This report is of an omnibus survey of campus attitudes conducted by the Survey Research Center (SRC) of the State University of New York at Buffalo. Its primary purpose was to provide accurate information as a basis for effective decisions by institutional policy makers. A random sample of 326 students, 98 faculty, and 95 staff participated in…

The purpose of this study was to compare the academic progress of junior college transfers, 4-year college transfers, and continuous juniors (natives) at the University of Illinois as measured by grade point average (GPA), academic status and continued enrollment through the first year after transfer. A secondary purpose was to compare the…

Institutional researchers can play a key role in linking basic, policy, and evaluation research to improve teaching and learning. Potential intervention points to improve teaching and learning, types of research, institutional research role, learners and teachers, curriculum content, etc. are discussed. (MLW)

Institutional research that examines the influence of organizational and administrative factors on student learning may be critical in improving educational performance. The role that institutional researchers might play in reducing semantic confusion and enhancing understanding of how colleges and universities improve student learning is…

An analysis of student decisions to withdraw from specific courses before assignment of grades but after the "add-drop" period at the University of Minnesota is presented. In a probit model, withdrawals appear to occur randomly, with notable exceptions. Student, class, and teacher characteristics are considered as variables related to…

Student affairs research is useful only if it leads to improvement in students' education and lives. This requires effective communication of research results to the people who set policy and implement student affairs programs. Addresses these communication issues and explores how to get the word out and market the results of student affairs…

The University of North Carolina presents the thirty-ninth annual "Statistical Abstract of Higher Education in North Carolinaa." This abstract covers the breadth of higher education activities in the State in their quantitative aspect, from simple counts of enrollment and degrees conferred to complex analyses of the flow of student…

The study habits of adult college students over age 25 were compared to a group of younger students at the University of Wisconsin, Green Bay. The younger students were matched with the older groups on four characteristics: sex, major field of study, semester credit load, and class standing. All 56 participants were undergraduate students…

The effect of Rutgers University's merit-based scholarship program on attracting talented students, students' experiences at the university, and the provision of high quality education was studied. The university merit awards fell into four categories: Rutgers Presidential Scholar Award, five National Merit and five National Achievement…

Sexual harassment of Penn State students by school employees was studied in 1982. The research focused on harassment by employees who had power over the student or who were in a position to affect the student's educational experience. A random sample of 515 full-time female students was asked whether university employees had ever: stared at or…

The way that college students' levels of academic and social integration influenced their reported personal development during 4 years of college was investigated. The question of whether the types of influences on growth varied from one year to the next was also studied. During the summer of 1980, a sample of freshmen completed a questionnaire…

The University Opinion Poll conducted a survey of student opinion on issues related to University-sponsored day care, the role of the Minnesota Public Interest Research Group (MPIRG) and the University's policy on buying lettuce for its food services. Four hundred fifty-two respondents, 76% of a random sample of University of Minnesota students,…

Conducted as part of a continuing effort to understand the nature of persistence and withdrawal at Southwestern College, this study focused on the student who signs up for classes, is active on the census date, but completely withdraws from school before the end of the semester. The study provides the following: (1) the descriptive statistics, the…

The State University of New York College of Arts and Sciences at Geneseo initiated a 3-year baccalaureate degree program in the fall 1971 semester by enrolling 106 freshmen representing six departmental majors. At the outset of the fall 1972 semester, every department was participating, and an additional 372 freshmen entered the program. After…

To understand student attrition, Mercer County Community College has developed a complementary information system based on: (1) a computerized tracking system following enrollment patterns by semester of entering class; (2) surveys of the nonreturning student populations each semester; and (3) retrieval of demographic and biographic…