The research grants program of the National Institute of Education (NIE) that was to receive up to 15 Percent of the fledgling agency's budget under plans announced less than 4 months ago, will be virtually wiped out by a drastic budget cut imposed by senators. (Author)

An independent task force, sponsored by HEW, has recommended that the bulk of federal funds for graduate study be distributed directly to students in the form of portable fellowships, rather than have the aid channeled through universities and their graduate departments. (Author)

Student vouchers for higher education may have some positive impact on efficiency and equity in the operations of higher education, but the overall effects will not be changed since the uneven nature of government financing will not alter our social, political and economic environments. (Author/PG)

ACIR recommends that state legislatures include all federal aid funds in their own appropriations bills, prohibit the expenditure of federal funds in excess of the amount states appropriate themselves, and specify spending priorities by establishing subprogram allocations. Implications of these recommendations are discussed. (LBH)

The experience of Meharry Medical College in obtaining and using federal funds and grants is presented to illustrate the plight of Black professional schools. (JMF)

Federal student assistance has become a tangled thicket of programs and policies. It is complicated, fails to focus benefits on the neediest students, and is increasingly expensive. Complexity and cost, grants or loans, who should benefit from student assistance and who should pay, and reshaping student aid are discussed. (MLW)

Public colleges and universities are complex organizations that assert their institutional autonomy as they simultaneously operate in a context demanding response to public and political scrutiny. State boards and legislators, for example, enact programs, incentives, or regulations in many policy arenas designed to affect how colleges operate. One…