Colleges' and universities' commitment to community service is largely lip service. Conditions that would encourage more than just the very committed do not exist on most campuses. Communities are not voids to be organized and filled by the more knowledgeable; they are well-developed, complex, and sophisticated organisms that demand to be…

Criticism of "political correctness" on college campuses is no longer an internal debate about curriculum. Journalists and politicians have entered the debate, and the entire enterprise of the university, including healthy skepticism, has come under attack. The challenge is to make the university a place where different communities are…

The debate over "political correctness" in higher education policy concerning cultural diversity masks the real issue of educating people to overcome cultural fear and prejudice. Johns Hopkins University's (Maryland) Human Relations and Campus Diversity Committee is an example of an emerging campus forum for students to discuss issues of…

Constituting only 3% of U.S. institutions of higher education, historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) enroll about 16% of black students in college, and award about 27% of all bachelor's degrees to African-Americans; of African-Americans earning doctorates, 35% have baccalaureate origins in HBCUs. These institutions foster student…

By focusing more on the educational values of community life and development of the whole student, as exemplified in the tradition of residential colleges, educators can help make the modern U.S. university more student centered, building characters and sharpening minds. (MSE)

The vast changes that crumbled the ivory tower of 1940 were unforseen, unplanned, and largely unintended. Educators did not control developments but were carried along on social and demographic currents: the demands of war, returning veterans, economic growth, the baby boom, Vietnam, campus revolt, economic decline, and changing public support.…

The role of higher education in preparing citizens for the 21st century, working for global good in an increasingly challenging social context, is examined. It is argued that while higher education is not essential for individual commitment to the common good, at its best it can provide a mentoring environment that supports individual moral…

Some colleges have been able to create and maintain campus climates that promote educationally purposeful student behavior. The 14 "involving colleges" identified in a recent study provide unusually rich extra-classroom learning opportunities for undergraduates. Common cultural features of the institutions include strong institutional…

This article argues that the physical plant of most colleges and universities does not teach students to value the natural environment, despite its costly maintenance. A more ecological approach that respects nature, reflects natural aesthetic standards, presents the outdoors as a classroom in its own right, and for which the whole campus…

Community-based colleges have emerged over the last 15 years to serve primarily low-income adults who have been excluded from the mainstream of American social, economic, and political life. A Ford Foundation study concludes that these colleges provide an important option.

Increased availability and use of computers and computer networks in higher education are raising issues that must be addressed on campuses. A Bill of Rights and Responsibilities for Electronic Learners is proposed, outlining rights and responsibilities of both individuals and institutions, as a starting point for discussion. (MSE)

The president of Dartmouth College (New Hampshire) discusses campus cultural pluralism, the need for diversity in higher education, overcoming resistance to change, techniques for supporting a diverse student population, monitoring diversity through institutional research, and the issue of "political correctness" in higher education…

Evangelical colleges have been unaffected by the academic revolution in which faculties, organized into departments, have increasingly obtained hegemony over a large and growing portion of the academic enterprise. These colleges are tuition-dependent, with relatively weak departments, allowing greater flexibility. Oral Roberts University, Berea…

The history of liberal education in the United States is a reflection of U.S. History. Among the influences on its existence and development are the needs of the church and of science, the rise of specialization, changing campus life-styles, and the need to correct and build on secondary education. (MSE)

Conflicts erupting on increasingly multicultural campuses indicate we can have diversity without building a multiracial democracy. A multiracial community requires citizens who understand that their views of reality may not match the reality of others and who possess cultural competence. Dismantling affirmative action and equal opportunity…