Christine Hull Paxson, a Princeton economist and dean of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, was named Brown University's 19th president on Friday, the Associated Press reported. The search process began last September when Ruth Simmons announced her imminent resignation, The Chronicle of Higher Education reported. Paxson will replace Simmons on July 1 and called the opportunity to join the Brown community a "privilege," according to the AP. Paxson's hire marks the first time since 1970 that Brown has not chosen someone who previously served as a university president or provost, according to The Chronicle. Her research focuses on the link between health and socioeconomic status in developed and developing nations, according to the AP.
A man who unknowingly bought stolen cards and letters by Robert Frost, said he will return the documents but wants to recover the $25,000 he paid for them, The Boston Globe reported on Saturday. Thomas Cady bought the papers from an employee of Listen Community Services, a non-profit organization based in White River Junction, according to The Boston Globe. Tim Bernaby, the Listen employee who allegedly sold Frost's two letters and 13 Christmas cards to Cady, said he found them in a desk that the family of 90-year-old Hanover resident Hewlett Joyce donated to the non-profit, The Valley News reported on Friday. Bernaby has plead not guilty to a felony charge of grand larceny, which holds a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
Democrats view the impact of colleges and universities on the United States in a more positive way than Republicans, according to a recent survey conducted by the Pew Research Center. While 46 percent of conservative Republicans surveyed indicated that these institutions have a positive impact on the country, 39 percent said they have a negative impact. In contrast, 67 percent of Democrats said institutions of higher education make positive contributions to society, with only 20 percent citing them as negative, the Pew Research Center reported. The majority of American college graduates, regardless of political affiliation, think that higher education is worth its cost, according to the survey. Almost all respondents 99, 96 and 93 percent of Republicans, Democrats and independents, respectively said they expect their children to go to college, according to the study.
