Many governors use their annual addresses to boast about the accomplishments of their state colleges, others to encourage their colleges and universities to make specific changes or to seek increased financing for higher education. Excerpts from some of the addresses delivered in 1988 are presented. (MLW)

Money is frequently at the center of efforts to rename state colleges as universities, as institutions seek more state funds and business contributions and higher quality faculty and students. Opponents say the name must match the institutional reality. (MSE)

Many public colleges feel that, rather than offer specialized curriculum to the entire state, they should provide a wide range of courses to the immediate vicinity. State governments often prefer to cut quantity of programs offered, especially by regional four-year institutions. Massachusetts is proceeding with specialization in seven regional…

Persistent state legislative interest in public college faculty workload is causing higher education advocates to redirect the debate to consistent measurement of faculty effort, relationship of cost and quality, and intrusion of management on faculty's professional autonomy. Faculty are participating more in the debate. (MSE)

Data on high school graduates per 1,000 population, public college students per 1,000 population, higher education as a percentage of tax revenue, state and local tax dollars per college student, and the percentage of higher education revenue generated by tuition are reported for each state and the District of Columbia. (MSE)

The growing restiveness and political force of the Mexican-American population is strengthening state institutions in South Texas, whose enrollments are predominantly Mexican-American and who are fighting discrimination in the state legislature. (MSE)

Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York face giant deficits in their state budgets. The financial impact of the 1986 federal tax reform law was underestimated by colleges and income estimates were overly optimistic for 1988 and 1989. Unpopular, new taxes are seen as the way to solve the budget crunch. (MLW)

This article discusses how federal and state governments can improve student access to private and public higher education institutions. Florida helps to achieve that with a common course-numbering system across community and four-year colleges, which permits students to easily transfer credits. Both the Senate and the House of Delegates in…

The responses to 46 state commissioners of higher education, or the equivalent officers, on questions concerning tuition policies are tabulated, including reasons used to justify tuition increases and holds, areas of greatest concern for cost and productivity, and the most likely areas for improving higher education productivity. (MSE)

Public colleges and universities are seeking the authority to issue millions of dollars' worth of bonds to pay for construction projects. These requests are emerging as one of the major higher-education issues in legislative sessions this year. (MLW)

Changes being made in public college governance are increasingly motivated by state governments' desire to have state boards exercise more policy leadership on some difficult higher education issues, including setting up productive university-industry economic development ventures, minority student recruiting, and improving teacher education. (MSE)

A three-judge panel of the U. S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled unanimously that civil rights groups could not sue the federal government to force it to take steps against states or colleges that may be breaking the law. (MLW)

The Education Department's expected announcement of its assessment of court-ordered desegregation plans in 10 states is reported. Most state leaders characterize their efforts as successful. Federal involvement, Black colleges, Education Department's Office for Civil Rights role, etc., are discussed. (MLW)

The Education Department declared that four states that had been under court order to desegregate their public colleges were now in compliance with federal civil rights laws and that six others were expected to fulfill their obligations easily. Civil rights lawyers said none of the states had met the requirements. (MLW)

Higher education has emerged as a big issue in Louisiana's fall election campaign. Finance, governance, admissions standards, and desegregation are discussed. The six candidates include Governor Edwin W. Edwards, Billy Tauzin, Jim Brown, Speedy O. Long, Robert L. Livingston, and Buddy Roemer. (MLW)