The 57 colleges and universities enrolling the most freshman Merit Scholars named in 1989 are listed, with the total number of Merit Scholarship winners and the number whose scholarships were paid for by the institution. Overall, 6,290 freshman Merit Scholars were enrolled, 3,228 at private and 2,652 at public institutions. (Author/MSE)

Public colleges have become aggressive and sophisticated fund-raisers and feel it is time the corporations notice that public institutions educate a large share of the corporate workforce and conduct research vital to business. At the same time, private colleges have had a decrease in corporate donations. (MSE)

Money is frequently at the center of efforts to rename state colleges as universities, as institutions seek more state funds and business contributions and higher quality faculty and students. Opponents say the name must match the institutional reality. (MSE)

Compares and contrasts a four-year university in China with a two-year community college in the United States (Columbus, Ohio). (MVL)

Many public colleges feel that, rather than offer specialized curriculum to the entire state, they should provide a wide range of courses to the immediate vicinity. State governments often prefer to cut quantity of programs offered, especially by regional four-year institutions. Massachusetts is proceeding with specialization in seven regional…

Comprehensive data from alternate years of annual salary surveys in public universities were analyzed from 1979/80 to 1989/90. Pay compression worsened in some disciplines (business) more than in other high-demand areas, but not all business disciplines were affected to the same degree. Computer/information science and engineering have made…

Assesses distributive effects of state subsidies to undergraduate education in Illinois public universities and community colleges during 1989. The existing system of public subsidy to undergraduate education favors lower- and middle-income groups earning less than $40,000 yearly. Middle-income groups are major beneficiaries of community colleges.…

South Carolina has instituted a system of accountability linked to funding for its public colleges; it includes six measures of faculty, six measures of graduate preparedness to succeed, and five measures of instructional quality. The practice has transformed the way the institution operates, but some educators question the fairness and…

Summarizes College Board data indicating that college tuition and fees rose this year an average of 3.4% at four-year public institutions and 4.7% at four-year private institutions, a decline from previous rates of increase but still greater than the inflation rate. Average tuition and fees ranged from $15,380 at four-year private institutions to…

Reports the results of a national study examining the perceptions, opinions, and level of knowledge of judicial officers regarding student rights and judicial systems in public higher education. Examines student-institutional theories and doctrines and discusses recommendations from judicial officers for future practice. (Contains 21 references…

Offers critical reflection on higher education's past, describing some macro trends affecting public higher education in the United States and the responses by public research universities in particular. Briefly considers how technological innovations may reshape the academic future, and concludes with suggestions for how campus leaders might…

Using data for 428 individual campuses in 50 states, this article shows that state government funding and tuition and fees at state universities depend on both political and economic factors. State aid varies according to interest group size and universities' ability to confront state government. (Contains 36 references.) (MLH)

Examined the service histories of more than 200 presidents of Research I universities. Found that the average tenure of presidents and chancellors of these universities is declining markedly, particularly among public universities. Some possible factors for this decline are suggested, including increased external pressures, the recent escalation…

Examines the involvement of consultants from the nonprofit National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS) in the long-term planning of public college systems, including those of West Virginia, Louisiana, Nebraska, Texas, and Kentucky. Traces the development of NCHEMS from its establishment in 1969 as a federally supported…

Discusses various ways that public universities may finance the use of technology and suggests reasons administrators should use technology fees to finance the cost of current and future computer technology. An important reason is that public universities have a larger percentage of nontraditional students with lower retention rates. (SLD)