Boston University was invited to join the Association ofAmerican Universities, a group of prestigious research universities, on Monday, The Chronicle of Higher Education reported. The invitation marks the second time since 2009 that the association has added a new member, increasing the number of institutions to 62. The association's invitation was extended after a review of BU's research infrastructure, quality of faculty, doctoral programs and other criteria, The Chronicle reported. The Georgia Institute of Technology was the last institution to be added to the association, while the University of Nebraska at Lincoln became the first university to have its membership retracted in 2011.
In the university's second attempt to establish an overseas branch, George Mason University received clearance from its Board of Visitors to develop a campus in Songdo, South Korea, Inside Higher Education reported. Its first launch attempt in the United Arab Emirates failed in 2009 due to slow enrollment, lack of funding and disagreements concerning financing. Songdo Global University Foundation CEO Heeyhon Song said that the university subsidized by the Korean government, which has offered $1 million in planning grants to foreign universities studying potential partnerships could become a center for "East-West intellectual and cultural exchange," Inside Higher Ed reported. The State University of New York at Stony Brook was the first and, thus far, only institution to establish a partnership with Songdo Global.
A poll conducted by The Harvard Crimson found that over 75 percent of Harvard University students would vote for President Barack Obama and a large majority support Harvard Law School professor Elizabeth Warren in the Senate race. Of the 1,517 students who responded representing 7.2 percent of the student body only 17 percent indicated support for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. In ranking political issues, 50 percent of students ranked the economy as their top priority, followed by health care and foreign policy. Addressing issues on the Massachusetts state ballot, 82 percent of students supported the legalization of medical marijuana, and 75 percent supported a measure that would allow doctors to prescribe medication to end patients' lives, The Crimson reported.
