No doubt there are detractors who cringe at the prospect of connecting the term customer service with an institution of higher education. Some may consider the term demeaning. However, given the college funding crisis and current economic climate, a quality customer service strategy is a prudent adjunct to any marketing activity undertaken. It is…

This article examines the educational ideas of Fred Morrow Fling (1860-1934). A practitioner of "scientific history," Fling believed that the principal goal of history education was to teach the historical method through the analysis of primary sources. Unlike his contemporaries, who saw sources as useful for adding interest to lessons, Fling…

Library transformation requires a cohesive vision and execution. Beyond excellent management, organization, technical deployment and collection development, success of the public library as a sense of place requires additional dimensions. This includes attention to the details of environment, presentation, ambiance, graphics, customer service and…

This study investigates the relationship between classmates seeking out a student for advice (advice prestige) and that student's academic performance. Students' conversations could inhibit or encourage their academic performance depending on the conversation's topic. Specifically, it is hypothesized that as more classmates report asking a student…

The annual US News and World Report (USNWR) Guide to America's Best Colleges is much anticipated by both high-ability high school seniors and college and university administrators. In this paper, we use a decade of Colgate University "Admitted Student Questionnaire" surveys to estimate the influence of changes in a school's USNWR rank on…

In June 2005, shortly before Rev. John I. Jenkins, CSC, became president of the University of Notre Dame, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops released a pastoral statement, "Renewing Our Commitment to Catholic Elementary and Secondary Schools in the Third Millennium." This document, building upon the rich experience of two…

This article presents a keynote address delivered by Al Gini, Professor of Business Ethics in the School of Business Administration at Loyola University in Chicago, at the University Continuing Education Association (UCEA) 93rd Annual Conference, March 26, 2008, New Orleans, Louisiana, on the topic of "Liberal Education in an Interdependent…

The last decade has seen increased interest in various aspects of the UK doctorate. This report brings together issues arising from national policy developments, the doctoral researcher cohort, the diversification of doctoral level provision in the UK and the development of the third cycle in the Bologna process. Through discussions with key…

An analysis of the total compensation of presidents and the five highest-paid employees at 190 private colleges and universities in 1993 looked at the additional variables of institutional expenditure level, institution type, reputation, and student Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) scores. Results indicated that institutional expenditures,…

The "Flexner Report" of 1910, which described 155 U.S. and Canadian medical schools, is discussed, along with its influence on later studies of academic quality. Scholars almost universally agree that the Flexner Report dramatically changed the nature of medical education in the United States, although they disagree about how this…

In this day of increased competition for students, educators need to know what makes their institution exceptional or how it is perceived as providing something of value that other institutions in the local area do not. Without this information, community colleges will find it difficult to thrive and adapt in the future. Efforts to determine the…

The importance of college image on student enrollment choices is discussed and a model is described which, using various student background variables as independent variables and college choice as the dependent variable, tries to assess the factors which determine college choice. (SE)

Perceptions of Yale and sixteen of its major competitors were obtained from high school students offered admission to Yale and from undergraduate students attending Yale. Ratings of similarity between colleges were obtained in one study, and the semantic differential technique was used in a second study to corroborate the findings. (SW)

As the ultimate symbol of excellence, the Nobel Prize has had a tremendous effect on scholars, institutions, and national pride. Topics discussed include: recruitment and fund raising, salaries and other perks, "raids" from other institutions, students seeking out winners, publication declines, etc. (MLW)

President Richard M. Cyert of Carnegie Mellon University set establishing national visibility as a university-wide goal six years ago. The public relations office developed a hard-driving program centered on national media coverage. This program is described. (MLW)