A number of recently published books will be of interest to presidents and other administrative and academic leaders of small to mid-sized private colleges and universities. The books tackle a range of issues, including the importance of implementing practices that enhance student success, the impact of a liberal arts education, and cost control and access in higher education.

Student Success in College: Creating Conditions that Matter
George Kuh, Jillian Kinzie, John Schuh, Elizabeth Whitt, and Associates, © 2005

In today’s challenging and complex higher education environment—a growing college-bound population, escalating costs, lagging state support, increasing scrutiny from state and federal agencies—colleges and universities must be able to implement practices and policies that promote student success. This book describes policies, programs, and practices that a diverse set of institutions have used to enhance student achievement. Based on the Documenting Effective Educational Practice (DEEP) project, examples are provided from 20 institutions, including Alverno College (WI), Sewanee: The University of the South (TN), Sweet Briar College (VA), Ursinus College (PA), Wabash College (IN), Wheaton College (MA), and Wofford College (SC). Other colleges and universities can learn from these examples to help create a success-oriented campus culture and learning environment.

Hardcover copies of this book are $38 and may be ordered from Jossey-Bass Publishing at (877) 762-2974 or www.josseybass.com.

Old Main: Small Colleges in Twenty-First Century America
Samuel Schuman, © 2005

Defined as institutions that enroll between 500 and 3,000 full-time students, small colleges number about 600 private and public institutions in the United States. Informed by his own experiences as a scholar and administrator, Samuel Schuman sketches the history and development of these institutions, focusing on their current conditions and future possibilities. The book draws on key data, along with firsthand accounts and interviews with individuals from institutions such as George Fox University (OR), Westmont College (CA), Southwestern University (TX), Warren Wilson College (NC), Morehouse College (GA), College of New Rochelle (NY), and Colby-Sawyer College (NH). Schuman explains how and why size matters, and why small colleges occupy a central place in American higher education.

Hardcover copies of this book are $39.95 and may be ordered from Johns Hopkins University Press at (800) 537-5487 or www.press.jhu.edu.

Putting Students First: How Colleges Develop Students Purposefully
Larry A. Braskamp, Lois Calian Trautvetter, and Kelly Ward,
© 2006

An effective and ideal college education centers on holistic student development, including the search for meaning and purpose in life. Who a student is and becomes during college, as well as what a student does during college, is important. The authors present findings and interpretations on these issues based on a study of ten church-related colleges and universities, including CIC members Bethune-Cookman College (FL), Hamline University (MN), Pacific Lutheran University (WA), The College of Wooster (OH), Union University (TN), and Whitworth College (WA). Using a conceptual framework that analyzes the holistic effectiveness of these institutions, all college leaders can discuss, plan, and create a college environment that supports holistic learning on their own campuses.

Hardcover copies of this book are $39.95 and may be ordered from Anker Publishing Company at (877) 212-3838 or www.ankerpub.com.

Liberal Arts Colleges and Liberal Arts Education: New Evidence on Impacts
Ernest Pascarella, Gregory Wolniak, Tricia Seifert, Ty Cruce, and Charles Blaich, © 2005

To what extent do liberal arts colleges foster empirically validated good practices in higher education and long-term impacts on students? What is the net gain of these impacts, and are they the same for all students, or do they differ in magnitude? This study, part of the Association for the Study of Higher Education’s monograph series, summarizes the findings of a multi-institutional study of the short- and long-term effects of liberal arts education on more than 6,500 students and alumni from more than 40 public and private institutions nationwide. The study reports positive results on areas such as extracurricular involvement and alumni satisfaction, and demonstrates that liberal arts colleges and the traits associated with them ought to be emulated and preserved.

Paperback copies of this book are $26 and may be ordered from Jossey-Bass Publishing at (877) 762-2974 or www.josseybass.com.

Cost Control, College Access, and Competition in Higher Education
Robert E. Martin, © 2005

Quality has never been more important for the future of higher education and our economy than it is today. Some institutions face declining student quality, spiraling costs, difficulty in resource reallocation, and a society that expects higher education to address problems that are well beyond its core competencies. Robert E. Martin explores the social contract between those who fund higher education and those who benefit from it. Topics discussed include: formal models of production and cost, optimal fundraising, the maximization of academic reputation, agency behavior, and the student’s enrollment decision.

Hardcover copies of this book published by Edward Elgar Publishing are $100 and may be ordered from Amazon.com at www.amazon.com.

50th Anniversary History Holy Family University 1954-2004
S. Brendan O'Brien, et al, © 2004

Founded by the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth in 1954, the establishment of Holy Family University (PA) marked the culmination of an evolutionary cycle begun in 1934 with the opening of the Holy Family Teacher Training School, a single-sex school for religious teachers. During the early years, Holy Family functioned as an affiliate of the Catholic University of America, yet eventually grew into a fully accredited Catholic, private, coeducational, four-year commuter university, which now provides liberal arts and professional programs for more than 2,100 undergraduate students. This commemorative book written and published by Holy Family University details the rich 50-year journey of the institution, highlighting its commitment to values, service, and learning throughout its growth.

Hardcover copies of this book are free of charge and may be ordered from Holy Family University at (215) 637-6206.