A student survey conducted by the Educational Testing Service to assess what college students actually know and perceive about global relationships and to measure their comprehension of current global complexities is described. Results are provided along with a sample of test questions. (MLW)

Describes the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), which annually assesses the extent to which students at four-year colleges and universities are participating in educational practices strongly associated with high levels of learning and personal development. Rather than focusing on the institution's resources, the basis of most school…

Results of an American Council on Education survey on tenure practices are reported, including tables of tenure approval rates, tenure status (tenures, tenure track, and nontenure track) and tenure approval by type of institution. Data are divided by general academic field. (MSE)

The belief that there should be a core of learning as part of the undergraduate program is overwhelmingly shared by the academic administrators. Chief academic officers at 1,310 four-year institutions were surveyed and they ranked their goals, objectives, and program effectiveness. (MLW)

A national survey was made of faculty development and teacher improvement programs, considering: how effective they tend to be, the types of faculty most involved, and how programs are funded and organized. Results are presented, and the need for objective evaluation of such programs is noted. (LBH)

Summarizes a national study of the impact of faculty unionism on personnel practices, academic senates, and administrative and governance procedures. Concludes that faculties are better off because of unionization and that collective bargaining is a neutral decision-making process, its impact determined by the involvement of faculty and…

The five-volume Assessment of Research-Doctorate Programs in the United States, the most authoritative academic quality ranking ever done, is discussed. The Assessment covers 2,699 programs in 32 disciplines and assesses a faculty's reputation for scholarly quality. Improvements in programs' reputations are also discussed. (MLW)

Trends emerging from a new enrollment report by the National Institute of Independent Colleges and Universities (NIICU) indicate hard times ahead for colleges in the private sector. General economic recession and cuts in federal student financial aid have had an effect on enrollment. (MLW)

The Institute of Society, Ethics and the Life Sciences--also known as the Hastings Center--recently initiated a project designed to analyze the state of ethics teaching in higher education, survey the number of schools with programs, collect sample curricula for dissemination, build a communications network among teachers, and find mechanisms for…

A study of the academic profession that has sought to understand both the forces of fragmentation and the avenues of integration in the profession is discussed. Faculty were questionned about what their work was like, what authority they possessed, etc. (MLW)

A 1984 Carnegie Foundation national survey of 5,000 college students is discussed. Responses from liberal arts colleges were compared with those from all other non-specialized four-year institutions. Student attitudes toward general education, college mission, undergraduate education, campus life, faculty, and interaction with faculty members are…

A newly-released analysis based on a poll of 453 deans and professors calls into question several previous studies. It continues the ongoing debate over how academic and intellectual performance ought to be measured. (Editor/LBH)

The "U.S. News and World Report" 1993 rankings of doctoral programs in biology (n=229), chemistry (n=178), and physics (n=151) and graduate programs in nursing (n=201) are presented, with some narrative analysis. Best-regarded institutions for doctoral education in six science disciplines are also listed. (MSE)

To determine the increasing impact of the academic job shortage on humanities doctoral students, the Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) surveyed current humanities students and older graduates. Implications are addressed and a recommendation is made--that humanities students be made aware of the variety of programs and options available to…

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching conducted a nationwide survey of high school seniors and their parents. Parents and how they shape their youngsters' post-high school plans, the qualities they look for in a college, and what they expect their children to gain are discussed. (MLW)