A plan for all of the state of Maryland's 13 public colleges and universities to be included in the University of Maryland System is discussed. The system would be governed by a board of regents, and each college would have a board of trustees to monitor campus issues. (MLW)

A national study of 272 funds that gathered information on investments' market gains as well as interest and dividend income shows last year's increase in the value of the average endowment was the second-highest 1-year return recorded in the last 12 years. (MSE)

The trends in institutional investment of endowment funds for the year ending June 30, 1984, are analyzed, including average returns, extremes, total endowment values, and the distribution of investments. The data are from an annual national comparative performance survey. (MSE)

A committee studying Texas higher education has withdrawn a controversial proposal to merge institutions, instead adopting a broad set of principles for higher education and specific recommendations for state colleges and universities. The objective is to improve education during state economic decline due to falling oil prices. (MSE)

A Missouri proposal that parents be allowed to set up special savings accounts for their children's college education that would be exempt from state income tax is described. It is compared to a plan in Michigan that allows parents to prepay tuition at colleges in the state. (MLW)

A federal appeals court has ruled that there are legitimate reasons a state can operate a single-sex college, provided appropriate programs exist for men and women. Virginia Military Institute provides "adversative" education, grueling physical training without privacy, that would suffer if women were admitted. A proposed separate…

A federal judge's specifications for desegregating Mississippi's state colleges are excerpted from a recent court ruling. Issues addressed include the state's formula for financing colleges, whether the case should focus on students or institutions, the missions of historically black colleges and predominantly white institutions, and campus…

The University of Maryland Foundation is managing the endowments of three other Maryland state institutions and is negotiating to do so for two more. The foundation pools the endowment funds, decides on investment strategies, and hires companies to make the investments. The smaller colleges earn better returns, but some observers are concerned…

Salary data gathered from 261 public and 478 private institutions are presented by rank (professor, associate professor, assistant professor, new assistant professor, and instructor) for 47 disciplines. (MSE)

Nine-month faculty average salaries and the increases over 1983-84 figures that they represent are tabulated for public and private institutions by rank and institution type: Ph.D-granting, comprehensive, two-year, and totals. (MSE)

Minnesota's large-scale restructuring of public higher education in July 1995 created a 45-institution system that has recently experienced further consolidation of 18 community and technical colleges into ten. Other changes include decentralization, downsizing, and changes in support services. Proposal of another merger has created concern that…

Florida is becoming a favored environment for the college fund raiser. Fund-raising statistics suggest that Florida relies on donors who are not their alumni, and an increasing number are older citizens who have moved to the state or who spend the winter months there. (MLW)

In response to the increasing amount of time it takes many students to complete a bachelor's degree, Arizona's Board of Regents has lowered the number of credits required to graduate from the three state universities. Critics are concerned about educational quality and the role of the Arizona Board of Regents in academic matters. (MSE)

A proposed law barring public social services to illegal immigrants poses a dilemma for California colleges. It calls for state and local agencies, including colleges and universities, to report suspected violators. Opponents see the law as sanctioning racism. Fairness to students and burden on the institutions are major issues. (MSE)

Many state legislatures are authorizing the largest bond issues for campus facilities in years, in part for deferred maintenance and repairs. The robust national economy appears to be the main force driving the spending trend. Ironically, some of the states best positioned to give colleges large construction windfalls are those limited…