Contemporary changes in higher education in Sweden are characterised by two educational discourses: marketisation and academisation. Demands to meet market requirements, as well as to make education more scientific, have created tensions between and within institutional cultures. Using interviews with 16 heads of departments, the authors…

The two-year community college model has historically been a uniquely US phenomenon. Increasingly, however, this model and adaptations of it are growing internationally, both through partnerships with community colleges in the United States and as adaptations to existing postsecondary vocational-education systems in developing countries. In this…

The role of higher education is discussed in this essay with regard to the "new mission" of basic learning skills. It is suggested that teaching basic skills should be pressed back on the precollegiate educational units where it belongs, and that colleges must defend the idea that they are institutions for higher studies and advanced intellectual…

Discusses the synergies and possible contradictions between general education and mass higher education. Explores whether they are complementary ideas because mass higher education must inevitably be general, or opposed ideas because general education espouses generic, holistic approaches to learning while mass education endorses eclectic, even…

University education was originally intended for an elite group; the campus environment and teacher-student relationships were as important as study. Now access has widened and fewer students live on campus. Failure to distinguish between various forms of higher education (e.g., vocational qualifications) is harmful to the status of the college…

"Elite higher education" is viewed in terms of the mode of education and the level of intensity and complexity at which the subject is pursued. It contrasts with "mass higher education," but must coexist with mass higher education, universal access, and continuing education. (LBH)

Discusses the historical context of the relationship between liberal study and professional specialization in higher education. Describes the emergence of three different university missions during the 19th century (utilitarian, research, liberal arts), shifting emphases during the 20th century, the current diversity in undergraduate education,…

Discusses economic realities for liberal arts educators to consider: the knowledge economy requires skills learned through liberal education; despite advantages, liberal arts bachelor's degrees don't lead to the best entry-level jobs; when liberal education leads to graduate or professional school, success is guaranteed; and under-investment in…

Suggests that John Dewey developed ideas regarding reflective thinking and the challenges to it that are relevant to our times. Asserts that education is intended to provide a repertoire of intellectual activities for systematic and disciplined thinking that can counteract assaults on reason. (EV)

The Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS), established as a result of the America 2000 strategy proposed by President Bush in 1991, stressed the importance of helping all students develop competence in the following areas: resources, interpersonal, information, systems, and technology. The three-part foundation identified by…

Administrative operational objectives for funding year 1981-82 are presented to inform Marshall University's administrators, faculty, and students of the direction of current management activities. Stated objectives of the administrative offices that report directly to the president and those of the Provost's Office and the administrative offices…

The need to improve the quality of university education, the relationship between university and student, and suggestions for reform are examined. It is suggested that first-quarter students be provided the opportunity to attend a sequence of interdepartmental courses and a seminar that would address the nature and purpose of education. The need…

Recommendations to higher education from a corporate executive include: the need for a commitment to excellence, competence in the English language, economics (the discipline that teaches there is no opportunity without its costs), history, humanities/technology balance, and the cultivation of the whole person. (MLW)

Multicampus systems should proceed carefully in the process of academic program review, with an eye toward asking and answering questions most likely to cause institutions to confront the more fundamental questions of purpose and coherence. (Author/MSE)

Asserts that education creates a citizenry capable of the leadership essential to democracy. Suggests that liberal education, by questioning, exploring, and challenging, is needed in the post-September 11 environment in order to sustain democracy. (EV)