The Division of Policy, Planning, and Research has assembled the Tennessee Higher Education Fact Book which is a compilation of statistical information pertaining to higher education in Tennessee. This Fact Book contains tables and charts with data relevant to enrollment and transfers, persistence and attainment, and fiscal information about…

National and New York State trends in both the cost of higher education and the various types of student aid programs are addressed. Data are provided for 1976-1977, 1981-1982, and 1983-1984. Also provided are estimates of the "net cost" of a college education after taking into account various financial resources (e.g., family…

Critical areas of undergraduate education are discussed, and creative suggestions for maintaining excellence in Pennsylvania education are offered by the Student Committee on Undergraduate Education (SCUE) at the University of Pennsylvania. Specific topics include: the curriculum, advising, teaching, residential life, and admissions. The…

This study sought to answer the following questions: Are commuting students different from resident students? Are commuters a heterogeneous population? Do trends in commuter concerns from 1973-75 persist in 1976? A sample of 1475 incoming freshmen at the University of Maryland, College Park, who attended the 1976 two-day freshman orientation…

This paper explores the myths surrounding the higher education of commuter students and investigates their needs and concerns. Today's college students include increasing numbers of adult, female, minority, and part-time students. Commuter students, i.e., those living off-campus, make up the largest and most diverse group. Many of these students…

Prepared to assist the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges in the development of its "1990-91 Basic Agenda," this paper discusses several major statewide trends with important implications for California's community colleges. The paper offers data on population and enrollment growth, labor market changes requiring…

A bibliography of 505 references concerning commuter students is presented along with a list of 44 associations and organizations. Topics and the number of references on each topic (in parentheses) are as follows: adult learners/nontraditional students (63 references), community colleges (37) community/environmental impact (16), comparative…

Quantitative data on the nature and magnitude of the economic impact of Trenton State College (New Jersey) on the surrounding community are provided in an attempt to reduce conjecture. Data were collected for fiscal year 1977-78. In many cases the data were then applied to a model developed by John Caffrey and Herbert H. Isaacs; in other cases,…

Students who reside off-campus at North Carolina State University were surveyed in 1973 to determine their attitudes toward university policies, programs, and services. Of the 372 randomly selected students, 153 responded. Information is presented about the following areas: participation in university services, participation in university student…

Yakima Valley Community College (Washignton) developed "A Living-Learning Community" in the Student Residence Center to create an intellectually stimulating and socially exciting environment for both resident and commuting students. The project strived to enhance the students' collegiate experience by providing them with a learning…

Relatively little attention has been given to the importance of student earnings in the total financing of postsecondary education. The present study deals with this important question. It attempts to answer these questions: (1) How much are students earning in the aggregate? How much of these earnings are increasing resources to finance…

This article presents a summary of a study that was undertaken to increase the level of understanding of some of the issues associated with distance learning in higher education. The authors sought to do this by gathering and comparing direct feedback from both on-campus and off-campus students regarding discussion, attendance, and student…

Guidelines to enhancing the freshman year experience are presented in the following chapters: (1) "A Comprehensive Approach to Enhancing Freshman Success" (M. Lee Upcraft, John N. Gardner); (2) "Who Are Today's Freshmen?" (Arthur Levine); (3) "A Historical Look at the Freshman Year Experience" (John Orr Dwyer); (4) "Understanding Student…

A North Carolina State University study compared college freshmen who lived in campus residence halls, off-campus with their parents, and off-campus but not with their parents. Changes during the freshman year were compared on the following areas: educational goals, career plans and goals, political views, opinions on college-related issues,…

A survey was administered to a representative sample of 8,500 students attending the nine colleges in the Los Angeles Community College District during fall 1977. The purposes of the survey were to determine the nature of students' educational goals, levels of college preparedness, extra-curricular interests, transportation patterns, student work…