Since the summer 1984 a consortium of seven diverse colleges and universities has been involved in implementing a value-added approach to assessing student progress and development. The most significant finding of this collaborative project was the importance of having a good institutional database on students. (MLW)

This volume presents selected proceedings of a conference which focused on the need to continue to link the mission and purposes of institutions with the national need for educated citizen/leaders. The first part of the conference provided the forum for informed observers from outside the academy to identify their perceptions of the liberal arts…

The papers in this collection describe partnership programs and projects involving Kalamazoo Valley Community College (KVCC) in Michigan. The first paper, "The Arcadia Commons Partnership: The Community College and Economic Redevelopment," by Marilyn Schlack, describes the Arcadia Commons, a business-education park in downtown Kalamazoo,…