The family of former Pennsylvania State University football coach Joe Paterno recently made a financial contribution to Penn State to support programs established in its name, the Centre Daily Times, a newspaper based in central Pennsylvania, reported. In spite of Paterno's dismissal last November in the wake of a child sexual abuse scandal involving Penn State assistant coach Jerry Sandusky, the family gave the University $100,000 to be split between the Paterno Library and the Paterno Liberal Arts Undergraduate Fellows Program, according to the Centre Daily Times. Donations to the Fellows Program a partnership between the liberal arts college and Schreyer Honors College will be used to support student study abroad experiences, internships and research, the Centre Daily Times reported. The program was established in 2008 and the first 125 fellows are due to graduate in May, according to the Centre Daily Times.
U.S. News and World Report released its inaugural guide to online undergraduate and graduate degree programs on Jan. 10, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education. Unlike residential colleges and universities, which are evaluated annually on overall institutional quality, U.S. News ranked online bachelor degree programs based on student services, student engagement and faculty credentials, according to The Chronicle. U.S. News added admissions selectivity to the criteria used to evaluate online master's degree programs in the areas of business, nursing, education, engineering and computer science, The Chronicle reported. Some online learning experts said that this mode of evaluation did not present an accurate portrayal of the online programs surveyed and did not include certain statistics, such as retention rates, employment prospects and debt-load figures, that could help prospective students evaluate programs, according to The Chronicle.
The Yale College Council drafted a plan that if approved would establish universal gender-neutral housing for juniors, the Yale Daily News reported. The new housing policy, which would take effect in fall 2012, would aim to encourage a "more comfortable social environment" to encourage students to live on campus, as Yale juniors are able to opt out of living in traditional dormitories. Approximately 92.7 percent of students surveyed by the Daily News indicated support or indifference to gender-neutral housing, while 67.1 percent of students said they would consider living in the new housing. Although a similar proposal was announced last year, Yale's most recent plan has a better chance for success because it included input from members of the Yale College Dean's Office, Brandon Levin, the president of the YCC, told the Daily News.
