Small colleges and universities serve a profoundly important role in American society. They provide the rigorous, personalized experience that is the hallmark of the best of higher education. In the process, they build opportunity and encourage civic engagement among a new generation of citizens. The landscape for these institutions has changed…

Community colleges play a fundamental role in higher education. They are open-access institutions, providing higher education services to individuals from a variety of backgrounds. Community colleges also provide important workforce development and training opportunities to help develop the local economy. Today, states and the federal government…

This book analyses the role of universities as critical actors in the socio-economic development of peripheral regions in Norway and the Czech Republic. Examining the ambiguities of the traditional mission of a university in comparison to contemporary demands, the editors and contributors move past single-case analyses to adopt an integrated…

Higher education has been a favorite news topic for months. President Obama and the first lady have entered the national conversation, particularly around issues of cost and graduation rates for low-income students--addressing education in the State of the Union, at White House events, and in speeches across the nation. In the midst of these…

Several recent studies point to strong performance in economics PhD programs of graduates from liberal arts colleges. While every undergraduate program is unique and the likelihood of selection bias combines with small sample sizes to caution against drawing strong conclusions, the authors reflect on their experience at Carleton College to…

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)

The conversion of liberal arts institutions into comprehensive institutions primarily engaged in vocational and occupational programs is discussed. The liberal arts college is seen as an endangered species that needs to be preserved at all costs. A history of the liberal arts college in America is provided. (MLW)

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…

Institutional advancement is defined as the craft of securing understanding and support from internal and external constituencies for all the programs and activities of the college, and selling is seen as the means for achieving institutional advancement goals. The making of friends who become donors is discussed. (MLW)

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)