Protests against the British government's plans to increase tuition and cut government financing for universities became violent on Wednesday, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education. Fights broke out with police when several dozen students broke into Conservative Party headquarters in central London. The student union condemned the break-in, saying the perpetrators were "violent idiots" who were "undermining" the general message of approximately 50,000 protestors. Thousands of protestors have occupied the concourse in front of the headquarters and lit a giant bonfire, the London Evening Standard reported. Britain's main student and faculty unions also organized a march. Liberal Democrats who joined with Conservative party members to create a coalition government in May had pledged before the last election in May to oppose any plans to raise tuition. The student union has vowed to hold them to that promise.
The average size of gifts to education by wealthy individuals has decreased by 55 percent, Inside Higher Ed reported. According to a survey conducted by the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, the average donation dropped from $28,329 in 2007 to $12,759, after the amounts were adjusted for inflation. Every two years, the Center surveys individuals from households with a net worth of at least $1,000,000, excluding their primary residence, or who earn a yearly income of over $200,000. Gifts from all individuals surveyed fell by 34.9 percent.
Yale University pledged to give $4 million each year through 2014 to support the New Haven Promise, a program that will help New Haven public school students pay for college, the Hartford Courant reported. For students who are residents of New Haven, maintain a B average in high school and meet community service and disciplinary requirements, the program will cover tuition at a public university in state or contribute $2,500 towards tuition at a private college in Connecticut. Yale administrators, New Haven superintendent Reginald Mayo and the city's mayor John DeStefano coordinated the program. Yale President Richard Levin said the program would ultimately serve the University's interests because it will develop a competitive work force in New Haven, according to the Hartford Courant.
