Learning Resources

Abstract: Examines the development of student recreation centers, which are neither gymnasiums nor student centers but which incorporate elements of both. According to the author, four changes provided the impetus for the development of recreation centers: greater quantity and quality of intercollegiate athletics; increased participation of women; expanded student interest in fitness and exercise; and a rise in the demand for round-the-clock recreation facilities. Considers the planning and design challenges institutions face in developing such centers.

Abstract: Book review: A Writer's Companion, by Richard Marius. Third Edition. McGraw-Hill, 1995. 241 pages. ISBN 0-07-040526-3. On Writing Well, by William Zinsser. Fifth Edition. Harper Collins, 1994. 287 pages. ISBN 0-06-273303-6.

Abstract: Book review: Discovering Design: Exploration in Design Studies, edited by Richard Buchanan and Victor Margolin. University of Chicago Press, 1995. 252 pages. ISBN 0-226-07815-9

Abstract: Contends that new technologies should be viewed as enhancements to existing modes of instruction, rather than replacements. Furthermore, the author asserts that new technologies have failed to supplant student desire for community or the importance of connection to a physical place – to a "real" reality, not merely a virtual one.

Abstract: Reviews the scope and common causes of student attrition, highlighting seven major reasons for withdrawal: academic difficulty, adjustment problems, goal development or orientation, weak or external commitments, financial challenges, lack of congruence between the student and the institution, or isolation. Institutions have developed an array of retention programs in response. One such response, the development of learning communities, is explored in depth.

Abstract: Book review: Strategic Planning : A Human resource Tool for Higher Education, edited by Kathleen Alvino. The College and University Personnel assocation, 1995. 121 pages. ISBN 1-878240-46-3

Abstract: Private colleges and universities increasingly are being asked to shoulder their share of municipal and regional tax burdens, thereby ending their age-old tax exempt status. In particular, the author cites four strategies used to pressure institutions into making tax payments: taxing only on property used for auxilliary or non-educational purposes; denying exemptions for leased property; redefining what kinds of institutions qualify for tax-exempt status; and demanding annual gifts of money or service in lieu of taxes. Advocates planning for the growing likelihood that an institution’s tax-exempt privileges will eventually be challenged.

Abstract: Book Review: Light: the Shape of Space, by Lou Micheal. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1996. 277 pages ISBN 0-442-01804-4.

Abstract: Book review: Life on the Scene: Identify in the Age of the Internet, by Sherry Turkle, Simon and Schuster, 1995. 347 page. ISBN 0684-80353-4.