This paper discusses experiences and lessons learned from developing an interdisciplinary graduate program (IDP) during the last 10 y: The Howard University Graduate Program in Atmospheric Sciences (HUPAS). HUPAS is the first advanced degree program in the atmospheric sciences, or related fields such as meteorology and earth system sciences,…

The author reports on the dismissal of a longtime diversity administrator Dr. Cordell Black, combined with a declining minority enrollment and a deflated state budget, which has raised concerns about the University of Maryland's commitment to diversity and resulted to student protests. For years, the university has worked hard to reverse the…

Across the United States, community colleges offer millions of students an open-access, low-cost postsecondary education. However, of the students who enroll in community college hoping to earn a credential or transfer to a four-year institution, only about half achieve their goal within six years. For students who enter college needing…

Community college leaders are using many strategies to improve their students' ability to complete their studies, particularly their academically underprepared students. In recent years, these strategies have included adaptations of an approach long used in four-year colleges known as "learning communities," in which groups of students…

Institutional progress in implementation of Maryland's desegregation plan for public postsecondary education institutions is reported. Midyear status reports are presented by each institution. Information is also given on desegregation activities of the State Board for Higher Education for August 1979 through July 1980 and on funds appropriated in…

A study was conducted to assess the feasibility of operating an internship program to increase the number of talented women and minority educational researchers and to encourage the pursuit of fresh educational research related to their special concerns. The study focused on women and minority junior faculty (assistant professors, lecturers, and…

This report shows the progress made in the hiring of African-American faculty and senior administrators between 1985 and 1995 at Maryland public higher education institutions. Notable increases have occurred in the number of African-Americans employed full-time in the ranks of professor, associate professor, and assistant professor. The number of…

The Office of Educational Research and Improvement funded nine projects exploring whether partnerships could help improve teacher education and induction. It created consortia of state education agencies, state agencies of higher education, teacher education colleges, and local school districts to collaborate on improving teacher education and…

A 1985-1990 equal educational opportunity plan for Maryland is presented to further integration of public institutions and to enhance traditionally black institutions (TBIs). After considering the legal background and earlier equal educational opportunity plans, the following areas are addressed: the organization and structure of Maryland state…

This publication contains 25 papers from a conference on defining quality higher education. Opening sections cover the conference program and members of the conference's steering committee. A representative sampling of papers includes the following: "The College Student Experiences Questionnaire: A Follow-Up Study of Academic and Social…