Many University of Massachusetts observers are closely watching a bubbling controversy at Louisiana State University involving that state's system president John Lombardi.
Lombardi resigned as chancellor at UMass-Amherst last July after a well-publicized rift with Jack M. Wilson, University of Massachusetts president, and trustees over efforts to centralize aspects of the UMass system. Now, the tables have turned, as LSU chancellor Sean O'Keefe recently announced he will resign at the end of the month, apparently at Lombardi's urging.
In his resignation letter, O'Keefe took the high road, writing that "the university system leadership clearly has the authority and deserves the prerogative to empower those who can take the university to the next level. It is evident to me that LSU needs a campus leader who enjoys the full confidence of the board and the president."
O'Keefe's graceful exit, some UMass observers say, stands in sharp contrast to Lombardi's sharp-elbowed resistance when asked to step down.
Deepening the parallel, the LSU student newspaper, The Daily Reveille, is reporting that O'Keefe's ouster is hurting donations, just as Lombardi loyalists contended last spring.
Northeastern's upswing: Northeastern University has seen its applications surge 16 percent for next fall's freshman class, a nearly 5,000-student increase that stunned admissions officers.
"We were definitely a little bit surprised," said Ronne P. Turner, dean of admissions. "We were expecting an increase, but we weren't expecting this."
Turner attributed the record number of applications - more than 35,000 - to expanded recruiting efforts in the West and South that have helped raise the college's national profile. Applications from the West Coast, for example, have increased tenfold over the past decade.
Overall, applications have risen 64 percent over the past five years. Last year Northeastern received more applications than all but three private colleges - Boston University, New York University, and the University of Southern California.
It's a nice problem to have, but Turner acknowledged that the process of winnowing the applications to an incoming class of roughly 2,800 students won't be easy.
Many high school students are applying to a large number of colleges to broaden their options, making it tricky for colleges to estimate how many students will ultimately attend.
"Students are doing a lot to hedge their bets," she said.
Aid 101: Flummoxed by financial aid forms? Today's statewide "College Goal Sunday" may lack the glitz of next week's Super Bowl Sunday, but it promises to help with the gritty details of paying for college.
Today at 2 p.m., volunteers across the state will provide free assistance for college-bound students and their families on completing the required federal application for financial aid.
At 22 locations, financial aid professionals will lead a two-hour moderated session to give families information about financial aid availability.
For more information, including locations, visit masscollegegoalsunday.org.
The American Council on Education estimates that an additional 1.5 million students each year would qualify for financial aid if they applied.
Campus Insider runs on alternate Sundays with Ask the Teacher, an advice column. To submit tips to Campus Insider, e-mail Peter Schworm at schworm@globecom.
