The necessity of clarity in the expression of the small college's mission and goals is emphasized. The central place of values in the institution's mission and the central role of leadership, which is to infuse the small college with those values, are discussed. (MLW)

The principal importance of small, church-related colleges is in their contribution to the existing diversity in the pluralistic, competitive, public, and private way of doing things in America. As in health, culture, social service, and business, this diversity is traditional and considered desirable. (MSE)

The role of the community college in the educational growth and development of rural America can be enhanced by (1) strengthening the bond with rural public school districts; (2) developing a rural studies curriculum; and (3) becoming a major factor in the rural development process. (MB)

Without significant changes in educational programs, teaching-learning strategies and living-learning environments the so-called "invisible colleges" may in fact disappear because they have been unable to meet the needs of their constituencies. These small, private colleges with limited resources must become interdependent with their environments.…

Small, independent colleges are endangered the most by public misconceptions of their role, value, and stability. New understanding of these colleges' financial and other support needs must be reflected in public policy if they are not to become a lost national resource. (MSE)

Most small colleges face difficult decisions during the 1980s regarding their institutional identity and educational goals. Forces acting upon college administrators today tend to favor comprehensiveness at the expense of distinctiveness. Society will be served better by an array of distinctive small colleges, each having a character of its own.…

Endangered small, private colleges can take steps toward survival, including mission clarification, expanding services to existing and potential clienteles, introducing management by objectives, and developing public relations and fund raising. Long-range options include avoiding the postsecondary mainstream and striving for efficiency of…

The rationale and history behind the merger of the University of Tasmania and the College of Advanced Education in Southern Tasmania are explained. The merger will expand a small regional university into a more comprehensive institution serving a broader clientele. The problems of such a change are discussed. (MSE)

The liberal arts college's role has always been education for intellectual excellence and technical competence, grounded in a sensitivity for the dimension of depth in human experience. As American culture becomes more urban and more secular, the liberal arts colleges must maintain their essential task of asking ultimate questions. (Author/MLW)

In excerpts from his inaugural address, Washington College's president reaffirms the value of the small liberal arts college in a highly specialized educational system, denounces the university's scientific approach as inappropriate for providing a value system for students, and notes the need for several distinct approaches to learning. (MSE)

True liberal education requires a specific physical environment designed to promote both planned and spontaneous conversation. These conditions are most likely to exist in the small, residential liberal arts college, particularly those with modest means, where collegiality and inclusiveness are valued. (MSE)

Essays by Marv Weiss and Bruce Bryden; Jerry Young; D. Kent Sharples; and Kermit Lidstrom and Jordis Conrad identify issues and problems of particular concern to small, rural colleges, including student retention, faculty recruitment, image building, and the colleges' role in economic development. (DMM)

Aspects of the small liberal arts college's environment that contribute to the intellectual and personal development of faculty as well as students include accessibility, visibility, flexibility, the institution's desire for interdisciplinary inquiry, and a reward system for scholarship. (MSE)

The decision on the most appropriate size for liberal arts colleges should not be made on economic grounds. Analysis of literature shows that economic benefits through economies of scale are too debatable to play an important role. Fixed costs may be offset by less institutional complexity in small colleges. (Author/MSE)

A collection of brief addresses made by Richard Daniel Weigle to successive entering classes at St. John's College at matriculation convocations over three decades (1950-1980) are presented. The 25 convocation addresses concern the following topics: Plato's cave and St. John's College; history; liberal education and women; Subiaco and community;…