Ruth Simmons, the president of Brown University, will soon step down from her position on Goldman Sachs' board because of the position's large time commitment, The New York Times reported Monday. Critics of Simmons claim she should not have taken the position on Goldman's board, criticizing the $323,539 salary and $4.3 million in stock options that she has received for her work, according to The Times. Her position came to light at Brown after information that she had been one of 10 people to decide the size of bonuses paid to Goldman executives became known, The Times reported. Thomas Tisch, Brown's chancellor, said he did not see any problem with Simmons holding her position on the board, according to The Times.
A working paper published last month by the National Bureau of Economic Research using Williams College as a case study found that accepted students' likelihood of matriculation is affected by their race and academic interests and the college's net price, The Chronicle of Higher Education reported Monday. African-American students are approximately 32 percent less likely to matriculate than white students, and Hispanic students are 23 percent less likely to enroll than whites, according to the paper, "Students Choosing Colleges: Understanding the Matriculation Decision at a Highly Selective Private Institution." The paper added that students with strong studio art backgrounds are 13 percent less likely to matriculate than an applicant without one, and students who indicated that they were unsure of their interests are 10 percentage points more likely than students with social science interests to enroll. Net price the cost of attending the institution matters in a student's decision to matriculate, although its impact is small, the paper said.
The Environmental Protection Agency recognized the Hanover Water Reclamation Plant with a Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant Excellence Award in January at the annual New England Water Environment Association Conference, according to an EPA press release. The EPA's New England Office praised the staff of the plant for its work in maintaining and operating the plant, the release said. The award was created in order to highlight the "significant" commitment to ensure high quality water through "outstanding" plant operation, maintenance and on-going employee training, according to the release.
