Howard University president Sidney Ribeau will step down at the end of this year after internal controversy over the school's financial health, The Washington Post reported. His retirement announcement follows the university's drop in national ranking and credit downgrade. During his five-year tenure, Ribeau renewed all of Howard's 170 academic programs, started a $200 million facilities renewal initiative, expanded Howard's international footprint and bolstered the University's focus on leadership and service. Provost Wayne Frederick will serve as interim president while the Board of Trustees conducts a national search for a new president.
Three influential global university rankings are released each fall, including the QS World University Rankings, the Academic Ranking of World Universities, and the Times Higher Education magazine rankings, The Chronicle of Higher Education reported. Dartmouth ranked 119th in the QS rankings and placed in the top 151-200 universities in the Academic Ranking of World Universities. In the Shanghai ranking, compiled by Shanghai Jiao Tong University, eight of the top 10 institutions were American universities. The number of American institutions listed in the Shanghai ranking has dropped by 30 over the last decade , a phenomenon experts warn could signal American universities' decline in the international arena.
The government shutdown effective Oct. 1 has stalled not only the national economy but local communities as well. The shutdown has generated problems for publicly funded attractions, including the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Park in Woodstock and the Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site in Cornish, the Valley News reported. The 41 employees at the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory in Hanover are also facing the threat of being furloughed. The government shutdown, the first in two decades, has caused bipartisan frustration among community members. The Vermont Department of Labor released a statement on Tuesday offering assistance to employees who were furloughed.
