The problem with which this study is concerned is the development of a plan to reform the structure of the current system of Iranian higher education, both quantitatively and qualitatively. These goals have been set by the Charter of Educational Revolution and coincide with the Development Plans of the nation which have aimed to bring about a fundamental change in society. Educational history of Iran since ancient times is discussed, with special emphasis on higher education, and the religio-cultural influences in shaping the organization of educational institutions and curricula are overviewed. The nation developed one of the world's oldest scholastic centers of higher learning, Gondi-Shapur Academy, whose international faculty contributed significantly to the advancement of knowledge. Iranian culture was exposed to Islam following the Arab invasion; and Islamic doctrine, which has been opposed to secular education, has dominated the educational philosophy of the country. Western education came to Iran through military institutions and religious institutions. Modern schools increased during the last decades of the nineteenth century; however, their progressive development can be traced only from the reign of Reza Shah, beginning in 1925. The first modern university of Iran was established forty years ago. The provincial universities and other institutions of higher learning came into existence in following years. After adopting the Charter of Educational Revolution in 1968, Iran experienced a rapid expansion of its institutions of higher learning. The percentage of total student enrollment in these institutions has never exceeded 0.37 per cent of the population, however, because the institutions could not expand rapidly enough to accommodate the students who applied for admission. Graduate education is also in the primary stages of development, currently comprising 2.4 per cent of the college students of the nation. To cope with these shortcomings, the study has come to the following conclusions: 1. The system of higher education in Iran should develop qualified graduate schools to educate highly advanced professionals and scholars to fill the positions which the nation, until the present time, has had to award to personnel who have received their education abroad.

This research study was developed to investigate a group of Outstanding college personalities in Iran. The purposes of the study were: (a) to identify a "frequently nominated" group and an "infrequently nominated" group of University of Isfahan students based on the social criterion of "outstanding personality development"; (b) to determine whether or not "friendship nominations" unduly influenced the selection of "frequently nominated" students; (c) to determine whether or not "frequently nominated" and "infrequently nominated" students could be reliably differentiated on stressful life events, developmental histories, mental health adjustment, expressed needs, and descriptive data; and (d) to present a summary of the most striking and consistent findings on personality development of the "frequently nominated" students. This study concludes that 1. A "frequently nominated" group and an "infrequently nominated" group of normal Iranian student personalities, based on the social criterion of "outstanding personality development," can be identified and statistically differentiated. 2. "Outstanding" Iranian student personalities have greater affiliative capacities than other normal Iranian student personalities. 3. "Outstanding" Iranian student personalities possess ego strength, as evidenced by their desire to make decisions from inner self evaluations and to break parental standards, to a greater extent than other normal Iranian student personalities. 4. "Outstanding" Iranian student personalities do not practice self—sacrifice. 5. "Outstanding" Iranian student personalities are actualizing their capacities to a greater degree than are other normal Iranian student personalities. 6. "Outstanding" Iranian student personalities are not free from stressful situations, problems, or inner conflicts.

The purpose of this study was to discover whether there was a relationship between economic development and higher education in Iran from 1953 to 1979. Seven variables were used to define economic development. These variables were factor analyzed and the outcome was three new empirically satisfying variables labeled Rent (R), Finance (F), and Technology (T) which were used as dependent and independent variables in subsequent analyses. In order to define higher education, just one variable, constant dollar expenditures on higher education, was used. Several changes occurred in Iran during 1953 to 1979. Therefore, two intervention variables (for the periods of 1962 and 1973) were used to present these changes. Three models were used in order to examine the relationship between economic development and higher education. Using 2 stage least square in model one tested the hypothesis that the educational variable and development variable (T) were mutually causal. In this model two identification variables (energy consumption and the number of students in higher education) were used in order to identify the effect of the technological growth and expenditures on higher education. This model had two regression equations. In the first equation the dependent variable was the technological dimension of economic growth (T). The only significant effect was the concomitant incremental relationship between energy consumption and technological growth. In the second equation the dependent variable was the expenditures on higher education, and the only significant effect was the second lagged relationship between technological growth and the education. Using 2 stage least square tested the hypothesis that educational expenditures depended upon the import-export ration (R). There was no significant effect in this model. Also using ordinary stage least square tested the hypothesis that educational expenditures depended upon increases in the money stock (F). This model was highly significant. Based on the major findings of this study, the increase of the expenditures on higher education depended upon the increase of the economic growth factors. But the reverse relationship is not evident.