Harvard Medical School has announced that it will soon open a primary care research center using a $30 million anonymous gift, according to an HMS release. The center will help "train leaders in primary care and health systems research, education, and policy," Dean of HMS Jeffrey Flier said in the release. The center should fund the salaries of between 20 and 30 faculty members, allow researchers to explore new methods of providing "front-line care" for patients and contribute to HMS's primary-care instruction for medical students, according to Flier. The center's opening is a step toward increasing the importance of primary care in the United States, and Flier said he expects the center to have a "transformative, global impact," according to the release. The center will open in the next several months.
The White House announced on Thursday new regulations for universities involved in federal student aid programs, The Washington Post reported. The regulations, which will be implemented in July, will expand federal oversight of higher education. These new regulations include requiring schools to alert the government before implementing new vocational programs, standardizing the definition of a credit hour across schools and placing restrictions on admissions recruiter's salaries, The Post reported. These rules "will help ensure that students are getting from schools what they pay for: solid preparation for a good job," Education Secretary Arne Duncan said in a statement.
Percentage increases in tuition for both private and public colleges are higher than last year's percentage increases, according to the College Board's annual survey on college prices, Inside Higher Ed reported. The data shows that tuition increases at public schools were higher than increases at private schools. Experts said this was not surprising, because the increases at public universities are intended to make up for state budget cuts resulting from the economic crisis, Inside Higher Ed reported. The College Board also released data regarding student aid in a companion survey. This data indicates that student aid packages are increasing along with tuition prices. Experts expressed concern at these trends, particularly for public schools, which may not be able to sustain themselves with the model currently in place, according to Inside Higher Ed.
