The annual "America's Best Colleges" issue of "U.S. News & World Report" is to the news magazine what the annual "Swimsuit" issue is to "Sports Illustrated." Both are best sellers that make big money for their publishers. And both succeed because they are sexy, glamorous, superficial and largely without redeeming social value. But "America's Best…

Leaders in higher education in the US are seeking to make the nation's most selective colleges and universities more accessible to low-income students, but few realize that a good part of the solution lies within community colleges. Highly selective institutions overlook the fact that reaching more deeply into graduating two-year classes will…

Discusses a new study which found that even as the number of high school graduates fell over the past 20 years, competition for college applicants increased. (EV)

The National Commission on Asian American and Pacific Islander Research in Education (CARE), consisting of a national commission, an advisory board, and a research team at New York University, aims to engage realistic and actionable discussions about the mobility and educational opportunities for AAPIs and how distinctions of race, ethnicity,…

This article discusses the appointment of Dr. Drew Gilpin Faust as the first woman named president of Harvard University, which marks a diversity high point in the storied history of the nation's oldest university. At age 9, Faust famously wrote to U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower calling for an end to segregation. And in her current role as a…

Programs that serve underrepresented minority students have long faced many challenges. Prior to the late 1970s, higher education institutions reserved academic program slots for underrepresented minority students because these students had limited access to opportunities that afforded them credentials that their white counterparts could more…

Gaining entry to a college of engineering is something that most people who eventually become engineers must do. However, for some this is not the straight-forward process for which a prospective student might hope, and because of this the authors are interested in how students navigate the process of admissions. In this study the authors are…

Many people in higher education think that "values talk" should be reserved for important ceremonial occasions, like commencements and reunions, or for remarks after a major scandal. In their view, values should take a back seat to the pragmatic reality of empirical evidence. But, in reality, every interesting problem of policy or practice depends…

A U.S. educator of the gifted compares early college admission programs in the United States and China. Noted are the importance of examinations, an emphasis on athletics, science and technology, and the specific programs at the University of Science and Technology of China (Beijing) and Southeast University (Nanjing). (DB)

Many institutions of higher education increasingly are concerned with retention and graduation rates. Focusing on private Baccalaureate Liberal and General colleges and universities, the purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between institutional selectivity and institutional expenditures and retention and graduation rates. Framed…

This is a guidebook written to help graduate students in clinical psychology from a variety of programs obtain internships at training programs across the country. Chapter 1 discloses the politics and power relationship among internship training directors, university faculties, and internship applicants, and describes how they influence guidelines…

Selective higher education institutions using race-sensitive criteria as a basis for admissions risk litigation by nonminority applicants with impressive test scores and class rank who find themselves denied admission. Are the benefits of a diverse student body worth the risk? In an ever increasingly diverse population, this paper concludes the…

Compares British and American higher educational systems. Contends that Britain's educational system retains its elitist and selective nature in its curriculum, teaching methods, and dichotomy between higher and further education, pointing, however, to signs of a shift towards universalization. Analyzes the countries' differences from a historical…

A theory that postulates that women and minorities have a claim against White males in saying that, due to past discrimination, these groups are entitled to special admission regardless of academic merit offers more discrimination to redress prior discrimination. (JN)

Describes how three prominent advocacy organizations are working to find and challenge any college program that serves only members of specific minority groups. (EV)