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The founding of the Australian system of higher education closely parallels the creation of public postsecondary education in the United States during the nineteenth century. Their subsequent histories reflect a growing recognition of postsecondary education's capacity to shape the economic prospects not only of individuals, but of entire nations. Less recognized are the ways individual institutions (which collectively constitute these systems) affect their local communities. In this article, we briefly outline the economic impact of postsecondary education in Australia and the United States and then describe how a research university in each country, the University of Pennsylvania in West Philadelphia and the University of Queensland, has served as a key anchor institution for its local area. A variety of factors are explored, including local context, funding sources, university leadership, and institutional mission.

This paper describes current issues and challenges faced by students with learning disabilities, staff, and faculty at Canadian colleges and universities. Programs and initiatives that have proven to be successful are described. An appendix lists resources (mostly Canadian) for further information. (DB)

An awareness program on learning disabilities was conducted for secondary school students in 24 schools, as part of a 1-year project of Memorial University of Newfoundland to provide a varied and sequenced set of services to college-bound students with learning disabilities. This article discusses the program rationale, its procedures, description of subjects and instrumentation, and evaluation results. (Author/DB)

This essay examines the late B. F. Skinner's work as a scientist, psychologist, polemicist, and poet. The human psyche is seen to be a confederation of various aspects (e.g., cognition, affection, conation). Skinner's scientific exclusion of inner-life phenomena from his behavioral science is seen as paradoxical. Implications for educational psychology are drawn. (DB)

This paper describes an awareness project involving presentations to secondary school students on the nature of learning disabilities. A university student with learning disabilities gave the presentation to approximately 450 students in 24 Newfoundland schools. Participants rated the presentation highly and demonstrated better understanding of learning disabilities. (DB)

A sample of 583 education students (217 males and 366 females) from 10 Canadian universities responded to a questionnaire on their backgrounds, habits, and outlooks. This study investigates variability associated with socioeconomic status, gender, parental background, rationale for entering education, and reading and mass media use habits. (TJH)