A new admissions crisis has begun to emerge in the honors community. In an increasing number of states, legislatures are mandating uniform minimum AP and dual enrollment credits that public colleges and universities must accept, and consequently the honors students that have been admitted based in part on their willingness to take on challenging…

This article offers the author's views about the business aspects of school administration in the U.S., and discusses the mass school closures in Washington, D.C., New York City, and Chicago. These closures were intended to improve the educational systems within those cities, yet none have benefited from these reforms. She also explains the…

Many small institutions face difficulties, and the person who bears the brunt of dealing with those challenges is the college president. While each situation is unique, presidents can learn from the experiences of others, and at the very least, commiserate with each other regarding the challenges they face, especially when their institutions are…

Higher-education analysts have predicted it: The global financial shambles will cause the closing or merger of a growing number of colleges. At the top of the endangered list are rural colleges. Included in this group is the author's own college, Sterling College, in Craftsbury Common, Vermont. Despite this prediction, the author is counting on…

Newspapers are dying. Are universities next? The parallels between them are closer than they appear. Both industries are in the business of creating and communicating information. Paradoxically, both are threatened by the way technology has made that easier than ever before. The signs of sickness appeared earlier in the newspaper business, which…

Economic news today is filled with discussion about whether the United States has entered a recession. For the author and other presidents of public colleges and universities, whether the downturn can be labeled a recession is far less important than dealing with the effects of economic conditions on institutions. During hard times, both public…

Times are very tough. The great majority of colleges are looking at 2009 and 2010 and beyond, in anticipation of the deepest budget cuts in more than a generation. But as bad as the financial situation may be, colleges can survive if they take swift and strong emergency action. It is time for some straight talk, starting with the realization that…

The author suggests that nursing faculty who are facing declining enrollments in nursing programs may want to consider volunteering to teach in university remedial programs. Benefits of such service are discussed, as are the difficulties. The author reveals how her teaching experience has improved her nursing classes. (CH)

Suggests that successful strategies for retaining faculty lines will vary widely according to local circumstances. Discusses the cases of the University of Oregon and the State University of New York Stony Brook, which suggest that English departments stand to gain if they can demonstrate that adding faculty lines will help overcome the split…

Includes "Facing the Image Deficit" (King); "It's Time to Tell the Extension Story" (Warner); and "Survival Depends on Reaching Influential Audiences" (Jenkins). (JOW)

The purpose of a university is to survive by giving society enough of what it wants in such a way that it earns, retains, and makes space for its proper pursuits, including systematic criticism of what society wants. The disciplines need constant renewing and constant resurrection for the sake of humanity. (MSE)

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)

Higher productivity must become internalized in college institutional cultures and recognized as a strategic issue for long-term reasons of educational quality and robust survival. The primary challenge is not downsizing but right-sizing for available resources, mission, and quality standards. The concept of selective excellence must prevail. (MSE)

According to the reviewer, Coleman claims that many current social policies deliberately or inadvertently undermine families, clans, religious organizations, and community institutions that have been sustaining social structures for thousands of years. Coleman suggests that "modern corporate actors" (even schools) cannot replace…

In an effort to encourage dialogue and reflection on matters of common concern and interest, this journal invites responses on selected articles from other educators, who engage the text critically and offer some reflections about its utility and validity. This paper presents responses from Daniel F. Curtin, Gwen Byrd and Dominica Rocchio to the…