John Schuh is Associate Vice President for Student Affairs at Wichita State University, Wichita, Kansas and George Kuh is Professor of Education at the University of Indiana, Bloomington, Indiana. Both authors are frequent and important contributors to the higher education literature. Publications offer perhaps the most accessible and clear window into the campus environment, none more so than the college catalog. The first consideration is how the catalog is formatted. Obviously the first format indicates a healthier ecology in which student needs are paramount.
Readability is another factor.
It is an interesting phenomenon that most colleges feel stilted, convoluted English best conveys institutional integrity, again demonstrating more concern for image than for the student. Colleges with sounder environments strive to orient their catalogs toward the student perspective, realizing that the document's purpose is to convey essential information in a maximally logical and understandable manner. Catalog photographs offer the third insight into campus ecology. Answers to thes questions indicate whether or not the institution values diversity, its employees, and whether it is concerned with conveying a feeling of welcome. An astounding number of colleges spend millions on facilities and athletic teams but skimp on catalog production.