The primary purpose of "National CrossTalk" is to stimulate informed discussion and debate of higher education issues. This issue contains the following articles: (1) Keeping Them in College: East Carolina University's Efforts to Improve Retention and Graduation Rates (Don Campbell); (2) The "Seamless System": Florida's Flurry…

Increasing the participation of minority groups at public colleges and universities is a longstanding goal of the Board of Governors for Higher Education, as first outlined in its 1983 "Strategic Plan to Ensure Racial and Ethnic Diversity in Connecticut Public Higher Education." The minority groups defined by the plan are:…

In the early 1960s, with the exception of students who attended Historically Black Colleges and Universities, relatively few students of color pursued a higher education in the United States. Today, however, about one in five U.S. college students is a minority (ACE and AAUP, 2000). Colleges and universities are grappling with issues related to…

This paper reports the trends in Tennessee higher education. Information on the following items are presented: (1) Educational Attainment and Economic Comparisons; (2) Student Preparation; (3) Student Participation; (4) Affordability; (5) Completion; and (6) Finance. [For "Tennessee Higher Education Commission Profiles and Trends, 2006",…

"Higher Education Counts" is the annual accountability report on Connecticut's system of higher education. Since 2000, the report has been the primary vehicle for reporting higher education's progress toward achieving six, statutorily-defined state goals: (1) To enhance student learning and promote academic excellence; (2) To join with…

This report contains and analyzes statistical information about the financing of California postsecondary education from the 1965-66 fiscal year through 2004-05. In addition, there is information on California public elementary and secondary education financing as well as State government in general. The Commission compiles, disseminates and…

America's tax-supported colleges and universities are currently enmeshed in a crisis. Legislatures are demanding more productivity--as measured by accelerated graduation rates--while students, for a whole host of reasons, are not progressing through their course work as quickly as they once did. Completing a degree in four years is now rare, and…

Creation of a Strategic Plan to Ensure Racial and Ethnic Diversity in Connecticut Public Higher Education was among the original statutory mandates assigned to the Board of Governors of Higher Education by its 1982 enabling legislation. The purpose of the plan is to "ensure that students, faculty, administrators and staff at each public…

The graduation rates of students admitted to the City University of New York (CUNY) by open admissions was studied as an extension of previous research. A sample of the initial freshman classes of 1970 and 1971 were tracked over a period of 11 years. A total of 4,705 open admissions students were compared to 8,084 regularly-admitted students.…

This brochure highlights some of the performance indicators used by Connecticut's public higher education institution to demonstrate accountability. This paper reports on the results of these goals: (1) Student Learning; (2) Learning in K-12; (3) Access and Affordability; (4) Economic Development; (5) Societal Needs; and (6) Resource Efficiency.…

Despite many accomplishments and a widely-praised system, there remain significant challenges to address in higher education in Virginia: (1) Although the state performs well in six-year graduation rates for bachelor degree programs, graduation rates at specific four-year institutions range from the very high end of the spectrum to the very low;…

The General Assembly determined that a higher education system that failed to allow the transfer of seemingly identical or similar courses increased the time to degree and cost to the student and the state. It was also the perception of the General Assembly that public higher education was not taking adequate steps to remedy the problem.…

The "Statutory Data Report" is prepared pursuant to T.C.A. (Tennessee Code Annotated) Section 49-7-210. As specified, this report provides information as required for public four-year institutions, public two-year institutions and public technology centers. (Contains 18 tables.)

Student retention and attrition patterns of entering freshmen at North Carolina State University and a description of transfer student retention and attrition are presented. The status of freshmen entering the college from 1971-1976 is given in terms of: total freshmen, black freshmen, white freshmen, freshmen females, freshmen males, graduation…

In this article, the author talks about the disproportionate gap in the graduation rates in colleges and universities, which highlights the need for the higher education community to rethink strategies for improving the retention of students of color. To increase the graduation rates of students of color, the author suggests addressing the issue…