In addition to general higher education challenges, family and consumer sciences (FCS) programs may confront the possibility of reorganization and/or loss of programs. In Tennessee, eight American Association of Family & Consumer Sciences (AAFCS) accredited units have faced these issues within the last five years. Faculty and administrators in…

New College was an experimental and demonstration undergraduate teacher education program, founded in 1932 at Teachers College Columbia University, only to be shut down by the administration eight years later. Described as an "unorthodox venture," New College promised to be an alternative route to teacher education at a time when the…

President George W. Bush submitted his eighth and final budget request to the Congress on Monday. Under the proposal, fiscal year 2009 discretionary spending--spending subject to annual appropriations--would be at the same level as in the prior year for domestic programs and agencies not involved in homeland security efforts. The budget request…

New program approval is one of the functions performed by a coordinating Agency, and was recognized in the 1967 legislation creating the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education, which requires approval by the Commission or the General Assembly before any new program is implemented by a public institution of higher learning. This document…

Research into higher education is an expanding field, but it is notable that, while certain kinds of research get funded, undertaken and reported, others generally do not. Thus, articles that critique developing national policies are commonplace, as are reports evaluating the positive effects of innovations in course design or institutional…

Describes how the budgetary decision to eliminate a venerable teaching center at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln raises questions about public colleges' commitment to pedagogy. (EV)

Discusses how the collapse of online learning enterprises at several colleges and universities offers lessons for all in this still-promising field. (EV)

Describes the bold but successful steps taken by Champlain College to ensure institutional survival, such as eliminating 15 departments and clearly defining institutional mission. (EV)

Describes how commercial concerns are squeezing out athletes' own interests in big-time college sports, with many teams are being cut in the process. (EV)

Describes how the University of Washington's School of Communications responded to the news that it would be reviewed and possibly eliminated because of the budget crises in the state of Washington. (SR)

Discussion of some of the findings of a study of four library school closings highlights political reasons for the closings, including administration belief that jobs for librarians are in short supply, turf battles with other departments, library faculty isolation from academic peers, redefinition of university mission, insufficient faculty…

The director of undergraduate admissions at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill discusses why the institution decided to end early admissions. The decision will benefit students and families of all background, he asserts. (EV)

Analysis of terminal education degree programs at 50 Holmes Group universities did not find any major differences in content, research methods, minors, or comprehensive examinations. Type of dissertation was the only significant difference. The distinction between doctorates in education and in philosophy therefore may not be necessary. (SK)

Adopted a decision/action rationality framework to explore the criteria used to close academic programs at four universities. Findings suggested that decisions are based upon criteria other than those usually stated (e.g., cost, quality, and centrality), and that process leads to criteria generation. (EV)

Next week, President George W. Bush will submit his eighth and final budget request to the Congress. How has he fared with respect to education budget proposals thus far? Answer: although President Bush made the No Child Left Behind Act, which deals with elementary and secondary education, the hallmark of his education policy, from a federal…