Describes how, from its beginning, the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) has supported providing education to citizens everywhere, first by sponsoring face-to-face instruction in remote locations and now by encouraging institutions to use online technologies to reshape education by providing it anytime and anywhere. (EV)

A proposed change in federal student loan policy from providing loans through lending institutions to providing loans directly to students is of enormous importance to higher education, with major implications for colleges and universities. There are powerful arguments pro and con. Institutions must ensure they and policymakers understand the…

Higher education has made decisions on behalf of government through federal use of the accreditation system, private needs analysis systems, and peer review for allocating program, student aid, and research funds. Noting that these procedures are threatened, the author calls for reform of higher education management to preserve some autonomy. (JT)

Student loan programs have been racked by defaults, bankruptcies, and administrative trivia, causing Congress to search for another system. Under consideration is a loan that would be repaid to the Internal Revenue Service through a withholding tax. However, better collection efforts with the present system are producing encouraging results. (JMD)

Hiring and maintaining a qualified interdisciplinary faculty is proving to be a great difficulty at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. (HS)

Since 1972, the Nixon and Ford administrations have sought to terminate two major "campus-based" student aid programs (Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants and National Direct Student Loans), and to reduce funding of a third, College Work-Study. The policy has been renounced by both Congress and the academic community. (LBH)

An interview with Charles Moskos and David Evans, active in the drafting of legislation for establishment of a youth public service corps tied to federal student financial aid provision, addresses the rationale, objectives, costs, and implications of such a program. (MSE)

The national Minority Biomedical Support (MBS) Program, established in 1972 with National Institutes of Health funds, is described with emphasis on its role in increasing minority representation in biomedical research. (LBH)

A policy of lowered standards and expectations for minorities, it is suggested, is reflected in the evolution of government-sponsored programs intended to change the pattern of poverty by helping the disadvantaged through educational opportunity. Such programs include Head Start and Cornell University's special education program. (MLW)

Discusses how the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) has funded projects successfully influencing the way undergraduate science and mathematics are taught around the nation. (EV)

The National Endowment for the Humanities is criticized for not providing greater leadership both within the government and among potential sources of private financial support for the humanities. (MSE)

It is argued that despite the decline of the humanities in higher education in the 20 years since the National Endowment for the Humanities came into existence, the agency has probably done much to promote the humanities and prevent further decline. (MSE)

The federal government's Law Enforcement Education Program (LEEP) faces a precarious future. Three problems include: a bureaucratic tug-of-war between the Justice Department and the new Department of Education, the loss of appropriations, and a debate about the values of programs, and the types of courses and degrees offered. (MLW)