Regional Goals in Higher Education.

In 1961 the Southern Regional Education Board published the report of its Commission on Goals for Higher Education in the South. The regional goals articulted in 1961 by the SREB Commission on Goals have been studied in an effort to assess the degree to which they have been accomplished during the past 13 years. The rationale for assessing accomplishment has involved a survey questionnaire mailed to representative samples of five regional associations believed to have an active interest in regional development. The intent of the survey was to tap the informed opinions of faculty members in Southern colleges and universities who might have a special interest in regional progress in higher education. Analysis of these responses indicated that very few of the goals stated in 1961 are perceived as fully accomplished in 1974. Although the respondents were emphatic in their judgment of progress, they indicate that the majority of goals still remain viable for the Southern region. Many respondents would see the Southern region renew its efforts to cast out its double standard of the past, its traditional failure to embrace academic standards, and its lack of general academic excellence. (Author/PG)