Legislation introduced today by two Massachusetts state legislators will "promote transparency" at Massachusetts private colleges and universities by requiring them to be more detailed in their financial reports, The Boston Globe reported. The bill mandates that institutions declare the value of their yearly tax exemptions and list the employees whose salaries exceed $250,000. Universities would also be required to report the worth of their assets to the state if their value exceeds $10 million and detail contracts exceeding $150,000. The bill was inspired by a 2010 report from the Center for Social Philanthropy in Boston, which accused institutions of higher education including Harvard University and Dartmouth of taking "too much investment risk." The report was partly funded by the Service Employees International Union, which supports the new bill, according to The Globe.
In an effort to standardize requirements for students to earn associate, bachelor's and master's degrees, the Lumina Foundation for Education announced the creation of a Degree Qualifications Profile on Tuesday, according to a Lumina Foundation press release. The Profile defines five areas in which graduates should be proficient specialized knowledge, broad or integrated knowledge, applied learning, intellectual skills and civic learning and aims to "help ensure the quality of degrees offered by new providers and delivery mechanisms," the press release said. By making these guidelines explicit the Lumina Foundation seeks improve students' education and set a clearer standard for the expectations that come with each degree. Three accrediting organizations the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, the Higher Learning Commission and Council of Independent Colleges have already agreed to try to start implementing the guidelines, according to the press release.
The 23 campuses comprising the City University of New York system will be smoke-free by Sept. 2012, following the creation of the university's School of Public Health, The New York Times reported on Monday. This decision mirrors similar smoking bans and restrictions implemented by the University of Buffalo and Columbia University. As of this month, 466 American college campuses have banned smoking or plan to do so, according to the American Nonsmokers' Rights Foundation. The ban will be most influential on more suburban campuses like Queens College and the College of Staten Island, as colleges with urban campuses will be unable to restrict smoking on public sidewalks. A bill that would ban smoking in New York parks and beaches will be voted on by the city council of New York City in February, The Times reported.
