The general purpose of the study was to determine the relationship between college environmental press variables and the attrition characteristics of college freshmen at Southern Methodist University.

Since the initial experiences of the college freshman were regarded as critical to his personal and social adjustment, the present study had as its primary purpose the investigation of the effects of deferred rush and pledging on a student's first year as Southern Methodist University. More specifically, the study investigated the effects of deferred rush and pledging on the following factors: 1. The effect on academic achievement of a selected group of freshmen. 2. The effect on the drop-out rate of a selected group of freshmen. 3. The effect on the extent to which a selected group of freshmen use the University Health Center. 4. The effect on the extent to which a selected group of freshmen used the Psychological Services of the University.

The purposes of the historical study are to describe Methodist education in Texas from 1840 to 1900; to find the reasons behind the proliferation of Methodist institutions after the Civil War and the problems involved in this development; to analyze centralization efforts after 1900 as a pattern of Methodist educational institutions emerged; to describe the evolution of Southern Methodist University as a regional college West of the Mississippi; to give brief descriptive overviews of the other six Methodist institutions in Texas; to describe the current status of Methodist higher education in Texas; to discuss Methodist higher education in Texas at the present and to project the possible future development of Methodist higher education in Texas.

No description available.

Although in 1915 there was no drama education in Methodist colleges and universities in Texas, today all Methodist schools of higher education in Texas have at least course offerings in drama. Southern Methodist University was one of the first Methodist schools to offer such courses which began with the hiring of Mary McCord to teach public speaking in September, 1915. The problem of this study is to explain the contributions of Mary McCord to the development of drama education at Southern Methodist University. It is recommended that the development of the department after Miss McCord retired be examined, that the students taught by Miss McCord who chose theatre as their life's work be interviewed about the effect of her training on their careers, and that a thorough study of the McCord Theatre Collection be undertaken.

Reorganization efforts within colleges and universities are increasingly considered as institutions look for ways to streamline operations for financial cost savings or competitive advantage. The purpose of this study was to assess a particular change effort in a university library which took place between August, 1996 and July, 1997. A team was formed to manage the change effort, and an outside consultant was hired to facilitate the process and guide the team. Stufflebeam's evaluation model was used as a conceptual framework to evaluate the entire process which included a particular change management model brought in by the consultant. The entire change effort was described by the author as a participating member of the team and assessed by gathering feedback from team members, library staff members affected by the effort, and members of the library administration.