Proposes that by bringing our political system onto campuses and into classrooms, educators can play an important role in encouraging students to become engaged citizens. Highlights a number of different approaches to use with groups of young citizens that support participation in the political process. (GCP)

Investigates how higher education can harness leadership potential of students from diverse backgrounds. Presents pluralistic leadership framework to engage a diverse student body, including: (1) negotiating contingent leadership model that is reevaluated by community as a whole; (2) selecting values to associate with the model; (3) negotiating…

Examines the question of how to restructure college campuses to encourage the new kinds of collaborative and contextual learning vital for the future of higher education. Because these new forms of learning draw on the interplay of both the university's and community's resources, this quest is described as the search for a college commons.…

Interviews with two college presidents from Rhode Island and West Virginia discuss whether alcohol can coexist with learning on campus. To make room for a culture of learning, campus administrators state that the alcohol problems must be addressed. Initiatives such as Fraternity Alcohol Policy, Up All Night, and Mountaineer Parents Club are…

Presents an interview with two faculty members at Temple University on the question of academic integrity. Discusses that while encouraging better detection and stiffer enforcement of policies is an understandable response to studies showing that cheating is in the rise, it is important to keep the dialogue focused on the value of integrity. (GCP)

Dialogues on Diversity, at the University of Michigan, is an initiative that promotes diversity. Three years into the program one student proposed a video project that incorporated disabled students into programs that had previously only explored racial, ethnic, and religious differences. The video project explored the role and perceptions of…

Discusses five core reasons why reform efforts in institutions of higher education so often fail. Roadblocks to reform are identified as: 1) lack of agreement on problems to be solved; 2) unclear time frames and structures; 3) lack of evaluative criteria; 4) failure to articulate changes to the rest of the campus; 5) cultural exhaustion and system…

Reports on an 18-month study of a small residential college. Discusses four important aspects of contemporary college students, such as their holistic view of life, and suggests ways for educators at colleges and universities to enrich their understanding of student life. (RJM)

Some construction projects that colleges and universities have recently undertaken--residence halls, dining halls, student centers, athletic and recreation centers--have attracted significant criticism. Critics have taken issue with the proliferation and design of buildings intended to structure the use of students' free time and attract…

Discusses the importance of involving students in the design and enforcement of campuswide academic integrity policies, and in the education of other students about the importance of academic integrity. Argues that any approach to student discipline must involve a collaboration among faculty, administrative staff, and students. (GCP)

Facilitation is a good thing, but too much can be a problem. What can happen when parents and educators overfacilitate? One way to avoid this common pitfall is for administrators and faculty to work in partnership with parents to maintain a healthy balance in facilitating the education of the students. (Author)

Author describes four significant themes that highlight adult students' descriptions of how they experience learning on campus. Three themes address the negative side of the experience (sense of impostorship, exclusion from the cultures that have previously defined them, and notion that college will turn their life around). The hopeful theme that…

Argues that colleges need more than new techniques to engage students; they must transform college culture. Stresses that teaching and learning be the main topic of conversation, and that such conversations should be more informed and more information-based. Teaching itself can be viewed as substantive, intellectual work. (RJM)

Argues that achieving cultural diversity on college campuses requires nothing less than a complete transformation of institutions of higher learning. Discusses strategies in recognizing racial and social inequality, new ways of seeing minority students, new ways of developing curriculum, and suggestions for reinventing the university. (RJM)

When women were first admitted to colleges and universities, it was only the first step in their gaining genuine access to an education. The deans of women, hired to help with this strange new group of students, led the way in making campuses accessible to women. (Author)