Some colleges have been able to create and maintain campus climates that promote educationally purposeful student behavior. The 14 "involving colleges" identified in a recent study provide unusually rich extra-classroom learning opportunities for undergraduates. Common cultural features of the institutions include strong institutional…

Constant comparison with others is seen as destructive for colleges and universities. The more adept colleges become at using the marketplace terminology, involving the comparative measurement of departments and football teams, the harder it is to re-create an atmosphere that would distinguish one college from all the other front-runners. (MLW)

An English teacher at Amherst College and Greenfield Community College (Massachusetts) compares characteristics and attitudes of students at the two institutions. It is concluded that, although the students differ in may ways, all are equally deserving of a safe and supportive learning environment and a sound education. (MSE)

Hampshire College, representing an innovative response to student discontent, and Amherst College, the exemplar of the liberal arts tradition, are compared. Seen from Amherst, Hampshire's curriculum is trendy, its standards lax, a remnant of California counterculture. From Hampshire, Amherst appears a bastion of cultural elitism and authoritarian…