Higher Education

Purpose: Higher education materials acquired at Washington State University should support both the academic programs in Higher Education Administration and Student Affairs Administration offered at the Master's and Doctoral (Ed.D./Ph.D.) levels in the College of Education, and the continuing education and professional information needs of faculty, staff, and students appointed to positions in the Division of Student Affairs (e.g., Residence Life, Financial Aid, Academic Advising) and in other administrative areas of the university (e.g., Business Affairs). Moreover, this collection should support the need for information relevant to institutions of higher education and the academic profession(s) felt by all members of the WSU community.

While the present collection provides access to information on a wide variety of topics relevant to higher education, its primary focus is on the areas of study required for the academic programs named above, including student affairs and student development, higher education administration (including athletic administration, higher education law, and higher education finance), and the study of the academic profession. Additional materials may be acquired to support the research and teaching needs of the faculty, and the professional needs of administrative and student affairs faculty and staff.

Related materials may be collected under the broader fields of Education and Sport Studies. Collecting related to the teaching of specific disciplines at the college and university level are covered by the policies related to those disciplines (e.g., materials related to the teaching of college-level mathematics would be found as part of the Mathematics policy).

1. Languages: English is the primary language of collection.
2. Chronological Guidelines: Primary emphasis is on acquiring materials related to higher education in the 20th and 21st centuries. Materials related to the historical study of higher education will be selectively acquired, but acquisition of historical materials is limited (see "Date of Publication," below).
3. Geographical Guidelines: Primary focus of interest is on materials related to the study of higher education in the United States, Canada, and Europe. There may be selective acquisition of materials in other geographical areas, as well as of materials related to the study of comparative higher education.
4. Treatment of the Subject: Popular-level materials and graduate-level textbooks may be selectively acquired. Educational biography and histories of individual institutions are selectively collected.
5. Types of Material: Most materials acquired are in the form of books and periodicals. Basic reference materials, such as abstracts and indexes, are purchased. Proceedings of symposia and international congresses, and annual reports of private or quasi-public agencies, including foundations, are purchased selectively. Items such as indexes, abstracts, periodical articles, encyclopedias, etc. may be purchased in electronic format when pricing and ease of use make this an appropriate medium. Statistical information and government information related to higher education may also be collected as part of the broader Education collections.
6. Date of Publication: Emphasis is on materials published since 1995. Retrospective purchasing is very selective.
7. Other General Considerations: Additional resources on the WSU campus include the Office of Institutional Research and the Office of Student Affairs Research and Assessment