The status of American higher education is examined in this essay, with focus on such issues as institutional autonomy, the role of advanced education in society, access, and accountability. (LBH)

Differences between the roles of a corporate administrator and a college president are reviewed and related to the role of an effective trustee. It is noted that accountability demands affect institutional autonomy and that trustees must become more involved in policy-making to protect the academic freedom of colleges and universities in the…

Governance trends that promise to improve quality in higher education include: regular presidential evaluation; private fund raising by public institutions; greater attention to physical plant and energy problems; meticulous long-range planning and resource management; and resistance to pressures on institutional independence. (Author/LBH)

A plan for all of the state of Maryland's 13 public colleges and universities to be included in the University of Maryland System is discussed. The system would be governed by a board of regents, and each college would have a board of trustees to monitor campus issues. (MLW)

Views the avoidance of difficult management decisions and the failure to direct change as major internal threats to the community college. Identifies external threats including intrusion from business and the state. Discusses the state's role in providing colleges with access to modern management/financial techniques and up-to-date equipment. (LAL)

The "critical" and "established" positions on university morality leave important questions unanswered. A revised position distinguishing between the corporate and intellectual bodies of the university is offered. Three social conditions for maintaining a value-rational debate are proposed. (Author/MLW)

Winchester's article, discussing the university and academic freedom, fails to recognize a number of important truths about postsecondary education in Alberta. Academics cannot act outside the political culture that sustains them, nor do all wisdom and all reason lie within the University of Alberta. (MT)

Current research-funding trends are not a threat to academic freedom in Canadian universities, as long as the universities carefully guard the institution of tenure. (CJB)

University autonomy in Australia is examined: why institutional independence is important, how it has eroded since the late 1960s, factors leading to the erosion, and possible university responses. Concern is expressed about the universities' ability to withstand further government encroachment. (MSE)

A teacher discusses the transition from building-level autonomy to unilateral decision making by the central office in her school district. She points out how this change became a step backward for the school. (MD)

Trustees find themselves in the middle of an ongoing battle over accountability and autonomy. Government officials accuse the academy of being more interested in autonomy than accountability--more interested in demanding financial support than in serving public priorities. Business leaders question the responsiveness of colleges and universities…

The 14 essays in this book, written from 1938 through 1995, examine the modern research university, focusing on the relationship of these institutions to government, academic freedom, and the responsibilities of the academic profession. The book contends that the university has been deflected from its essential commitment to teaching, learning,…

This book compares the emergence and development of autonomous, fully fledged distance teaching universities in the higher education systems of the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Canada, and Israel. It examines the evolution and functional roles of these universities and outlines their commonalties and divergences. Main lessons are synthesized…

Problem-based learning (PBL) is an instructional strategy for preparing administrators whose basic unit of instruction is a project. Students are organized into teams and work on these projects to grapple with the problem and to achieve the learning objectives that are embedded in the project. In this PBL project, students design and prepare a…

This paper reports findings from a study of the effectiveness of charter schools in California. The study's purpose was to report preliminary findings to the Legislative Analyst's Office relating to the educational performance, characteristics, and practices of charter schools and their sponsoring agencies. The study addressed six central…