Discussion centers on how major universities, e.g., University of California (Stanford) and the University of Michigan, are cutting costs to operate more efficiently. Questions concerning public vs private incentives to cut costs and cost containment strategies as a function of institutional size are addressed. (DB)

The future of private Black colleges depends on public and private financial support to enable them to carry out their missions and establish programs of quality. The question should not be whether private Black colleges are needed, but whether the college is of such quality that it deserves support. (MLW)

Need-blind admissions and need-based financial aid policies at selective private colleges are too expensive for most institutions to maintain. Private colleges that value diversity must aggressively pursue additional resources to support it, not relying on federal aid to pay the difference between their tuition and the selective public…

An English teacher at Amherst College and Greenfield Community College (Massachusetts) compares characteristics and attitudes of students at the two institutions. It is concluded that, although the students differ in may ways, all are equally deserving of a safe and supportive learning environment and a sound education. (MSE)

An earlier article evaluating Massachusetts' recent long-range plan for higher education is criticized. Aspects of the plan omitted in the first article are noted, including state financing improvements, incentives for institutional action, and increased local autonomy. (MSE)

Hampshire College, representing an innovative response to student discontent, and Amherst College, the exemplar of the liberal arts tradition, are compared. Seen from Amherst, Hampshire's curriculum is trendy, its standards lax, a remnant of California counterculture. From Hampshire, Amherst appears a bastion of cultural elitism and authoritarian…

While personal-income patterns have flattened for most groups, the constant-dollar prices charged by colleges and universities have increased by almost threefold. The resulting sense that the public is being asked to pay more tuition for less eventual income has caused public anxiety about higher education's value. The data are most clear for…

The economics of the growing sector of for-profit higher education institutions are examined, comparing the cost-price-subsidy structure of traditional institutions with these nontraditional institutions. Implications for the schools least able to withstand competition with for-profit institutions, generally private colleges and universities, and…

Mount Holyoke College was examined to see how it manages itself, how it raises and spends money. Holyoke's president understood that, in a competitive age, the key was not so much educating as it was positioning. Marketing and price fixing are discussed. (MLW)

The small private college may be a better vehicle for recruiting a diverse student body into higher education than is commonly recognized. The only true competition in higher education is among a few well-endowed private institutions for the best students. It would be shortsighted to eliminate this sector.

Problems affecting the survival of private colleges, including declining enrollment, inflation, costs, efficiency, public attitude, and competition with public institutions for students and federal and state aid are discussed. Thoughts about planning for the future are presented, with focus on planning and support at the state level. (JMD)

Public v private competition for students and ways that institutions and policymakers should deal with it are discussed. Private institutions vulnerable to competition from the public sector, how private institutions can survive, the tuition gap, and planning policies of public higher education are described. (MLW)