In comparing one public school to another, discussions frequently include talk concerning the socio economics of a school or district, which then leads to talk about the advantages that one socioeconomic setting has over another. Educators tend to agree that low academic achievement frequently associated with a low socioeconomic status is a…

Marketing higher education has been criticized for its consumer (interpreted as student) orientation. An alternative concept, situational marketing, considers the student as one of a number of environmental forces on which the marketing mix focuses. Other forces include funding and regulatory agencies, businesses, alumni, faculty, parents, the…

A survey of 334 biochemists identified 5 patterns of attitudes and beliefs about taking action for scientific misconduct: (1) reputational harm, (2) sanction criteria, (3) whistleblower stigmatization, (4) professional etiquette, and (5) ideological desensitization. Influences of intraprofessional status, departmental cohesion, institutional…

This statement responds to the need for all higher education leaders to consider the perspectives of external voices while resisting purely political or ideological agendas. Long-standing and recent external challenges to the traditions of citizen governing boards of colleges and universities make it necessary to distinguish between broad, often…

Discussion of college planning compares planning as a cultural/social process and as a rational tool for identifying and achieving institutional goals. Factors to be considered in planning as a cultural process are examined. It is concluded that leaders should examine both substantive and cultural effects of change. (MSE)

While many colleges and universities have undertaken organizational change, many also have failed to produce such change. One reason may be that the failed planning processes have been overly rational, quantitative, and linear, neglecting intuition, artfulness, and sudden social and human shifts. Chaos theory, which describes systems and…

There is an illusion that each of the thousands of women now teaching writing and other service courses for inadequate pay, benefits, recognition, and job security is doing so only because of her own choices or misjudgments. The illusion must be dispelled; exploitation is at the center of the phenomenon. (MSE)

According to this author, the single greatest threat to the public trust in higher education is alcohol. Specifically, it is high-risk drinking among college students and the lack of engagement by those who can help solve the problem. He contends that, for too many students, college is no longer about preparing for leadership roles and productive…

It is proposed that in a time of social and political conservatism, American higher education is moving from traditional to nontraditional procedures, from familiar patterns to newer ones, and is driven by external pressures as well as internal ones. (MSE)

A framework for analyzing and classifying cost factors in higher education is presented. Costs are located in three sources (individual colleges and universities, the higher education community, and the socioeconomic and scientific-technological environment), and within each source, are a result of either cultural or material conditions. (MSE)

Reports on a study in which 19 doctoral students were interviewed regarding their own self-esteem and their attitudes toward undergraduate student and professors. Finds differences between precandidate and candidate graduate students in all three areas. Asserts that these differences are evidence that doctoral programs encourage a shift away from…

The president of the Exxon Education Foundation suggests that the study of philanthropy and the philanthropic tradition should be incorporated into formal education in the United States, in public education, the undergraduate curriculum, and research. (MSE)

Ways that population trends, societal pressures, and changing economic conditions affect learning needs are addressed. Small and large colleges are given information to help them evaluate their missions, chart new directions, and make necessary adaptations in their curricula. The three issues addressed are the theoretical formulation of the…

Approaches to developing teaching assistant programs are discussed, based on the organizational change literature. Five models are identified: rational planning, social interaction, human problem solving, political models, and a research and development approach. Political processes often can be blended with social interaction and problem-solving…

A study of 166 business administration students attending summer school identified 4 factors influencing summer enrollment: academic issues (meeting grade standards or course requirements, etc.); desire to become more independent; financial issues; and traditional summer school motivations. Implications for marketing are discussed. (MSE)