A study investigated selected personal characteristics of 124 highly visible presidents belonging to four institutional associations that include among their members the nation's major universities and four-year colleges (National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges, American Association of State Colleges and Universities,…

Image assessment in higher education and procedures for conducting image assessments are discussed. Image assessment is the process of finding out what others think about an organization. It is proposed that when image assessments are approached objectively, the results can help determine constituent needs, anticipate vocational trends, survey…

Career attainment levels of black college graduates and predictors of career attainment were studied. Attention was directed to the effect of college control (public/private), college racial composition (traditionally black institutions--TBI and predominantly white institutions--PWI), college grade average, and parents' socioeconomic status on…

The General Educational Development (GED) testing program has been a part of the Alberta High School Equivalency Program since 1981. Between December 1981 and December 1983, 4,333 applicants passed the GED in Alberta, and 802 applicants failed to pass the test. Random samples of 200 individuals from each of these groups were studied to determine…

The use of marketing concepts to maintain and enhance the image of a university is considered. Over all, what is needed is a system for image assessment to provide a basis for image development. Without this system and its information outputs, misconceptions can enter the policy-making process at critical junctures, and the life of the institution…

Factors affecting the emergence of the University of New Mexico as a research institution in a period of increased competition for research support are discussed. The case study covers the period of 1972-1978 and focuses on the development of the Office of the Vice President for Research and its entrepreneurial activities, including its increased…

Strategic planning in higher education is discussed from the perspective of institutional research. Attention is directed to: institutional mission, institutional assessment, institutional leadership, environmental assessment, market analysis, and competitive position. Strategic planning merges incrementalism, which focuses on flexibility,…

Harvard University's effect on American life is examined through investigation of its pervasive mystique, magnitude of power, fallacies, controversies, and its ramifications on both the national and international scenes. Viewed from its modest beginning in 1638 to the present, Harvard is described as "a multinational academic conglomerate,…

The way in which faculty reward is linked to faculty evaluation is examined. It is contended that faculty reputations continue to be important to instructional images and professional advancement of the individual and are dominant in many systems of faculty evaluation. The contradiction when faculty are evaluated on the basis of performance and…

The emerging status of undergraduate business education in the United States was studied through a 1978 survey of deans of American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accredited undergraduate business programs, personnel executives from the largest U.S. corporations, and directors of AACSB accredited master of business…

A survey carried out to test the reliability of college and university ranking methods is reported. A questionnaire sent to all college and university deans in the United States asked for the names and ratings of five institutions felt to be: (1) influential in the present structure of the respondent's institution; (2) most useful if consulted for…

Oral Roberts University is facing a crisis in credibility because of mismanagement and scandal, and financial support of the university and the many related enterprises has dropped drastically. Financial problems and a declining reputation have caused the departure of some faculty and students. (MSE)

How to identify and measure educational quality pervades American education. The Higher Education Research Institute and the Council on Learning launched a study to identify broad quality indicators, particularly at the undergraduate level. Peer groups and indices of selectivity are among the facets used to measure quality of education. (MLW)

Half the endowment of Macalester College (Minnesota) is controlled by the Readers Digest Association, not the college. Macalester can not sell the poorly-performing stocks. Income from the stocks supports a need-blind admissions policy. Some faculty feel the endowment should be used to further enhance the college's distinctiveness. (MSE)

Discusses results of a survey of distance learning students at a technical college in Taiwan that explored the attitudes they have toward selecting distance learning classes. Describes hypotheses tested and discusses gender differences; interest in the subject matter; time flexibility; reputation of teachers and schools; costs; and students who…