusion…

Information was obtained on the use of the University of North Dakota undergraduate catalog to determine whether it influenced a student's decision to attend the university, what it is used for, and whether the uses differ among students according to age, sex, or college. Usable responses to a questionnaire, which is appended, were obtained from…

A description is provided of the process used by a university institutional research office to respond to questions from external groups and the institutional community about quality, effectiveness, and accountability. The institutional research office incorporated external and internal reports, along with institutional offices' planning,…

Proven market/institutional research techniques and technological developments in computer systems that can be used by college admissions offices to enhance recruitment efforts are discussed in 13 articles. Titles and authors of the articles are as follows: "Student Reactions to College Recruiting Techniques" (Arthur D. Lopatin);…

The information sources most frequently used by students at the University of California, Davis, and the effectiveness of these campus resources among students, faculty, and staff members were surveyed using two mail questionnaires, which are appended. Responses were obtained from 364 student and 148 faculty and staff. Use of four different media…

Views of the chief academic officers at Minnesota colleges concerning assessment were surveyed. Responses were received from 17 private colleges, 5 University of Minnesota campuses, 7 state universities, 18 community colleges, and 33 area vocational-technical institutes. For each type of institution, survey results are presented concerning: the…

Views of 48 foreign students concerning orientation needs at the University of Connecticut were surveyed. The following orientation activities were identified as most important, and are listed in the approximate order of importance: (1) U.S. government regulations (about visas, immigration, social security, and taxes); (2) needs of the spouse…

Undergraduate student perceptions of academic advising at the University of Vermont were analyzed and compared by year in school and college/school within the university. Forty percent of the 925 respondents were arts and sciences students, a proportion representative of the overall enrollment distribution at the college. Students rated the…

The Student Outcomes Questionnaire and the Student Outcomes Information Analysis Service (SOIS) developed by NCHEMS and the College Board are discussed. The term, "student outcomes," is defined as the consequence of a student's enrollment in an educational institution and involvement in its programs. The importance of this type of…

Findings and recommendations of a University of Alberta task force study on the mature student are presented. Study objectives were as follows: to identify the characteristics of the mature student population at the university, to identify major concerns and needs of this population, to determine to what extent the university meets the needs of…

The functions of student service offices at Mercy College of Detroit were clarified. A Key Personnel Group (KPG) consisting of the directors of all student service offices was formed. Administration of a needs assessment survey to students who had been admitted conditionally (i.e., entered with less than a 2.00 high school grade point average)…

The concepts of need and needs assessment are examined in the context of information needs for college administrators. A description is included of the conceptual framework underlying the Needs Assessment Information System (NAIS), which was developed by the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems. Attention is directed to: (1)…

The way in which Columbia College, Missouri, is perceived by potential students, government officials, donors, and neighboring institutions was surveyed. Of the 900 randomly selected study group members, 519 responded to a mail questionnaire, which is appended. As many as 37 percent would not or could not give an opinion regarding the college's…

Total quality management (TQM) was employed to improve the collection, storage, and use of racial/ethnic information at Cornell University. The initiative began with the task of standardizing ethnic codes across a number of university systems. The project to improve race/ethnicity reporting was undertaken by a team representing various university…

The purpose of this study was to assess the need for information about transfer students of both "sending" institutions (schools from which students transfer) and "receiving" institutions (schools to which students transfer) and to assess also the institutions' capacity for and willingness to enter into data-sharing activities.…