A small, Catholic liberal arts college surveyed its alumni, freshmen, and seniors about their college experience, employment history, and the contribution of the curriculum to their Christian attitudes and personal growth in specific areas. While not all responses were favorable, the response rate was high, suggesting an institutional bond. (MSE)

A study of 43 liberal arts colleges' library budgets for the first half of the 1970s is described. The combined effects of inflation and financial crunch have led to a materials v staff struggle which could result in an improper balance between these two items. (Author/MLW)

In the Classroom Observer Program at Dickinson College a student not enrolled in a course is hired for a nominal stipend to attend class meetings and provide immediate feedback to the instructor about various aspects of the teaching process from a student perspective. (LBH)

A consortium of 12 4-year, private liberal arts colleges has sought to address the promises and challenges of information technology for undergraduate education. The effort has involved identification of faculty using technology in teaching, then of their individual strategies and techniques, and the establishment of a home page on the World Wide…

The faculty's primary function in the private, liberal arts college is to foster its own and the students' independent judgment, not to provide an educational smorgasbord. It should focus on the original subject matter of the liberal arts (reading, writing, speaking, listening, and reasoning about truth, goodness, and beauty) and promote dialog.…

The private liberal arts college's obligations and contributions to the moral decision-making process of its students and alumni are shown to be responses to questions of the meaning of human life, what is worth loving and knowing, and what is worthy of belief. (JMF)

A survey of faculty in seven western New York State colleges with Catholic traditions revealed certain teacher characteristics and attitudes: high morale, high teaching loads and scholarly activity, basically secular attitudes, and geographic provinciality. (MSE)

Enrollment projections for liberal arts colleges based only on demographic information are described as not useful tools for institutional planning. Attention must be paid to family size and income, financial aid policies, and quality of programs. The nature of higher education enrollments in 1964 and 1977 are discussed. (Author/MLW)

A study investigated what "globalism" means to 16 higher education institutions, public and private, and 16 corporations in 4 areas of the United States. Definitions of globalism, human resource implications, what corporations are looking for in recruits, the meaning of multicultural competence, and the adequacy of response of both the academic…

The approaches taken by Alverno College, Clayton State College, DePaul University, James Madison University, Northeast Missouri State University, and Rhode Island College in using the results of student assessment productively are described. (MSE)

Reed College uses a junior qualifying examination, which can take a number of forms, a senior thesis based on the subject chosen for the junior exam, and an oral exam based on the senior thesis to monitor student preparation and measure the strengths and weaknesses of the curriculum and instruction. (MSE)

Strict adherence to the mission of a church-related liberal arts college is seen as a viable approach to the 1980s. Trends to discredit the liberal arts, to use departmentalization to cope with knowledge, and to encroach on the college's domain with electronic advances are discussed. (Author/MLW)

A study tested the hypothesis: The greater the amount of philanthropic income per dollar of tuition, the smaller the fraction of bachelor's degrees in occupational fields. Findings support the contention that a college's tuition dependence is associated with its tendency to adjust its curriculum to match student consumer preferences. (MLW)