A symposium on the challenges and opportunities facing small institutions as they move into the 21st century was held to allow participants the opportunity to describe their own initiatives and to hear the views of representatives of larger institutions with technology mediated programs. The paper provides an overview of the strategic issues…

This paper examines the presumption that larger teacher education programs are superior to smaller ones, suggesting that many of the persistent problems of preservice teacher education are rooted in the large, bureaucratic organization so prevalent in current programming. The paper suggests that small program size makes possible the development…

Search committee members can help improve the likelihood that senior vacancies will be filled on time, within budget, and without unpleasant surprises. Methods include creating a job description, position criteria, and an institution profile; setting a timetable; using consultants; clarifying needs for candidate information; maintaining…

Without significant changes in educational programs, teaching-learning strategies and living-learning environments the so-called "invisible colleges" may in fact disappear because they have been unable to meet the needs of their constituencies. These small, private colleges with limited resources must become interdependent with their environments.…

Describes the history and development of the Tri-State College Library Cooperative (TCLC) Literature Search Center, a network of small academic libraries that cooperate to provide a computerized literature search service. (FM)

Describes how, even with a $600 million endowment, a small, rich college like Oberlin is feeling the economic pinch. (EV)

Describes the experience of two small colleges, Chatham and Wesley, that survived the financial distress common to small school today. Discusses their lessons: reinforce strengths, rebuild the strongest financial source, diversify income, manage debt, and run a disciplined budget and financial management system. (EV)

The article describes how one liberal arts college, Mount Saint Mary's College (Maryland), developed a core curriculum over a four-year period. The curriculum's roots in a faculty survey and issues of consensus and debate (especially the curriculum's principle of integration) are discussed. Principles such as detailed organization with flexibility…

Discusses basic issues in designing and administering study abroad programs, including program length, location, structure, and supervision; financial considerations; student selection; orientation; and interinstitutional cooperation. Looks at current trends in integration with the host culture and curricular support. (DMM)

It is argued, based on the experiences of 16 small, diverse independent colleges, that small institutions can reverse decline. The analysis looks at signs of problems, patterns of institutional blindness to the problems that lead to additional decline, and behavior characteristics of the institutions that survive. (MSE)

The experiences of Wellesley College (Massachusetts) with developing a long-range plan for institutional survival in the 1990s illustrate the value of two strategies: devising a planning process that reflects the institutional culture, and spending time early in the process to gain broad agreement on basic financial principles and planning…

A survey of American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers members (591 responses) from small colleges and universities identified and ranked 15 salient issues needing to be addressed by the organization. It also helped define "small college" and to identify some special concerns of member subgroups. Tables detail…

A small consulting firm, the Registry for College and University Administrators, places retired college presidents in interim positions, usually after an administrator has left suddenly. Interim presidents have been placed at 19 institutions in seven years, mostly at small, private colleges. Almost always, the underlying mission is to lay a strong…

Examines the Department of Communications at John Carroll University from 1984 to 1999 when the university undergraduate enrollment increased 40% while department graduates increased 67%, faculty increased 120%, course offerings and programs increased 100%, and the department moved into a new building with upgraded facilities. Presents seven…