Graduate schools see decrease in enrollment
Enrollment in graduate schools dropped 1.1 percent in 2010, according to a report issued by the Council of Graduate Schools.
According to the report, the last time enrollment dropped was in 2003. The report also states that the average annual growth in new graduate school enrollments has been 3.3 percent since 2000.
According to an article from the Chronicle of Higher Education, this drop does not follow the historical trend of increased grad school enrollment during difficult economic climates.
"The bottom line is, it's about money," Deborah Stewart, president of the council, told the Chronicle. She said the unwillingness of employed individuals to leave a job and cutbacks by companies that previously funded employee education were major contributors to the enrollment drop.
Christie approves Rutgers medical school merger
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has given "preliminary approval" to a committee finding that calls for the merger of Rutgers University with portions of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, according the Chronicle of Higher Ed.
The aim of the measure is to merge the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, the School of Public Health and the Cancer Institute of the University of Medicine and Dentistry with Rutgers to make for a competitive research institution, according to a press release issued by Rutgers after the committee issued its findings.
The proposal to merge the schools, which has been rejected several times in the past, was praised by Rutgers administrators in the press release.
The union representing employees of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey expressed concern over the lack of detail surrounding the financial impact of the merger, according to an article on northjersey.com.
Cause of URI administrator's departure remains unclear
Andrew Winters, who served as the assistant to the vice president for student affairs at the University of Rhode Island, resigned at the end of June, prompting questions about the circumstances leading to his departure.
Winters was known for his advocacy for LGBT issues and was the adviser to a group of gay and lesbian students who organized a sit-in with university chaplains in February, according to an article in the Providence Journal.
Shortly after the sit-in, Kathryn Friedman, the newly appointed interim associate vice president for equity and diversity, sent Winters a critical letter that prompted Winters' resignation, according to the article.
The exact circumstances surrounding Winters' resignation remain unknown, though URI President David Dooley said Winters simply retired, according to the article.
A group of URI faculty members are requesting an investigation into the matter.
Seton Hall to offer early action students discount on tuition
Seton Hall University will begin offering top-tier early action candidates a discounted tuition next year.
Students who meet a set of academic qualifications and are accepted through the early action admission process will be eligible for a $21,000 discount off the $31,440 tuition fee, according to the New York Times.
The Times reported that the discounted tuition will make tuition at Seton Hall competitive with Rutgers University, New Jersey's flagship public university.
Alyssa McCloud, vice president for enrollment management, told the Times that 16 percent of current Seton Hall freshmen would have met the academic requirements to receive the discounted tuition and suggested that the tuition incentive could encourage more highly qualified students to apply next year.
