Tuition discounting has been a long-standing practice among colleges and universities. Its roots can be traced to the beginnings of the 1970s, and its use has continued to increase and expand in the decades following. However, despite its widespread use, the research is inconclusive whether tuition discounting has been an effective strategy to…

A college degree is increasingly vital for career mobility and economic success as more employers are requiring greater levels of education and credentials. For more than 150 years, historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) have played a leading role in graduating black students and have made significant contributions to the workforce…

Scholarship on minority-serving institutions (MSIs) has established the critical role they play in spite of significant financial constraints. At the same time, descriptive statistical analyses have also found that MSIs, as a group, have lower completion rates than the national average. More research is thus needed on the factors underlying the…

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) provide significant STEM degrees to African Americans. Initiatives toward increasing diversity in STEM fields have been implemented by government and industry leaders. HBCUs annually award over 20% of all African American baccalaureate chemical engineering degrees. This speaks volume to the…

A serious need exists for information systems workers who have an understanding of the healthcare environment. Traditional information systems degree programs do not adequately prepare students to enter the healthcare environment. In this paper, we propose a curriculum for a baccalaureate health informatics degree that combines the technical and…

The survey on hot topics was added in 2007 to the annual survey of state directors of community colleges conducted by the University of Alabama Education Policy Center. The survey data provided an opportunity for examining the personal attitudes toward the hot topics and the associations between these attitudes and state contexts. This study finds…

Policymakers and education leaders in Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) states have been working since 2002 to meet all 12 "Challenge to Lead" Goals for Education. At the same time, SREB states have had to struggle with the toughest economic challenges in decades. At the same time, SREB states have had to struggle with the…

A number of universities have recently started to add baccalaureate programs in Information Technology (IT) to their existing programs in Computer Science (CS) and (Management) Information Systems (IS). While some have welcomed this development, others have argued that (a) there are significant differences between the baccalaureate programs in IT…

Questionnaires were mailed to persons who received a baccalaureate degree in home economics education from an Alabama college or university from 1973-77. Data on employment status from the 264 respondents was studied in correlation with information on home economics teacher supply and demand. The tight job market is discussed. (SJL)

Evidence supporting the need for special training for educational interpreters who provide services to deaf and hard-of-hearing students in instructional settings is reviewed. A baccalaureate-level degree program for educational interpreters to be offered by a consortium of four universities in Alabama and Florida is described. (Author/DB)

Data on degrees granted by Alabama colleges in universities in the 5-year period from July 1973 through June 1978 are presented, based on the Higher Education General Information Survey. A brief narrative summary includes the following highlights: a total of 127,897 degrees were awarded by Alabama's higher education institutions; public…

This study compared occupational projections for Alabama with graduation rates in corresponding academic programs to provide a context for state and institutional policy decisions on new program initiatives and to comply with recent program viability legislation. The study examined number of degrees conferred, employment projections, and…

The relationship between educational background and mobility into the executive ranks of state government was examined in a questionnaire survey of 839 state executives at the assistant division chief level and above. This study is part of a large study of the background characteristics of executives from South Carolina, Mississippi, North…

The Academic Common Market is an interstate agreement among southern states for sharing common programs at both the bachelor's and graduate levels. Participating states are able to make arrangements for their residents who qualify for admission to enroll in specific programs in other states for in-state tuition. A list of coordinators and their…

This study of the time-to-degree issue at institutions of higher education in Alabama reviewed existing reports on the problem, identified factors contributing to increases in time-to-degree, and surveyed baccalaureate programs in the state for the credit-hour degree requirements. Following an executive summary, Section 1 considers factors…