Small private colleges should not succumb to the view that being as inexpensive as public colleges is the only way to compete. By doing some aggressive marketing, these institutions can enjoy a significant edge and thrive in what promises to be a difficult decade. (Author/MSE)

This study sought to identify institutional selection factors most influential upon small-college student-athletes. Mean scores for 229 freshman student-athletes from six institutions were analyzed using a modified Student-Athlete College Choice Profile Scale. The sample was also stratified by gender and sports-program categories. Overall, four of…

Centre College in Danville, Kentucky, used strategic planning to affirm its size and mission. Size alone is not seen as an adequate measure of the flow of institutional resources and commitments. The price of being small and the price of expansion are discussed. (MLW)

Three small private colleges are examined during periods of growth, decline, and revitalization and why these events may have occurred are analyzed. The case studies occurred at three Carnegie category II colleges. (Author/MLW)

Results are presented of a national survey gathering data on selected characteristics of master's degree in education programs at public and private colleges with under 10,000 students. (JD)

The nature of institutional research in small, private colleges is examined. It is suggested that institutional researchers in small colleges are responsible for their own professional development and must generate their own plans and learning situations. (Author/SF)

A new model for administration of institutional research in small colleges is proposed as an alternative to the traditional centralized program model. Application of the model for two years suggests that its decentralized but integrated approach responds well to the institution's internal and external research needs. (MSE)

A national investigation, conducted during 1981, sought to determine the status of physical education faculty in colleges and universities with an enrollment below 2501. Responses of 144 (out of 220) small colleges and universities, in the areas of curricular offerings, faculty status, teaching/coaching experience, evaluation, workload, and…

Summarizes the findings of several studies which focused on various aspects of the small/rural community college and its students. Points to other areas that need to be examined. (MB)

College marketing is seen as a comprehensive approach to college management and resource generation that focuses on service and flexibility. Key concepts of college marketing are explained; and ways that an advancement officer can apply simple marketing practices to strengthen the college are described. (MLW)

A small college's system of comparing its faculty salaries to those in similar schools is described. The approach taken was to define a rather large group of schools similar to Principia College and then average the salaries in colleges of similar size and selectivity, since those features correlate strongly with many institutional…

Essential requisites for managing institutions in a retrenchment economy include: a clear-cut institutional mission, effective student recruiting, adequate self-knowledge, and competent and dynamic leadership. Practical implications of these conditions for administrators and institutional researchers are discussed. (Author/SF)

A study of 291 freshmen from "invisible" colleges and 239 from 6 prestigious colleges and universities and their parents investigated how the 2 sets of families with obvious different college preferences had made their choice. Geography, parental influence and approval, the "second choice" concept, and institutional…

Liberal arts colleges occupy a unique place in the landscape of higher education. Whether defined, as David Breneman has, as an exclusive group of about 200 schools that award a large percentage of their degrees in traditional liberal arts fields, or as a more inclusive group of baccalaureate institutions, liberal arts colleges focus on…

Estimates are that approximately 100,000 to 125,000 students take introductory astronomy classes each year at colleges and universities that do not grant bachelor's or higher degrees in physics or astronomy. This represents roughly 40% to 50% of the total number of students taking intro astronomy in the United States. Such nonresearch institutions…