Learning Resources

The Endless Good Argument: The Adaptation of Mission at Two Liberal Arts Colleges

By: Matthew Hartley,Lawrence M. Schall

A meaningful institutional purpose does not just pop into existence. It must be constructed, with reference both to core values and to changing market or demographic conditions. This article examines three important moments in the history of two different institutions to better understand the development of such a process and explore how a sense of mission and the core values can survive over time, despite inevitable challenges.

From Volume 33 Number 4 | June–August 2005

Abstract: Institutional mission influences college and university decision making by providing a shared sense of understanding about core values and aspirations. For institutions to maintain the benefits of having a clear mission, they must periodically revise and redefine the institutional purpose. This article compares the changing missions of two liberal arts colleges and reveals striking commonalities in how this process is accomplished. It also describes several factors that influence mission change.

Institutions Mentioned: Swarthmore College, Olivet College

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Environmental Management Systems: A Framework for Planning Green Campuses

By: Julian Keniry

Employing environmental management systems can help institutions address campus environmental impacts by providing a structure for assessing and improving the sustainability of all facets of campus operations.

From Volume 31 Number 3 | March–May 2003

Abstract: Drawing on recent survey data from the National Wildlife Federation and other publications, this article explains what an environmental management system is and identifies its components; examines how environmental management systems have been applied and adapted to higher education settings; reports on trends in implementation; and illustrates how the environmental management system can help in planning green campuses. It addresses such issues as environmental policy, training, compliance, performance evaluation, staffing, and assessment within the higher education context.

Institutions Mentioned: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, University of New England, Wentworth Institute of Technology, University of Massachusetts-Lowell, Brown University, University of Vermont, University of Waterloo

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The Next Great Wave in American Higher Education

By: Jamees Ottavio Castagnera

From Volume 31 Number 2 | December–February 2002

Abstract: Four distinct waves can be discerned in the history of American higher education. The 85 years before the Civil War were characterized by the founding of hundreds of liberal arts colleges. The post–Civil War era saw the majority of these small colleges disappear, replaced by public land-grant schools. Around the turn of the last century, the giants of American industry led the founding of the great private research universities. The term "megaversity" entered the American lexicon after World War II, when thousands of returning GIs swelled the ranks of higher education; the second half of the 20th century also witnessed the proliferation of community colleges. The fifth great wave is now breaking, with for-profit competition and revolutionary teaching technologies among its main characteristics.