The report summarizes a survey of 46 graduates of the Nova Southeastern University (Florida) doctoral program in optometry, the only such program in the state, concerning professional and program issues, including professional employment patterns and feedback on the doctoral program. Results indicate that school location was a primary reason for…

A survey of 243 New England colleges and universities found a strong relationship between institution size and the scope of its institutional research function, reporting relationship, and size and qualifications of the research staff. Size of staff and qualifications of the institutional director were significant predictors of involvement in…

This publication summarizes the responses of the State University of New York (SUNY) constituent institutions to the 1994 Attrition/Retention Survey and includes details of racial and ethnic composition, partial history of later cohorts as of fall 1994, and trends in attrition and retention among various groups from fall 1977 through fall 1994.…

The effectiveness of developmental education policies at a comprehensive community college was investigated using a new student tracking system. A sample of 1,644 students were tracked from fall 1992 until the end of the fall 1994 semester, 1,226 of whom evidenced basic skills and were eligible for college-level courses, and 418 of whom were…

This study examined teaching practices in undergraduate education by surveying 180 undergraduate students and 29 faculty, most in the school of education, at the Rio Piedras Campus of the University of Puerto Rico. Factors investigated include: (1) degree of agreement between faculty and students on good teaching practices; (2) relationship…

This monograph covers the theory, application, and interpretation of both descriptive and inferential statistical techniques in institutional research. Each chapter opens with a hypothetical case study, which is used to illustrate the application of one or more statistical procedures to typical research questions. Chapter 2 covers the comparison…

This paper offers the personal reactions of a high school student and his parents to 27 preapplication college campus visits conducted from June through August 1994. The institutions included three public, six private religious, and 18 private nonsectarian institutions. Data were obtained through observations and interviews, and the study reports…

This study sought to determine which sources of information were most often used by the West Virginia public higher education governing board, and to assess the sources' usefulness in examining major higher education policy issues. Data were based on a mailed survey that asked members of the Board of Directors of the West Virginia state college…

In response to changing management and budgetary strategies that have been driving decision making to the lowest administrative levels, institutional researchers have been attempting to identify indicators which can be used to evaluate institutional performance and progress. This paper reviews efforts to introduce departmental operational…

This study, a collaborative undertaking between the college of health professions and the medical college at Thomas Jefferson University (Pennsylvania), was part of a larger project intended to examine whether a selected set of academic, demographic, and psychosocial variables are predictive of nursing and allied health student academic…

This study developed and validated a conceptual framework to explore the link between faculty receptivity and resistance to innovation and change, and organizational effectiveness. The study also sought to clearly delineate the difference between receptivity, which is defined as an internal or cognitive orientation toward change, and resistance,…

This volume contains 14 papers from international sources that outline fundamental concepts and research interests connected to the measurement of quality in postsecondary education. Some of the papers consist of concept papers and others are more extensive reports of research underway or findings from recently concluded studies. The papers are as…

In 1990, the newly formed Planning Advisory Committee at Lakewood Community College (LCC) in Mentor, Ohio, developed the college's first 5-year strategic plan with input from across the campus. This plan for 1993-97 updates the original 1990-95 plan and is designed to assist in the development of annual goals and objectives. Following an…

Written for community college presidents and others interested in community college leadership, this book provides a practical guide to the presidency based upon the author's extensive experience as a college president. The book is divided into four sections, each addressing a separate issue related to college presidency. The first section, "The…

A study was conducted at Rancho Santiago College (RSC) District campuses to determine the extent to which the college provides a welcoming, receptive, inclusive, friendly, and non-hostile environment for students of special groups, including minority students, older students, women students, and disabled students. Five areas of study related to an…