This is the 11th paper in AGB's series summarizing federal and state public policy issues affecting higher education. We hope that governing boards, institutional and university-system leaders, and senior staffs will find it useful for board discussions and retreats and in formulating institutional responses to these issues. For the next two…

The purpose of this guide is to help chronically struggling schools restructure. "Restructuring" means major, rapid changes that affect how a school is led and how instruction is delivered. Restructuring is essential in achieving rapid improvements in student learning. The focus is on helping education leaders choose strategies that…

Nutrition integrity ensures that all foods available in schools for children are consistent with recommended dietary allowances and contribute to the development of lifelong, healthy eating habits. Attaining nutrition integrity is the goal of numerous changes in National School Lunch and Breakfast Program regulations. Outlines new federal…

Outlines the federal legislative and regulatory processes concerning student financial aid, with the objective of encouraging participation in modification of the rules by which schools, lenders, servicers, and guaranty agencies must administer Title IV (Higher Education Act) financial aid. Topics discussed include authorization/reauthorization,…

Summarizes highlights of the Government Accounting Standards Board's proposed standard for college and university accounting, known as GASB 35. Topics addressed include enterprise fund financial statements, reporting of state appropriations, segment reporting, effective dates, and infrastructure assets. (MSE)

The engineer for a California school district describes the asbestos removal from the ceilings of El Camino High School. Discusses forming a design team, use of consultants, specifications, relations with contractors, and staff notification. (MLF)

A new service, TransferTrack, was developed by the National Student Loan Clearinghouse, that will enable postsecondary educational institutions to identify which of their former students have subsequently re-enrolled at other institutions and the identity of such institutions. This system will allow institutions to comply more easily with the…

A discussion of Australian higher education looks at the nature of quality and its assessment in higher education, particularly in the context of a new national committee on quality assurance. It examines the compatibility of quality management strategies with existing institutional decision-making and management processes. (MSE)

A donor-advised fund, increasingly popular for college giving, can be used by donors for immediate tax benefits and flexibility in charitable giving. The donor makes an irrevocable gift to the fund, which is considered a charitable organization, and the fund administrator invests the gift. The donor specifies the amount to be given and the…

Disabled Student Services Director, Alfred H. DeGraff, tells how Boston University's programs and facilities are providing independence for disabled persons. (MLF)

Colleges and universities are generally subject to new penalty excise taxes under the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) code on charitable and educational organizations. The law and proposed regulations are explained, with specific attention to how the rules apply to colleges and universities and how these institutions can best protect themselves…

This document is intended to help institutions of postsecondary education understand their rights and responsibilities relating to school cohort default rates for the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL)Program. Section 1 focuses on the calculation of FY 1993 official cohort default rates including how student loan activity is tracked and…

The statistical methods used by courts and regulatory agencies to analyze data relating to equal employment and affirmative action are reviewed, along with suggested methods for colleges and universities to produce more meaningful Equal Employment Opportunity management documents. (MSE)

Portrays viewpoints and duties of Judith Krug, director of American Library Association Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) and executive director of Freedom to Read Foundation. How libraries can enlist OIF aid, what OIF can do, censorship in school and public libraries, and effects of Reagan administration on censorship are highlighted. (EJS)

The first two stages of the financial audit required by federal Circular A-133, for nonprofit institutions receiving $100,000 or more in federal funding and cost-type contracts, as implemented by the University of Southern California, are described. Audit observations, issues emerging from the experience, and recommendations for other colleges and…