A faculty member at Amherst discusses the challenges that have shaken his "self-edifice." He says there was strain "in the scrambling, adjusting, re-doing, remodeling of the mind, and in the constant collisions with past fatuity and obliviousness." Mina Shaughnessy's "Errors and Expectations" is recommended. (MLW)

It is proposed that the institutionalization of instruction has brought with it a reduction in the pleasure of teaching itself and also in the excitement of learning. Common doubts and conflicts for college faculty are discussed. (MSE)

Writers and artists near or in retirement need some device for keeping the creative forces alive. A project proposed by William Plater at the University of Illinois calls for a series of contemporary, or living, history courses by emeriti professors whose own contributions may have shaped their fields. (MLW)

The role of the mentor is traced in the literature of adult developmental psychology. Four primary elements of that role are: pointing the way at a developmental crossroad, offering material and/or emotional support, challenging, and letting go at the appropriate time. (MSE)

Temple University's Faculty Seminar is an ongoing group of concerned faculty trying to do something about the problems facing higher education. Temple's Gateway Program offers a seminar, mentor system, and other services to help university staff assess their own capacities, goals, and lifelong learning needs. (Author/MSE)

A former college president's wife outlines the traditional role of the president's spouse and her experiences and perceptions of its pleasures and problems. Among the topics discussed are the lack of job description, time constraints, effects on personal and family life, effects on relationships, public relations, entertaining, and supervising the…

Traditionally, the goals of a liberal arts education have been expressed in terms of "self-actualization,""self-realization," and other terms implying self-fulfillment. The reality is that focus on measurable "achievements" tends to put students out of touch with the functioning of their own psyches. (MLW)