The research centered on an examination of whether or not the topic of "higher education" has become an academic field of study. First, an historical analysis of the evolution of the academic study of higher education uncovered two threads that have continued up to the present. One thread consisted of those throughout academia who have studied the topic of "higher education" but were uninterested in forming it into an academic field of study. The other thread consisted of those within or affiliated with schools of education, who have attempted to form the study of "higher education" into an academic field. The latter have variously conceived of "higher education" as either an academic discipline, professional field, or some amalgam. They have not achieved a consensus among themselves as to how to proceed, nor have they gained significant recognition from the rest of academia. Secondly, a comprehensive review of two literatures was undertaken. The first dealt with conscious attempts to form higher education into an academic field and the second included most of what has been written about the topic of higher education from 1960 to 1990. Based on these two literature reviews, it was determined that a cohesive body of knowledge and distinct theory base have not been formed. Thirdly, a series of in-depth, unstructured interviews were conducted with seven faculty from three different higher education programs. It was found that these faculty were interested in developing their own academic programs, but had no larger interest in forming an academic field of study. Hence, those who would make "higher education" into an academic field had not greatly influenced those interviewed. It was determined that an academic field had not been formed. There are no distinct theories of higher education--all academic analyses of the topic are conducted through the lens of a wide range of disciplines and professions. This is good, since all of academia should be able to be involved in the academic study of higher education. New ways for encouraging that involvement are put forth in the conclusion.

This study describes the evolution and range of goals attributed to the College of Micronesia in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). In doing so, it traces the transformation of education from community-based, traditional Micronesian activities, to missionary and Japanese schools, to American formal education, and finally, to the public school system that exists in the FSM today. It tracks the evolution of the College of Micronesia--FSM from its earliest roots in the 1950s to the present. The study includes an interview and questionnaire process that identifies numerous College roles and then asks representative student and staff groups, to evaluate each role in terms of importance. The process allowed comparisons of student and staff perceptions and examined, in-depth, the ramifications of following the eight most-highly valued College roles from each group. Although the College of Micronesia was originally conceived as a teacher education institution, it has evolved into a liberal arts institution, which by having an unclear mission, appears to fill the expectations of its different stakeholders. In all, the College was found to have 25 distinct missions; ranging from teaching English to providing manpower for national development. Two groups, students and staff, were found to view all but one of the missions as important. On the whole, student and staff were found to be in general agreement about the various missions of the College, but for different reasons. Whereas staff tended to see the College a nation-building institution, students tended to see the degrees the College offered, as a vehicle for obtaining government jobs and a higher living standard. Both groups were found to have broad ranges of expectations. The argument was made that in light of decreasing resources, the College should begin to focus its mission. In final analysis, the study sheds light on similarities and contrasts of Micronesian and American educational goals and values and illuminates difficulties of managing colleges in developing micro-states. It presents a detailed look at one of the world's least known national colleges so that its future can be plotted more systematically.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the historical relationship between four Catholic women's colleges and the emergence and development of feminism in general and Catholic feminism in particular. The four colleges were: Trinity College, Washington, D.C., 1898; St. Mary's College, Notre Dame, IN, 1903; The College of St. Catherine, St. Paul, MN, 1906; Regis College, Weston, MA, 1927. Three questions are examined, using official and informal publications and correspondence and interviews with the presidents and other staff of the colleges. In Catholic women's colleges, what attitudes and beliefs about the role of women and the nature of the education of women were held by the founders and also their successors? How do these attitudes and beliefs relate to feminism and in what respects did Catholic women's colleges share feminist goals? In what ways, if any, have Catholic women's colleges contributed to Catholic feminism? The intentions of their founders and the mission statements and curricula demonstrate a sharing of the feminists' goals of education and job opportunity for women. The mission and curricula show a reflection of the times and the needs of the students. These are woman-centered campuses with a clear Catholic identity; Catholicism and feminism co-exist in these colleges, resulting in a space for the development of Catholic feminism. Though they are not strongly feminist, these colleges are committed to remaining all female, and to remaining Catholic. They do not challenge their church on issues concerning women's access to birth control and to abortion since to do so would violate their mission as Catholic institutions. However they act on feminist goals by encouraging women to learn, to achieve, and to effect change.

The study posed the general question: How has the historical federal relationship with higher education affected the institutional capacity of the U.S. higher education system to sustain and expand its international dimension, to internationalize? Two federal programs were identified for their explicit interest in building higher education's institutional capacity in the international dimension between 1958 and 1988. National Defense Education Act, Title VI programs administered by successive federal education agencies were treated in depth. Agency for International Development programs administered by the foreign affairs agencies were highlighted as a counterpoint to Title VI. Two further guide questions helped analyze the evolution of the policy arena. First, how effective were the federal case programs in achieving their legislative aims per se? The theoretical framework was triangulated from three veins in the literature, i.e., public policy implementation effectiveness, diffusion of innovations and higher education organization. The basic tool was legislative case history. The period was 1958-1980. Second, what did higher education institutional participation patterns in the case programs reveal about the effectiveness of these case programs and their influence on the international capacity of the higher education system? This was answered in terms of specific definitions of internationalization. The participation and funding patterns of 506 institutions and consortia of higher education in the two case programs from 1969-1988 were analyzed in terms of regional dispersion within the U.S., ownership balance and institutional diversity. Institutional diversity was analyzed in depth for Title VI. The study revealed a series of policy choices and decisions as the policy arena developed. It confirmed an important but not dominant role of federal programs in sustaining higher education's international capacity. Internationalization depended on higher education itself. Federal resources rarely matched policy goals. Over the thirty years, the case programs most directly contributed to international capacity in research universities, less directly in other higher education groups. The study suggests that barring massive concerted advocacy or a unique policy catalyst, the higher education system can best increase federal resources for internationalization by stretching existing channels rather than creating new ones.

In the decades following World War II American higher education enjoyed a period of unprecedented growth and development. By the 1970s, however, it was clear that the growth curve was flattening. The prospect of fiscal stringency sparked interest in formal planning, and campuses experimented with Program Planning Budgeting Systems (PPBS) and other "rational" planning approaches. As the 1980s unfolded, however, the sense that fiscal problems would persist deepened, and the emphasis shifted to effectiveness. "Strategic" approaches to planning--emphasizing adaptive change in response to environmental analysis--came into wide use. The comprehensiveness and complexity of strategic approaches introduced new challenges for which institutions were poorly prepared, and many had disappointing experiences. The literature offered only fragmented and often inconsistent advice for institutions contemplating strategic planning. The author reviewed the literature with an eye toward identifying "conditions" that support successful planning. Five such conditions were identified: (1) consensus for change; (2) focus on institutional needs; (3) good "fit" between planning and the campus culture; (4) effective faculty participation; and (5) effective leadership. It is argued that an institution which satisfies these conditions increases its chances of success; conversely, an institution which falls short in these areas diminishes its chances. This hypothesis was explored in a case study of planning efforts at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst between 1971 and 1992. The campus engaged in seventeen planning efforts, nine of which were judged to be "strategic." Of the nine, only two could be considered "successful," both quite modest in scope. An examination of the campus's status with respect to the five "conditions" suggested that they were useful in understanding the planning outcomes. The five conditions were then recast as a "diagnostic" tool, a set of questions to be answered before embarking on strategic planning. This tool should help the institution understand its "readiness" to undertake strategic planning; identify areas in which ameliorative action is needed; form a more realistic set of planning expectations. A number of directions for future research are suggested to both test the predictive power of the five conditions and to enhance the usefulness of the diagnostic tool.

This dissertation addresses the problem of how best to teach undergraduate literature courses in the climate of challenge and hostility which surrounds traditional literary studies today. The practical purpose of the dissertation is to recommend that teachers of undergraduate literature classes not only become thoroughly familiar with current academic debates over how and which literature to teach, but that they incorporate these debates into the curriculum. The dissertation further recommends that undergraduate literature courses teach the historical circumstances which shaped literary study in America and subsequently created the issues and positions with which the current debate is concerned. The five chapters of the dissertation present an historical account of the development of literary studies in American higher education. Particular attention is paid to the influences of power and class which were brought to bear on this process from its origins in classical Greek education to its institutionalization in the late nineteenth century. This history is intended to serve as resource material for literature instructors who wish to expand their curriculum and teach undergraduates that the historical and cultural background to any text is essential to understanding its purpose and meaning. The dissertation concludes with recommendations for how teachers can incorporate cultural history into the undergraduate literature curriculum.