Member News

Many institutions try to pack ambitious construction and renovation projects into the three months of summer break, but this year Goucher College is taking that to a whole new level: It’s moving three 55-bed residence halls a few hundred yards down a slope and across a road to new locations, and it plans to have two of them ready to house students again by August 19.

The newspaper’s investigation, published on Monday, shines a light on seldom-discussed problems of alcohol and substance abuse in higher-education administration. It is a taboo topic that, if mentioned at all, confines itself to mostly private conversations among academic leaders and trustees. Every so often, however, these cases spill out into public view, bringing with them individual and institutional embarrassment, and raising tough questions about how to balance compassion and accountability for the people involved.

Bethune-Cookman, a historically black university with a proud history, copes with impact of borrowing against its endowment, fighting in court with its alumni, affiliating with a for-profit law school and inviting Betsy DeVos to speak at commencement.

Claremont McKenna College announced Monday that it is punishing seven students -- five with suspensions -- for their role in blocking an audience from hearing a speech by Heather Mac Donald in April.  The Claremont McKenna protest is among those highlighted by many observers who say that some students in American higher education have become intolerant of views with which they disagree. In the case of Mac Donald, those protesting say that her views on criminal justice are racist -- a charge that she denies -- and that her views justified their protest.

Across the country, from New Hampshire to Kentucky to California, small private colleges are struggling. They’re merging with neighbors, cutting programs and staff, and offering steep tuition discounts to get students into seats. Some are going out of business altogether.  But Merrimack College, in sleepy North Andover, has recalibrated its approach to move away from the traditional liberal arts offering — and the strategy is working.  
By stressing health sciences, business, and engineering over humanities and by tailoring its financial aid to attract high school graduates that best fit the small school, Merrimack has managed to boost student enrollment, build facilities, and stabilize its finances.