This chapter explores issues surrounding the demise of the Interdisciplinary Master's in Education (IMED) program, which was delivered on the neighbor islands in the state of Hawai'i. The innovative program brought educational opportunities to remote areas of the state and was a partnership between the main campus in Honolulu and several community…

In spring 1999, the Open University (OU) of the United Kingdom created the U.S. Open University (USOU) to coincide with the explosive growth of online education in the United States. The institution's first chancellor, Richard S. Jarvis (previously chancellor of the University and Community College System of Nevada), began hiring U.S. staff and…

New Jersey leaders have launched a campaign to build support for boosting high school rigor, but some are worried that the effort could produce a higher dropout rate as the state phases out an alternative exam used by nearly 15 percent of its students. Part of the state's bid to raise expectations involves scrapping the Special Review Assessment,…

This paper is an edited transcript of a panel discussion which took place at an educational conference about the current state of popular culture studies at American colleges and universities. First touching on the number of university media departments being disbanded in general across the country, the discussion focuses on several questions:…

Five major reasons for the high incidence of laboratory school closings are indicated prior to a description of survival strategies applied in the Early Learning Center at Pennsylvania's Kutztown State College's Child Development Laboratory School. Causes of laboratory school closure are the following: (1) financial difficulties; (2) retrenchment;…

This study investigated how funders and grantees are thinking about sustainability and how best to support promising community-based initiatives so that they do not simply fade away when initial funding is over. Following a literature review, researchers developed questions to guide interviews with approximately 24 funders and grantees. No theme…

Describes how adult students in Great Britain mobilized research, learning, and action in a campaign to protest building closures and funding cuts. (SK)

Using Porter's five-forces model (potential entrants, suppliers, buyers, rivalry, substitutes) to analyze competition in Canadian university business schools, the authors conclude that schools are becoming increasingly vulnerable to competitive pressures and that strategic reorientation is necessary. (SK)

Examined the enactment and early implementation of remedial education policies in Massachusetts and Oklahoma. Findings suggested that efforts to end or restrict remediation are driven largely by status attainment concerns--the desire by policy makers and administrators to create "competitive advantage" for certain public higher education…

Describes how one teacher fought to keep a school district's family and consumer sciences program alive when it was about to be discontinued. Includes letters written to the district superintendent and the Washington Post explaining the benefits of the program. (JOW)

Discusses reasons for the failure of the sociology department of Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, to institutionalize radical sociology. Expounds on the dynamics of radical movements and the opposition they create. Describes the faculty conflicts involving questions of theory versus practice, revolution versus reform, and competing…

Years of meticulous research work can be lost when projects are discontinued. Institutional support can make all the difference. The Whitby Research Group coordinates projects, provides access to computers, and enables researchers to share their work in seminars. (JOW)

Learning from program failure hinges upon acknowledging that everybody fails and having the ability to cope. Coping techniques may include accepting blame, denying failure, analyzing failure, blaming others, talking and sharing, remaining objective, using stress management techniques, and taking another risk. (SK)

Sutton's Process Model of Organizational Death has three phases: organization threatened, organization as temporary entity, and organization defunct. It is exemplified in the closure of DePauw University's School of Nursing, the insights from which may be adapted by others experiencing program closure. (SK)

Begins with a general discussion of downsizing and its outcomes, then offers an analysis of downsizing in higher education with an emphasis on three points: the factors causing universities to consider downsizing, the special nature of universities that makes downsizing particularly difficult, and the downsizing methods used by universities. (EV)