Slotnick, Sandra, et al. CIRP (COOPERATIVE INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH PROGRAM) FRESHMAN SURVEY REPORT. FALL 1992. Pennsylvania Coll. of Technology, Williamsport. May 1993. 142 p. (ED376864)

The Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) is a nationwide project to gather data on incoming freshman classes at two- and four-year institutions and compare them to previous classes. This report presents findings from the fall 1992 CIRP survey for the Pennsylvania College of Technology (Penn College) and the 403 other colleges participating in the 1992 project. The first section provides an introduction to the CIRP, an overview of Penn College response rates, and a comparative analysis of findings for the college and the entire CIRP sample. This section includes the following information: (1) 61% of Penn College freshmen came from families earning less than $40,000 a year, compared to 49% nationwide; (2) 6% of the Penn freshmen were learning disabled, higher than the 2% for the entire sample; (3) freshmen in non-technical fields were more likely to spend time studying, participating in student clubs, and doing volunteer work, while technical students were more likely to exercise, drink beer, or socialize with friends; and (4) Penn College freshmen were less prepared than the national norm with respect to foreign languages, English, and computer science. Section II presents detailed data tables of CIRP findings for Penn College for 1989, 1990, and 1992, findings for the entire 1992 sample by two- or four-year institution, as well as comparative data on 1992 Penn College freshmen by academic division. Finally, section III includes a history of the CIRP, a Higher Education Research Institute newsletter discussing 1992 findings, and the survey instrument. (KP)