The movement to reform college athletics programs has been least well implemented in the institutions at which it was aimed, those sponsoring the largest and most expensive programs. Some blame the institutions for lack of courage in making changes that would restrict their competitiveness. (MSE)

A federal judge has ruled that the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) program of mandatory, random drug tests of athletes is constitutionally sound and that the NCAA does not act as a state agent. A University of Washington runner involved in the litigation will appeal the decision. (MSE)

A panel of educators, business leaders, and government officials convened by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), recommends massive, state-by-state educational change by increasing the proportion of American college graduates, giving public institutions major responsibility for teacher education, and encouraging…

The National Collegiate Athletic Association's recent rules allowing drug testing of some athletes before major competitions and use of college receipts and association funds for rehabilitation, the penalties for coaches and athletes, and criticisms leveled against the plan are discussed. (MSE)

Twenty-five years after passage of Title IX, federal legislation barring sex discrimination in athletics in federally-funded schools, females make up 37% of college athletes and receive 38% of athletic scholarships at National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I schools. Women's participation in college sports has increased four-fold.…

The University of Iowa's president has vowed to bar freshmen from intercollegiate sports even if the National Collegiate Athletic Association does not agree. The move is intended as a leadership stand, to allow freshmen to get an academic foothold before entering competition. The football coach and the governor disagree. (MSE)

The European Union will expand its experimental program to facilitate transfer of academic credit among institutions in different countries. Demand for student exchange opportunities in Europe is forcing higher education systems to address issues of international cooperation, even some standardization. (MSE)

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools' recommendation that the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill place the athletics program solidly in the control of the university, rather than the booster organization, signaled the accrediting agency's willingness to crack down on college sports programs. (MSE)

A test that for a decade has been required of Florida college students before they can become juniors will, in 1996, become only one of four ways for students to demonstrate academic readiness. While some expect the change to reduce remedial enrollments, move students through college faster, and improve collaboration between public schools and…

A statewide telecommunications network in New Mexico links research and educational institutions, government agencies, businesses, and public interest groups. Development of the system began a decade ago, primarily to promote economic development. New information services are added monthly, and use is expanding rapidly. Some other states have…

An eclectic group of 71 nonprofit organizations are urging policymakers to guarantee that the proposed national "data highway" serves the public interest by reaching poor and minority communities and including services that educators, librarians, people with disabilities, and others want. Higher education is represented by institutions and…

One professor's efforts to bring high school teachers and college geography faculty together, strengthen high school geography teaching, and increase interest in the study of geography has spawned a network of alliances covering 20 states and sponsored by the National Geographic Society. (MSE)

A group of 37 college and university presidents recommended more cooperation between colleges and schools and improved training for teachers. The goal of the presidents meeting was to contemplate their role in the school-reform movement. Greater emphasis, it was suggested, must be placed on the value of teaching. (MLW)

While the National Collegiate Athletic Association made no policy changes in its recent meeting, many presidents, athletics directors, and other sports officials attending may have made substantial progress toward reform through extensive exchange of ideas on the notion of federation within divisions, the legislative process, and financial aid…

Alarmed by the decline in the number of minorities graduating from high schools and colleges, representatives of 28 liberal arts institutions met at Swarthmore College in February 1987 to consider strategies to increase minority-group applicant pools and to improve retention rates. A consortium with 300 high schools nationwide was proposed. (MLW)