In November 1996, forty-five higher education technology leaders convened in Washington, D.C., to discuss the virtual university (VU). The Western Governors Association had announced establishment of the Western Governors University (WGU). As a result, VU initiatives were emerging from, or being contemplated by, almost every state-level higher…

Organized on cluster college concepts, the University of West Florida promises an education with the advantages of the small college while making available to students the kinds of resources a university can offer. Each college has at least one department from the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, business, and education. (Author/MSE)

The process is described by which Aquinas College developed a series of seminars for adults into an ongoing "college." Problems of recruitment and fund raising are discussed, but the program is judged as successful based on the response of students. (JSR)

Twenty-five years ago, the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay was a model of comprehensive innovation, based largely on an interdisciplinary approach and a focus on general education. It has survived merger, loss of its liberal education seminars and theme colleges, enrollment problems, and loss of environmental emphasis, but interdisciplinarity…

The University of Texas of the Permian Basin was created as an upper-division and graduate institution for community college transfer students. It instituted many innovations, including elimination of departments, integration of undergraduate/graduate education, year-round enrollment, contract study, modular classrooms, a faculty trained at…

Partly in response to declining enrollments, Huron College redefined its mission to stress intergenerational learning and the educational needs of older adults. New needs and goals have been recognized, and it is argued that today Huron provides a good example of how young and old can interact in an educational setting. (JSR)

An overview of the evolution of the innovative University of California, Santa Cruz, looks at its origins, campus organization, curriculum and instructional philosophy, campus design, leadership and faculty, student population, campus life, and curriculum design. Strategies for and obstacles to effective change are highlighted. (MSE)

Metropolitan State University (Minnesota), intended to serve largely mature community college transfer students in the inner city, gives students responsibility for planning their own individualized course of studies, with a competence-based focus. Community-based faculty, classrooms, and library resources are essential elements. (Author/MSE)

An overview of the innovative curriculum and program design of Hampshire College (Massachusetts), a liberal arts college opened in 1970, looks at its educational philosophy, nontraditional curriculum structure, underlying economic assumptions, recordkeeping, administrative organization, employment policy, governance, and student life. (MSE)

Through a combination of prior coursework, contract learning, credit for experience, standardized tests, and other methods of evaluating prior learning, the Empire State College (New York) allows adults to complete undergraduate degree requirements. The nonresidential institution serves students throughout the state, with faculty in over 40…