College and university leaders have paid an enormous level of attention to one domain of alumni involvement: charitable giving. In light of the decline of state support for higher education and the shrinking ability of families to pay for college, such emphasis is understandable. However, this emphasis has blinded scholars and practitioners to…

To what extent does state policy for student financial aid affect the distribution of institutional aid awarded to students at public institutions? Using data from the National Postsecondary Student Aid Survey we employ a Tobit model to investigate the relationship between student characteristics, including family income and academic…

In this paper, we use economic concepts to examine the choice that states make between giving appropriations to public colleges or need-based financial aid to students. We begin by reviewing the economic justification for state support for higher education. Next, we introduce a simple economic model for comparing and contrasting appropriations and…

Educational research has shown that individual-level background characteristics, such as parental socio-economic status and academic ability, influence college going behavior. This study tests for the existence of aggregate-level high school effects on college enrollment, persistence and degree attainment. It links institutional data on students…

This study explores the various factors that promote positive interactions across race for African American, Asian American, Latino, and White college students. A longitudinal survey was administered to all incoming students at nine public institutions (with a follow-up survey given at the end of their second year), examining activities related to…

Building upon earlier work by Camp, Gibbs, and Masters II, (1988). "The Journal of Higher Education" 59(6): 652-667 and Wenger and Girard, (2000). "Research in Higher Education" 41(2):195-207, we present a model for allocating funds for salary increases to faculty lines within an academic unit at a public research university. The model first…

Amid growing criticism of public universities, there is little discussion of what appropriate institutional evaluation would entail. Six-year graduation rates are commonly used, and public bachelors granting institutions have lower rates than private institutions, but with the growth in non-traditional college attendance, these can be misleading.…

Examined levels of administrator satisfaction at public and private institutions, using national data on university characteristics, state characteristics, and administrative satisfaction. Found hypothesized differences in satisfaction between administrators at public/private institutions were related only to extrinsic rewards. In both sectors,…

A place-to-place migration pattern study shows patterns for first-time college students, especially freshmen, for each state and the District of Columbia in fall 1986. State-to-state matrix tables show patterns by sector (private and public). (Author/MSE)

This paper uses data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System to examine the status of equity for Blacks in enrollment and bachelor's degree attainment at public higher education institutions in the South. This paper also examines whether the status of equity in these indicators varies based on the type of civil rights oversight.…

This study focuses on the correlates of student preference for private institutions over public institutions in their senior year in high school. Results indicate that students' subjective responses to tuition costs and to financial aid availability are directly related to student preference for a certain type of postsecondary institution. (JM)

A study of nine four-year public colleges found that organizational climate is a relevant factor at the organizational level in distinguishing campuses from one another, but subunits account for the greatest variation. Administrators have more positive perceptions of organizational climate than faculty, and faculty attitudes are affected by…

A Michigan study to project enrollments systemwide, based on calculations of participation rates and credit hour loads of 66 student subgroups defined by age, gender, and degree level, applied 1985 figures to cohort population projections to assess the impact of an aging population on enrollments in 1990, 1995, and 2000. (MSE)

Three surveys, administered a year apart, to 259 newly hired, tenure track faculty at five colleges found their perception of personal control was a critical factor in emotional well-being, stress level, job satisfaction, by itself or in combination with institution type and time. Faculty at liberal arts and comprehensive colleges had most…

In "Grutter vs. Bollinger," the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the use of race as one factor, among many in admissions decisions is constitutional. It is not known, however, whether future legal opinions will continue to uphold the use of affirmative action policies. Some have argued that class-based preferences can achieve many of the same goals…