The roles of the institution itself, faculty, the board, and issues of curriculum, finances and financial information in college closing are discussed. The pressures generated by closing often force resolution of difficult problems, even the definition of function and purpose felt by many institutions. (MSE)

The importance of technological literacy in liberal arts education, and approaches to teaching the concepts behind systems analysis and artifacts in engineering, are outlined and discussed. (MSE)

Colleges must seek a curriculum that prepares a student for a career as well as citizenship. A trilinear curriculum is suggested that combines equal parts of general, integrative (theme-oriented, interdisciplinary, and elective), and vocational courses and that begins with precollegiate education. (Author/MSE)

The history of liberal education in the United States is a reflection of U.S. History. Among the influences on its existence and development are the needs of the church and of science, the rise of specialization, changing campus life-styles, and the need to correct and build on secondary education. (MSE)

The loss of balance among the functions of the research university (instruction, basic and applied research, and professional training and service) produces a crisis of values. Many of the university's problems can be traced to this disequilibrium. Without increasing the value placed on teaching, curricular reform will be ineffectual. (MSE)

Ernest Boyer traced the cause of many of higher education's problems to the fragmented nature of the college experience. Boyer's concept of the New American College had three priorities, all rooted in American higher education traditions: clarifying the curriculum; connecting to the world beyond the classroom; and creating a campus community.…

This set of five essays explores the pros and cons of undergraduate core curricula in colleges and universities. Core curricula are seen as either providing the ideal educational base and a shared background, or as a loss of diversity and a protective shell that faculties can use to avoid considering the relevance of a liberal arts education. (JMD)

Changes in faculty and students, the dichotomy between "liberal" and "useful" education, and ways to modify the curriculum and disseminate results are among areas considered. (MSE)

There is a sense among today's students that they are passengers on a sinking ship, even though they are optimistic about their own futures. A new curriculum including interdisciplinary study, majors in problems rather than disciplines, career internships, and theses is proposed to counter student attitudes. (MSE)

The Sloan Foundation's New Liberal Arts Program aims to make a fundamental transformation in the liberal arts curriculum, by infusing applied mathematics and technological literacy. The program is examined by the president of Wellesley College in the context of current philosophical and practical constraints in higher education. (MSE)

A British industrialist and educator comments on how a college education should prepare individuals for the world of work and decision making, noting the importance of self-discovery, the relevance of multiple intelligences, the deception of competition, the similarity of learning and working, and the value of reflection. (MSE)

Colleges and universities must do more to prepare graduates to deal with serious environmental challenges. The decline in environmental quality presents higher education with an opportunity to create a truly interdisciplinary curriculum, revitalize pedagogy, and redesign the campus to reduce cost, lower environmental impact, and help catalyze…