Four financial models of massification of higher education are discussed in this essay. They are American model, Western European model, Southeast Asian and Latin American model and the transition countries model. The comparison of the four models comes to the conclusion that taking advantage of nongovernmental funding is fundamental to dealing…

American higher education absorbs a larger share of GDP than that of other countries, but it has not produced a particularly high proportion of college graduates. College graduation rates are actually worse than the very low benchmark of high school graduation rates, but higher education institutions are not held accountable. The author writes…

The American system of higher education governance is examined by exploring the corporate authority of governing boards at the turn of the century, from the 1880s to World War I, to establish a baseline from which to evaluate changes in this authority resulting from the changing role of federal and state governments in higher education since World…

The key variable in attracting private financial support is no longer private versus public status. Instead it is institutional prestige and a number of factors related to perceptions of institutional value, including direction, mission, strength of leadership, and distinctive features. (MSE)

Although higher education institutions dislike rankings published in the mass media, they like the attention the rankings create and prefer to be included rather than excluded. Common criticisms of the methodology include emphasis on inappropriate criteria, unfair comparison of private and public institutions, faulty assumptions, inaccurate data,…

An English teacher at Amherst College and Greenfield Community College (Massachusetts) compares characteristics and attitudes of students at the two institutions. It is concluded that, although the students differ in may ways, all are equally deserving of a safe and supportive learning environment and a sound education. (MSE)

The principal characteristics and problems of financing higher education in a developing nation like Colombia are discussed, and several attempts to solve them are reviewed. Differences between the burgeoning private sector and the public sector, areas of inefficiency, and effects of public policy on tuition levels and payment are examined.…

The origins and progress of the British effort to develop the private sector of higher education to provide educational diversity are discussed. Issues include private schools as non-profit organizations, capital funding and student-derived revenues, and mission and academic integration. (MSE)

While personal-income patterns have flattened for most groups, the constant-dollar prices charged by colleges and universities have increased by almost threefold. The resulting sense that the public is being asked to pay more tuition for less eventual income has caused public anxiety about higher education's value. The data are most clear for…

A discussion of post-Communist changes in Rumanian higher education looks at forces and factors promoting rapid expansion and diversification in institutional structure and extensive privatization. Attention is given to how those changes were addressed by legislative and government bodies. (MSE)

A faculty member compares his experiences at Reed College and UCLA in terms of the institutions' aims and resources for teaching and learning and the way the college environment is reflected in faculty renewal, scholarly activity, and student experience. (MSE)

A report on the mail students of various test performance, self-reported grades, and academic interest received from colleges in 1983 was compared with the mail received by the daughter of the researcher in 1989. The vast majority of mail represents independent higher education; the public sector is conspicuously absent. (MLW)

This paper offers an alternative ranking of top American research universities, criticizing the methodology used by US News & World Report and its commercialization. It begins by questioning two "givens"--the American pursuit of the "best" and the rankings "game" of trying to define the best colleges and…

One of the principal drafters of Stanford University's regulation concerning verbal harassment on campus proposes an interpretation of the conflict between civil rights and civil liberties in this situation. Contrasts in the two approaches to injury and the public/private distinction are highlighted. The text of Stanford's regulation is appended.…

This study explored the international business programs of small-to-moderately sized private colleges and universities. The study had three phases: identification and curricular analysis of a small core group of Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) institutions with representative international business curricula; a broader survey of a larger…