E-commerce is making slow inroads into higher education, but one outfit is raising eyebrows. E-Collegebid.com lets students find the college of their choice and price range by posting their interests and bottom-line budget online. The site asks potential college applicants to fill out a simple form stating what they are looking for in a college and what they in turn have to offer the institution (e.g., desired major, adequate academic qualifications, lifestyle compatibility, geographic location, and social/athletic activities), and what they are willing to pay. E-Collegebid.com passes the information to colleges within 24 hours. Within 10 days, students hear back from colleges that fit the bill. "This is a hassle-free approach to paying for college," says the site, which also posts this slogan on its home page: "Going to college is smart. Paying too much is not."

People, not products, are the IT challenge

The latest Campus Computing Project survey shows that the number one issue on faculty members' minds in 1999 was the challenge of integrating technology into instruction. This was a concern for nearly 40 percent of faculty, up from 33 percent in 1998. The next greatest concern for campuses was getting adequate user support. Faculty are becoming more versatile with the Web--more than one-fourth of all college courses have a Web page, and one-fifth of faculty have their own personal Web pages. For more information, go to www.campuscomputing.net.