Major functional limitations of a Saudi Arabian university are discussed. Most students have little academic orientation; college education is viewed as a means to rapid prosperity; students lack adequate scholastic preparation and hold negative perceptions of faculty and administration. (Author/MLW)

Drawing on data collected in a national study of doctoral program quality, information is examined pertaining to the graduate department's learning environment, the extent of faculty members' concern for students, graduate student assistantship experiences, and faculty satisfactions and views about various departmental practices and policies.…

Based on 900 returns from a survey of all U.S. college and university presidents, priorities were found to reflect needs to deal with retrenchment. Priorities included: communicating institutional strengths to students, parents, public, and state legislatures; integrating program review results; resource allocation; faculty vitality and renewal;…

Results from a survey of faculty members concerning their observations and opinions about the effects of student evaluation of instruction are presented. The respondents reported a definite reduction in morale and job satisfaction, and changes in various instructional practices (mainly reduced course work demands on students). (Author/MLW)

Survey data from 458 former health science graduate students were examined for correlations between variables that might be used in selecting research training award recipients and successful training outcome defined as a highly productive research career. Four variables that showed promise as useful indicators of posttraining research are…

A survey of National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges (NASULGC) members found that, although many purported to be assessing undergraduate student outcomes, most had only recently begun and could not identify specific improvements resulting. However, most found the association's statement of principles on outcomes…

Methods used to measure college faculty salary compression (i.e., the extent to which new faculty salaries are approaching those of existing faculty at the same or higher rank) are presented. Administrator methods of addressing the issue of salary compression are also discussed, based on a survey of 10 college provosts. (Author/MSE)

An analysis used 1987 national student aid data to examine the influence of prices on within-year persistence by graduate students. Results indicated that graduate students, especially in public institutions, are responsive to tuition charges in their persistence decisions. It is suggested that institutions carefully examine the potential impact…

Ways to improve data comparability among national college faculty surveys are discussed. The surveys and some of their attributes are identified. Faculty sizes are estimated and weights for faculty in selected disciplines and institutions calculated. Weights were designed specifically for surveys conducted in 1969, 1975, 1980, and 1988.…

At a large university, faculty ratings in five academic areas were collected from two groups of students using paper-and-pencil or electronic survey administration. The two modes yielded similar factor patterns, with ratings influenced by academic area but not survey method. Students felt more anonymous using the paper-and-pencil method;…

Using data from a survey of more that 1900 first-year students at a large research institution, this paper applies Holland's theory of personality and environment to examine the ways in which students view diversity. Holland categories, individual characteristics such as race and gender, and interactions with people of color prior to college,…

Colleges and universities have made considerable effort to get students to use information technology productively. This study uses data from the 2003 administration of the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) to investigate the relationships between student uses of information technology and other forms of student engagement. There…

A survey of higher education programs found that nine of the programs offer an area of concentration in institutional research and 17 programs have an institutional research core course. These programs are identified and the content of the curriculum is described. Planning topics received the most emphasis in courses. (Author/MLW)

Judgment policies of personnel and affirmative action officers were examined in one state's colleges and universities by identifying 13 possible program effectiveness criteria. Results suggest attitudes and procedures were the most important effectiveness criteria; institution type and size had no moderating effects. (MSE)

Using the exploratory data analysis method of median polishing, the institutional and departmental satisfaction of women who recently entered the academic profession was examined. Results indicated that satisfaction differed by institutional type (Carnegie classifications) and discipline type (pure versus applied). (Author/MLW)