In recent years, education systems around the world have shown a tendency for convergence on the American educational model. This, together with an increase in the use of English globally, places American educational institutions in a position of great importance as actors in international exchange. For potential partner institutions in other…

The Atlanta University Center (AUC) comprises five historically black colleges and a centralized library. All are separate institutions, each having its own board of directors, president, infrastructure, students, faculty, staff, and traditions. To encourage coordination of effort and resources, the AUC was formed and the first formal cooperative…

The past decade has provided a unique opportunity for the New Hampshire College & University Council (a multipurpose statewide consortium) and Campus Compact for New Hampshire (a state affiliate of a national consortium) to leverage the role of consortia toward building campus cultures of service-learning and civic engagement among member…

The University Consortium Center in Grand Rapids, Michigan, allows the development of joint programs by the local college and the extension units of three distant universities. (Author/MLF)

This inventory-directory provides information on the formal cooperative arrangements of colleges and universities in the State University of New York system. Each entry gives the title of arrangement, names the coordinator or contact person, the beginning date, the participating institutions, and describes the purposes of the arrangement or…

Using the example of the Five Colleges consortium, explores the measuring of benefits and costs involved in intercollegiate cooperation. Discusses how the benefits are often other than cost-savings, which is ostensibly why many institutions join such consortia. (EV)

Describes the fund-raising activities of Five Colleges, Inc., a consortium of five Massachusetts higher education institutions whose development efforts are limited to contracts and grants. Difficulties inherent in cooperative fund raising are discussed, including competition for foundation resources, the credibility of consortia in light of their…

Five interorganizational relationships among higher educational institutions, representing major structural and functional variations were studied intensively using field research procedures to elucidate determinants of successful cooperative activities. (Editor/PG)

Consortia have much to offer higher education but are often unappealing because of undue emphasis on reducing costs, inadequate attention to the range of possibilities, and mismatching of membership and mission. Four types of consortia exist according to purposes (special and general) and membership (heterogeneous or homogeneous). (MSE)

Discusses how higher education consortia can be instrumental in developing community leaders to address social, economic, and environmental issues that face most communities and regions. Offers the example of the Leadership Jackson program involving Western Carolina University and Southwestern Community College. (EV)

Describes the evolution and implementation of the Summer Institute on College Teaching, a faculty development program created by the Virginia Tidewater Consortium as part of a foundation-funded exercise through the Kansas City Regional Council for Higher Education. Guiding principles in program development and lessons learned are discussed. (MSE)

One way colleges can approach cost control is by taking advantages of cooperative purchasing activities with other, similar institutions. Guiding principles for effective efforts include sharing the risk, sharing the resources, providing services to other institutions, and expanding institutional bargaining power through cooperation. Significant…

Addresses four basic questions about interinstitutional cooperation as represented by the consortium: What motivates colleges and universities to cooperate with one another? What are the advantages of interinstitutional cooperation? What are the disadvantages? What are the organizational and managerial problems of the consortium? (Author)

Describes Five Colleges, Inc., a consortium formed in 1965 by Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke, and Smith colleges and the University of Massachusetts. Details how the cooperation between these institutions has been successful and describes some obstacles encountered. Focuses on the effects of the cooperation on the schools' foreign language…

Directors of Pennsylvania's eight formal educational consortia recently met in Harrisburg -- the first meeting of its kind in the nation. (Editor)