Career alternatives: A model for calculating financial costs and for making policy decisions

Most university faculty are tenured and are concentrated in the age range of 40 to 50 years of age. As a consequence of this age distribution there is little financial or academic flexibility: Salary costs are rapidly increasing at a time when real resources are declining, and there is little capacity to shift faculty resources from declining to emerging areas of specialization. One solution to these problems is to provide faculty with career alternative options which will shift from the future to the present some of the flexibility due to begin in the year 2000 when the present faculty start to retire. However, before career alternatives can become a viable solution it will be necessary first to define the concept and the procedures. The present paper provides a model which defines the terms and conditions required for calculating the financial costs and savings under various conditions and assumptions. This information is a prerequisite for institutional policy decisions and for determining whether faculty will find such offers attractive. The model is illustrated by calculations made on the 1985 age, tenure, and salary distributions of the Arts and Science faculty at Dalhousie University. Considerable financial and academic flexibility can be gained even with modest participation rates and substantial settlements.     

Career alternatives: Providing a cafeteria of choices through career alternative dollars

Part of the crisis in higher education is due to the age and tenure distribution of the faculty and their escalating future salary costs. Universities must find ways to gain financial and academic flexibility. This will require a program ofcareer alternatives which provides inducements to leave the university for faculty who are not due to retire until the years 2000 to 2010. The money saved can be used to the mutual benefit of the individual and the university. The university's share of the savings may be used to hire new junior faculty and to reduce the total cost of the salary budget. The faculty member's share may be redeemed at a career alternatives cafeteria. This paper outlines the offering that such a cafeteria may provide and the mechanisms that may be used to establish one.     

美国高校学生资助体系研究

美国高校学生资助体系主要由联邦政府、州政府、高校和社会团体四部分组成,包括奖学金、助学金、贷款及工读等资助形式。已经获得资助的学生须根据资助政策的要求认真学习,并接受学校的考核,未能达到相关标准的学生可能会被取消资助资格。该体系对推进教育公平、提升教育质量具有重要作用。     

A study on the attitudes and experiences of chairpersons in American Criminology and Criminal Justice Programs

Building on Todd Clear’s () recent declaration that academic criminal justice has come of age, this study examines chairs in American criminology and criminal justice programs. By way of survey, chairpersons (n?=?78) randomly selected from programs across the United States were questioned in a number of areas related to their positions. The study finds that chairs in these programs are struggling with the same concerns as chairs in other academic disciplines (i.e., competing roles and job‐related stress). As such, while many of them are fairly satisfied with their positions, most of them plan on returning to the faculty once their term is completed. Based on the results of the research, there were two clear implications. First, because of the onerous time demands, young scholars are to be discouraged from taking on significant administrative responsibilities until they have been promoted, tenured, and have achieved some level of accomplishment within the discipline. Second, scholars who are currently chairs and have ambitions of moving through the administrative ranks should be encouraged to do so. As more criminologists progress through the administrative ranks, it is anticipated that the discipline will be viewed and treated more favorably within American universities.     

Highlights of the Chicago convention (August 30 ‐ Sept. 3, 1975)

Homework does not always occur at home. With the perceived demand for higher academic performance has come an increase in the amount and complexity of assigned homework. Given the number of parents who work outside the home, and the need for safe and structured after-school activities, after-school programs have become a venue for helping students with their homework. This article examines the potential of after-school homework-assistance programs within the larger context of after-school programs in general. There is limited data on the outcomes associated with programs that offer homework assistance. The data suggest that after-school homework-assistance programs can serve a protective function for children at-risk for school failure, particularly those who do not have other structured after-school activities or those whose parents do not speak English at home. In general, the availability of homework assistance at home, the quality of the after-school homework program and the nature of the homework assigned will mediate the effect of these programs. Questions for future implementation and evaluation efforts are raised.     

The Organization and Structure of Community Education Offerings in Community Colleges

One of the key services community colleges provide is community education, meaning those programs and activities that are often offered for leisure or self-improvement and not for credit. Programs of this nature are increasingly challenged to be self-financing, whether through user fees or externally funded grants. The current study explored 75 community college community education offerings and found that most offered over 50 distinct community education programs, with less than half of those being self-funded. These colleges typically relied on a professional program director to administer programs; and, most frequently, these individuals reported through a division of academic or student affairs. Among other findings, the majority of community education programs profiled were classified as leisure education, although there were large numbers of programs that related to some distinct element of a community (such a national forest, historic downtown, etc.). Study findings highlighted the need for community college leaders to find balance between community needs and financial responsibility. This includes taking on the responsibility for hosting programs that might be financially unviable, but might meet a strong community need.     

The flexible university: higher education and the global production of migrant labor

This article demonstrates how neoliberal higher education has come to play a distinct role in the global market for migrant labor, where a growing number of developing nations educate its citizens for overseas work in order to maximize future monetary remittances. Located in the Philippines, this study shows how local colleges and universities attempt to impose an ideal notion of flexibility, quickly shifting academic manpower and resources to programs that would produce the ‘right’ types of workers to address foreign labor demands. Based on qualitative interviews with Filipino college educators and students, the article then discusses how such ‘flexible’ strategies undermine the job security of college faculty and lead to the constant restructuring of physical space within university campuses. Such changes negatively affect both students and teachers.     

Increasing student financial aid programs: A misdirected means of expanding access?

Federal and state student financial aid programs have increased substantially in past years. Such programs have clearly provided greater access to postsecondary education for low income and minority students.However, data recently collected in Los Angeles indicate that additional financial aid may have a diminishing impact on increasing access. The Los Angeles study, commissioned by the California Legislature, revealed that low levels of academic achievement, inadequate information, and inflexible admission policies are greater barriers to college for the poor than financial need.Educational opportunity programs, which provide counseling, tutoring, and information services, should become increasingly important in addressing nonfinancial barriers. Yet such programs are often politically unattractive to legislators and administrators who view student grant programs as simpler and less costly.     

Sustainability science and the university: pitfalls and bridges to interdisciplinarity

Interdisciplinarity plays a major role in the debate about the sustainability of human societies, in general, and about the crisis and the future of the University. If the twentieth century can be identified as an era of specialization in Academia, there is a tendency now to add interdisciplinary spaces to the traditional disciplinary research and training organization. Non-academic research institutions (NARIs) are showing more flexibility than universities to respond to problem-oriented demands. This article analyzes the current prevalence of a rigid disciplinary academic framework and discusses its limitations in the face of complex demands, such as sustainability science (SS) and technology. Examples from the Brazilian graduate programs in SS are presented to describe some institutional pathologies that usually affect the attempts to achieve interdisciplinarity and SS and technology. Among the main conclusions, are the need for more interaction among universities and NARIs and the need to integrate disciplinarity and interdisciplinarity, rather than continue to deal with them as opposites.     

Predicting adult academic success in an undergraduate program

Central Michigan University provides, through the Individualized Degree Program, a bachelor's degree to individuals who could not be served by conventional on-campus programs. The present study was undertaken in an effort to learn more about selected attributes of those in the program. Quantitative and qualitative analyses of the data revealed characteristics common to participants in the Individualized Degree Program and isolated five factors which are predictive of academic success.     

“Why Give Up Something That Works So Well?”: Retirement Expectations Among Academic Physicians

For individuals with strong work identities, the decision to retire can be particularly challenging. For academic physicians, retirement is an important personal decision that also has far-reaching implications for the healthcare system. This is because academic physicians are responsible for producing the research from which key medical decisions are made, for training future healthcare providers, and for providing specialized care for patients. For this study, we conducted focus groups with academic physicians from a large research university in Canada and then performed inductive thematic analyses to examine perceptions and concerns about later life career transitions. This study highlights tensions between professional experiences for the next generation of physicians and individual struggles with personal identity. Findings suggest improvements to institutional programs that support flexible, agentive, and respectful retirement transitions will not only be beneficial but necessary as medical and university systems continue to grapple with issues of balanced recruitment and succession.     

Financial challenges in higher education: community college leadership style and ranking

A large number of new community college presidents will be hired in the next 5 years due to vacancies. New leaders must be prepared to lead their institutions through the challenges facing community colleges. Forty-one community college presidents in North Carolina participated in our research (70.7% response rate). We found that community college presidents’ perceptions of their management styles all fall within the “team management” orientation according to the Blake and Mouton Managerial Grid (Blake & Mouton, 1964). We then examined the financial management challenges faced by community college presidents and found empirical evidence regarding how community college presidents rank six of the most critical financial challenges identified in the literature. Presidents’ rankings of the six most critical financial challenges showed that the three most pressing concerns are maintaining student access during times of increasing educational costs, managing enrollment during times of decreasing state funding, and lowering costs without damaging academic quality.     

Merging Academics and Police Training: Washington State University’s Department of Police Science and Administration and the Law Enforcement Assistance Act of 1965

The Law Enforcement Assistance Act of 1965 prompted a nationwide movement to create and expand police education programs at colleges and universities across America. This paper details the actions of the well-established Washington State University Department of Police Science and Administration program in response to the passage of the 1965 Act. Among the actions taken, the program’s leaders responded to calls for their expert advice in setting up new programs, increased the number of undergraduates in their program to answer greater demands for college training opportunities for current and future police officers, and admitted more students to their graduate program so as to provide qualified teachers for new academic programs being created through the Act’s funding.     

西方国家商学院教育环境变化与教育模式发展新趋势

随着经济全球化、新科技的快速发展以及商业实践活动多样性、复杂性、灵活性与不确定性的日益增加,西方国家商学院的教育环境发生了深刻变化。具体表现为:前所未有的大众化需求与不断深化的市场细分,强劲的全球化进程与明显的层次划分,不断增长的机构多元化与竞争的加剧,以及危机下承受压力的增加。这些环境的变化和所面临的挑战,虽未从根本上变革西方国家传统商学院教育模式的黄金标准,但也使其出现了一些新的发展趋势:即国际化、学术化与职业化新的平衡、认证与标准化、多样性与灵活性以及综合性与软技能化等。所有这些新的发展趋势无疑对我国商学院教育的未来发展有着重要的启示。     

互联网金融领域研究热点与前沿探讨 ——基于Citespace的分析

随着信息技术和移动通讯业务的发展,第三方支付、在线的小额信贷和信用支付等网络金融平台迅速崛起,互联网金融正在以前所未有的速度扩张,给传统金融带来了新变革的同时也为学术界带来了很多全新研究课题。因此,利用Citespace软件对2003—2013年Web of Science数据库中有关互联网金融的文献进行梳理,通过国家（地区）及机构分析以可视化图谱的方式可以展现互联网金融领域研究的影响力,美国在该领域的文献贡献率最大,英国在该领域的学术影响力最大;通过关键词共现分析可以得到过去十年互联网金融领域的研究热点和发展历程;结合文献共被引和膨胀词分析则可以探讨该领域研究的发展趋势,互联网金融的风险管理与监控将会是互联网金融研究领域的前沿。     

Disruptions and bridges in rural Australia: higher education aspiration to expectation of participation

ABSTRACT

Widening higher education participation can deliver benefits to individuals, societies and economies but rural populations experience factors which inhibit their aspiration for and participation in higher education. When designing outreach programs, universities need to consider this landscape of factors, many of which are socio-cultural. This article reports evaluation results from a project that trialled three university outreach programs designed to align with rural contexts with the aim of identifying aspects which were effective in addressing factors of rurality, revealing obscured future options and showing higher education pathways as attainable. Universities can work effectively with rural communities to inform people’s higher education aspirations through ‘disruptions’, interventions that inform educational aspiration, and ‘bridges’ which support higher education participation through facilitating access to information, physical, financial, academic and social resources. A model including both ‘disruptions’ and ‘bridges’, jointly resourced and drawing on social capital resources of communities and higher education institutions is presented.     

The role of early childhood settings for 4–5 year old children in early academic skills and later achievement in Australia

Formal early childhood education programs have been shown to promote the early academic skills of young children. However, the academic benefits acquired through program attendance fade quickly in the early elementary school years. Using a nationally representative sample of Australian children, we describe the programmatic and teacher differences between different types of formal early childhood programs for children between 4 and 5 years old—pre-year 1, school-based preschool, standalone preschool, and center-based child care. We examine the child and family background characteristics that are correlated with selection into different settings and how these settings are associated with children's early academic skills and on their subsequent achievement. We focus on understanding if there are differential academic benefits accrued from each program type and whether or not these benefits persist into the early elementary school years. Results indicate that maternal employment and economic disadvantage are correlated with program participation and that pre-year 1 and preschool teachers have higher qualifications. Results also show that children who attended a pre-year 1 program held an initial, significant advantage in early academic skills compared to children enrolled in center child care. Center child care was associated with higher early math skills than preschools. Children who did not attend any early childhood programming lagged behind their peers in school readiness skills. By middle childhood, all the early skill advantages had disappeared, showing rapid fadeout of academic benefits acquired from these specific types of early childhood programs. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.     

Economics of Distance and Online Learning: Theory,Practice, and Research William J. Bramble and Santosh Panda,Editors

Business school deans at institutions accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business were surveyed on distance education programs offered at their respective schools. This study examined sixteen characteristics of the distance education programs: the number of offerings, the question of not offering distance education, future plans, degree level of programs, number of years offered, number of graduates, length of programs, public or private institutions, grant funding, faculty qualifications and student-faculty ratio, method of delivery, use of a librarian, geographic areas served, tuition rates, financial aid, and the successful aspects. The results of this study may be used to make decisions in planning new distance education programs and the enhancement of existing programs.     

Hispanic Student Enrollment and Attainment in Texas Two-year Colleges: A Multiyear,Statewide Analysis

In this investigation, we examined the numbers and percentages of Hispanic college students enrolled in Texas two-year colleges and the numbers and percentages of Hispanic students who obtained associate degrees from Texas two-year colleges for the 2000 through the 2011 academic years. Hispanic student enrollment and educational attainment increased from 2000 to 2011. Statistically significant increases were revealed in both the numbers of Hispanic students attending Texas community colleges and in the percentages of enrollment comprised of Hispanic students from 2000 to 2011. Also revealed were statistically significant increases in the numbers of Hispanic students obtaining associate degrees and the percentages of Hispanic students obtaining associate degrees from Texas community colleges from 2000 to 2011. Implications of these findings and recommendations for future research are provided.     

Helping minority students with nontraditional skills to enter and complete college

Summary Over the past five years, a genral decrease in both commitment to and financial support for equal educational opportunity in higher education has made the prospect of a good college education even more bleak for minority students. The problem for educators will increasingly be how, with limited resources, to increase the number of high school students who attend college, to promote a fair and equitable distribution of these students on various campuses and in different programs, and to ensure the likelihood of their graduation.