The Center for Composite Materials at the University of Delaware opens up new funding sources and collaborative research opportunities and enhances student skills. Government-sponsored research is focusing on real-world problems in close cooperation with industry. (SK)

Describes the role that elite women play in the fields of community service and social networking in a rural New Zealand community. Interviews with these women reveal that community service is seen as a moral obligation of the wealthy. Their role ensures the creation and reproduction of cultural and symbolic capital. (KS)

Declining federal support for scientific research has led colleges and universities to turn increasingly to business for help. Ralph Nader recently complained that business threatens to take over the university. Closer examination suggests there is a problem but somewhat different and harder to resolve than that suggested by Nader. (Author/MSE)

Discusses the recent drastic changes in world affairs. Examines differences between U.S. and British higher education. Argues that both systems must adapt to global changes by (1) improving teaching about foreign countries and cultures; (2) closing the gap between the worlds of learning and work; and (3) assuring stable governmental and private…

Describes the Rainbow Connection Summer Program for preschool homeless children in White Plains/Elmsford, New York. The five-week program involves children between three and five years old, providing free transportation and meals. Activities include games, crafts, and other means of promoting self-esteem and responsibility. Examines funding,…

According to Tennessee's 4-year study of class size, smaller classes (13 to 17 students) have an advantage over larger classes in reading and mathematics in the early primary grades. Another study showed that fourth graders previously enrolled in Project STAR classes out-performed non-STAR students. Benefits are greater when teachers possess…

A survey of 300 institutions of higher education found 9 factors associated with alumni giving participation rates. These included library volumes per student; average Scholastic Aptitude Test scores of entering first-year college students; percentage of faculty with doctorates; educational and general budget expenditures per student; endowment…

Serious researchers of Indian communities should focus on actual community needs, be sensitive to community wishes and attitudes, and establish more precise identity with respect to communities with goals of distinguishing serious research from popular writing, minimizing useless research, and providing more leverage over funding sources and their…

Reports results of a 1990 survey of 33 British university libraries regarding current funding patterns. Following a discussion of recent political and funding trends in higher education and major issues facing university libraries, data are provided on student enrollment, number of academic staff, payroll and nonpayroll budgets, and acquisitions…

Describes financial strategies that promote financial autonomy of Native governments. Discusses the creation of trust funds with cash settlements of land claims, continued program funding by the federal government, and financial training for Native peoples in relation to the Nunavut agreement, which created an autonomous Inuit territory in Canada.…

Presents guidelines for securing funding from the school administration for library automation projects, including suggestions on researching technology and writing a proposal. A sidebar offers advice on approaching corporations for funding for school library automation. (MES)

This article suggests the need for a new financing model in higher education based on both high tuition and high financial aid. This model would collect a greater percentage of the full educational costs from students who can afford it and increase resources for student financial aid. (DB)

Private giving to colleges and universities increased 4 percent in 1990-91, less than the previous year's 10 percent. For some, fund raising was better than anticipated, but some generally successful fund raisers experienced declines. Private giving is more crucial than ever because public funds and tuition income are not increasing as in the…

The massive increase in private support of public education improvement brought important changes in the relationship between donors and applicants. The article describes the changes, noting the range of donor interests and decision-making processes. A section on lessons, trends, and dilemmas explains where the philanthropic field is headed and…

Ten deans of continuing education identified external threats to their programs as funding, competition, and professionalization. More serious were threats from their universities: reduced resource allocation, change in their unit's position in the hierarchy, perceived lack of academic credibility, and decentralization. (SK)