Through intensive student recruitment, faculty planning, new undergraduate programs and acquisitioning of research and endowment money PINY, previously close to bankruptcy, is now approaching its goal of becoming the great technological university of New York. (KE)

Nine recommendations are offered for making the Teachers' Insurance Annuity Association (TIAA) and College Retirement Equities Fund (CREF) more attractive and competitive retirement investment vehicles for college faculty. They include broadening of account choice, fund transfer and management options, and counseling services. (MSE)

Teacher retraining in a subject area different from the teacher's original training and certification may be the most viable way of retaining the best teachers and filling the most critical vacancies. The conditions for retraining should be built into the undergraduate curriculum, including liberal arts and interdisciplinary education. (MSE)

The debate over the nature and form of general education is discussed. The Project on General Education Models, which surveyed colleges and universities that had taken concrete steps to review or revise their general education programs, is described. Some new programs are outlined. (MLW)

In what has become a major new trend in adult education, community colleges, seeking to attract new students, have started labor studies courses. Unions often support the programs and pay for members to attend but the programs are controlled by the colleges. Focus is on such a program at Manhattan Community College. (JMD)

Quality concerns are foremost in assessing the worthiness of interdisciplinary efforts, but issues of funding, organization, student interest, and job market need to concern those who propose or review such programs. Proposed is a series of questions that may assist reviewers of proposals for new interdisciplinary degree programs. (MLW)

A key to the movement toward open access to higher education has been the growth of public community colleges, which are reexamining their priorities, resources, and missions. The need for "people's colleges" to reconcile their concern for quality with their commitment to open access is discussed. (MLW)

The National University Consortium for Telecommunications in Teaching, the first national effort to provide high quality bachelor's degree programs for Americans who cannot attend college full-time on campus, is described. It is suggested that both institutional participation and enrollment projections may be exceeded. (MLW)

The idea that national policy planning is enriched by wide public participation is taking hold. One example is the establishment of the Congressional Clearinghouse on the Future, which helps legislators assess the impact of proposed bills on the future and the probable impact of the future on current legislative programs. (LBH)

New college faculty are unprepared for many tasks required of them, including designing new courses, teaching a diverse student population, advising, contributing to institutional initiatives, and serving on committees. Increasingly, institutions and organizations are developing training programs to socialize new faculty with the values of hiring…

Major changes are underway in the ways campuses deal with computing and computers. Computers are critical tools in academic research and instruction, and they can enhance personal productivity of faculty, staff, and students. Campuses must integrate computing into the curriculum in all three of these dimensions. (MLW)

The Great Lakes Colleges Association, composed of twelve small liberal arts colleges in Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan, has been a leader in the integration of women's studies into the curriculum of its member schools. The consortial approach and the women's studies program are described. (MLW)

The need for education concerning societal issues with technological components persists, as does the need for education of engineers relevant to the public sector and the public interest. The need for evaluation of technology and public policy programs is emphasized. (MLW) '

Wheaton College, a small liberal arts college for women, has begun integrating women's experiences into the mainstream of learning, to bring a gender-balanced perspective to the traditional liberal arts. A project funded by a grant from the Department of Education's Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education is described. (MLW)

Black Studies, it is suggested, should be an interdisciplinary field that will not incite fear or misgivings any more than other higher education interdisciplinary programs. A clear distinction is needed between Afro American Studies as an academic discipline and as a social answer to pressing problems. (MLW)