Dina Rudick/Globe Staff

Should Widener Library and other Harvard libraries learn to be better sharers?

By Tracy Jan, Globe Staff

Even Harvard can't have it all. Already cut from the budget of the world's wealthiest university: hot breakfasts for most students and cookies during faculty meetings. Could library holdings be next?

Challenging financial times mean Harvard has to learn to share, not hoard, knowledge, says a new report about the largest university library in the world.

The problem? Journals have gotten more expensive as Harvard has expanded its intellectual horizons to new areas of study.

"The Harvard libraries can no longer harbor delusions of being a completely comprehensive collection, but instead must develop their holdings more strategically," said the report by a university task force. "To do so, Harvard will need to embrace a model that ensures access to -- not necessarily ownership of -- scholarly materials needed by faculty, students, and other library users, now and in the future."

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By Globe Staff

University of Massachusetts President Jack M. Wilson today formally threw his support behind a proposal to create the state's first public law school in southeastern Massachusetts.

Wilson

Under a plan announced last month, the 235-student Southern New England School of Law would donate its assets and facilities to the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, in a deal worth an estimated $22.6 million.

“I believe that the University of Massachusetts would be honoring its mission by expanding its educational reach and by extending additional opportunities to the citizens of the Commonwealth,” Wilson said in a statement. “The citizens of southeastern Massachusetts and the citizens of the Commonwealth deserve more educational opportunity -- not less.”

In highlighting his support for the plan, which was expected, Wilson addressed a key concern of opponents: the law school's financial viability. Some critics, including rival private law schools, say the state takeover of the school would amount to what they called a taxpayer-funded bailout of a failing school.

But Wilson today expressed confidence with the projections by UMass Dartmouth Chancellor Jean F. MacCormack, who says the law school's cash balance would grow from $1.8 million in 2011 to $10.2 million by 2018. Enrollment would grow from 278 in fall 2010 to 559 students in the 2017-2018 academic year, she says.

Tuition from the public law school would go to the state’s general fund, and UMass officials said it would generate $500,000 for the state next year and rise to $1 million annually within five years.

Southern New England School of Law is not accredited by the American Bar Association. Wilson said the university would seek that status for the 2011-2012 academic year.

The law-school plan will go this month before UMass's Committee on Academic and Student Affairs and its Committee on Administration and Finance. The UMass Board of Trustees is expected to take up the measure Dec 10. If approved by that board, the proposal would go to the state Board of Higher Education.

By Globe Staff

With college application season in full swing, higher education reporter Tracy Jan asked Brad MacGowan, director of the Career Center at Newton North High School, for some tips to help high school seniors as they navigate the nerve-wracking and often bewildering process.

MacGowan

Q. How many colleges should students be applying for? Do they need "safety" schools for financial, as well as academic, reasons?

A. Most students applying to four-year colleges should apply to about eight colleges. This might seem like a lot; however, many colleges reject or wait-list many academically qualified candidates these days, so a few extra applications might be a good idea for academic and financial reasons.

Financial aid offers can differ from college to college. I strongly suggest having at least two academic “safety schools” (I prefer the term “likely schools”), and students in the New England states should also have one or more in-state public colleges and/or universities on their lists (financial safeties) and be sure to fill out the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). Our public colleges and universities in this region are excellent, and we should take advantage of the lower cost and great education offered at these institutions.

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By Matt Viser and Roy Greene, Globe Staff

Governor Deval Patrick today assailed the speaking invitation that a group of UMass Amherst faculty extended to a convicted terrorist, even after criticism from state and university leaders scuttled earlier plans for a speech.

"I am more than a little disappointed about this invitation having been extended,'' Patrick said at a State House news conference. “I fully get the point, and respect the idea of free speech. But I think it is a reflection of profound insensitivity to continue to try and have this former terrorist on the campus.”

Ray Luc Levasseur, the founder and former leader of the radical revolutionary group United Freedom Front, is scheduled to speak Thursday night. An earlier invitation for him to speak at a library symposium was canceled last week amid pressure from Patrick's office and from family members of victims of his group's attacks, which included the April 1976 blast on the third floor of the Suffolk County Courthouse that injured two dozen people.

But a group of faculty members independently decided to invite him, university officials said.

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Statement from UMass President Jack Wilson on the Levasseur invitation:

We share Governor Patrick’s concerns and strongly disapprove of Raymond Luc Levasseur’s pending appearance on campus. We believe that Levasseur sets a deplorable example for our students and for the University community.

The use of violence as a means of achieving political goals is antithetical to everything we stand for as a University. We also regret the pain and anguish his visit causes for victims and survivors. It is important to note that Levasseur has not received a formal invitation from the University of Massachusetts or from any of its officials. The decision to invite him was made by a small number of faculty members.

With that decision having been made, we see no way of preventing a speaking appearance, based on the free speech and free assembly rights we enjoy in this country and based on well-established principles of academic freedom. While we see no legitimate way to prevent this event from taking place, Chancellor [Robert] Holub and I have instructed that no state funds be used to support this activity. We know that Governor Patrick strongly supports us in this position.

By Michaela Stanelun, Globe Correspondent

Lynn Pasquerella, provost at the University of Hartford, was named today as the 18th president of Mount Holyoke College.

Pasquerella was the unanimous recommendation of a 16-member search committee and will officially assume the presidency on July 1, 2010. She will be introduced at the all-women collegeduring a ceremony on the South Hadley campus this afternoon.

She is an alumna of the school, graduating magna cum laude from Mount Holyoke with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy in 1980.

“I feel thrilled, Pasquerella said by phone today. "It is so exciting for me to give back to a college that has given me so much.”

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By Tracy Jan, Globe Staff

Harvard may reign supreme when it comes to academics, but the Ivy League university is apparently regressing when it comes to sex.

According to the recently released 2009 Trojan Sexual Health Report Card, Harvard ranks 62 out of 141 American colleges and universities on availability of sexual health information and resources. That's a slide of 37 spots from last year's report.

Boston College held steady near the end of the list at 126.

For the report, the condom company compiled data from campus health centers and student opinion polls about a range of sexual health topics, including the availability and cost of condoms and other contraceptives, HIV testing, availability of sexual assault programs, and anonymous sex-related advice via e-mail or newspaper column.

Who's number one at disseminating sexual-health information? The University of South Carolina, besting Stanford University (2), UConn (3), Columbia University (4) and Florida Atlantic University (5.)

Dartmouth College made gains in this year's report, the fourth annual report card -- advancing to number 19 (up from 68 in 2008.)

Other than Harvard, the Ivy League dominated the rankings, with Brown and Cornell, in addition to Columbia, landing in the top 10.

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By Tracy Jan, Globe Staff

Harvard President Drew Faust said this morning that the university is in the midst of re-assessing options for its long-planned expansion into Allston, including the possibility of "re-imagining" the $1 billion science complex at the heart of the project as the university grapples with its new financial realities.

Construction on the building, which would house scientists working on stem cell research across Harvard's various schools, has not stopped, but during an impromptu meeting with reporters following a Boston Chamber of Commerce breakfast, Faust said that "we're trying to assess options which would be affordable."

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By Tracy Jan, Globe Staff

Harvard University's recent hiring of Boston Police Captain James Claiborne as a deputy chief -- the only African-American among the most senior staff in the school's 90-officer force -- may ease strained relations with segments of Harvard's black community who in the past have accused the predominantly white department of racial profiling.

Claiborne's appointment, along with that of Michael Giacoppo, a retired Cambridge officer, was the first step in a restructuring of the Harvard University Police Department meant to increase communication and develop mentoring opportunities for officers, according to university officials.

The changes come on the heels of a report, issued last spring by an independent committee headed by former Suffolk County District Attorney Ralph Martin, on how to improve the private police department's relationship with the diverse university community it patrols.

"The hiring of a black man to such a senior position will only help create an inherent realization in other individuals within the department that there's going to have to be more caution taken in their approach," said Ryan Williams, a Harvard senior and member of the Black Men's Forum who is concerned about police treatment of black students and faculty. "It's definitely a positive thing to have somebody who may bring a different perspective to the table, but don't think it's going to be utopia over night."

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By Tracy Jan, Globe Staff

A Suffolk County Probate Court judge has denied Brandeis University's motion to dismiss a lawsuit to prevent the college from closing the Rose Art Museum and selling its artwork, said Edward Terry Dangel, attorney for the plaintiffs.

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By Globe Staff

By now in the fall semester, college students are settling into a routine, attending classes, adjusting to new roommates, and making new friends. But for many living away from home for the first time, homesickness creeps in during these first months. MetroDesk's Roy Greene caught up with Harlan Cohen, author of the best-seller "The Naked Roommate, and 107 Other Issues You Might Run into in College" (Sourcebooks), for advice on dealing with homesickness.

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By Tracy Jan, Globe Staff

The college that once told high school seniors to stop cramming so many extracurricular activities on their resumes has taken another step towards making applications less stressful -- MIT has done away with the traditional, and much fussed-over, long essay.

The 500-word essay has been replaced by three short answers between 200 and 250 words. The change was made for this year's applicants as a way to elicit more candid answers to questions such as how one approached a significant challenge, said Stuart Schmill, MIT's dean of admissions.

"We wanted to remove that larger-than-life qualify to that one essay and take away a bit of the high stakes nature of that one piece, " Schmill said.

The hand-wringing that went along with the long essay, which has become the icon of the college application, has spawned a cottage industry of college consultants, companies that edit students' essays, and overnight camps where students can seek help.

In addition to the life challenge question, this year's applicants will be asked to write about something they have created and to tell admissions staff about their worlds. To those who lament the sudden space constraint, Schmill said, "We're not asking them to send us a text message." Or a tweet.

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By Tracy Jan, Globe Staff

Massachusetts college students from out of state should be counted as Bay State residents in the 2010 federal census, even if they are registered to vote elsewhere, Secretary of the Commonwealth William F. Galvin said during a meeting today with officials from more than 40 regional colleges.

Galvin is kicking off a seven-month-long campaign to ensure that college students are not overlooked in the April count, which occurs every 10 years.

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By Jack Nicas, Globe Correspondent

Northeastern University officials hope to double the number of Northeastern students working overseas next semester through 200 new scholarships announced today.

Aoun

“This year we are celebrating the 100th anniversary of the co-op,'' Northeastern President Joseph Aoun said in an interview, referring to the reknowned program that combines classroom time with work experience. "And the next 100 years are going to involve the international co-op. We’re recognizing the fact that in some domains, like the not-for-profits, we don’t want money to be a factor in students not participating.” FULL ENTRY

A round-up from the region's college newspapers:

Bedbugs abound

Bedbug infestations have become a perennial problem on college campuses everywhere, abetted by the steady influx of second-hand furniture, which provide the perfect mode of transportation for the pesky little bloodsuckers.

Boston University officials told The Daily Free Press that five apartments in Student Village 1 were found to be infested at the start of the academic year.   FULL ENTRY

By Peter Schworm, Globe Staff

After an extensive national search, Williams College has named a 44-year-old dean from Johns Hopkins University as its next president, tapping a theoretical physicist who has surged through the academic ranks.

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By Tracy Jan, Globe Staff

What’s the most dangerous college in America?

Many would be surprised to learn that Emerson College, located in the heart of downtown Boston, garnered the dubious title in a recent ranking by the website The Daily Beast. Several other Massachusetts schools, including Harvard and MIT, made the list.

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By Tracy Jan, Globe Staff

MIT students sure know how to kick off the school year.

Under cover of night, an anonymous group of engineering geniuses recently scaled the campus' iconic Great Dome and installed the first seven notes of Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up" on temporary scaffolding, cleverly noting the resemblance of its horizontal lines to a blank piece of sheet music.

Greg Steinbrecher/The Tech

This was hardly the first time the dome has been targeted. The pranks, known in MIT parlance as "hacks," are part of a long-standing campus culture that brought a crackdown from administrators last year. The college's media office has a policy of not commenting on hacks, although those caught performing hacks could be fined.

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By Jack Nicas, Globe Correspondent

Clark University President John E. Bassett plans to step down from his post next July after a decade on the job, he announced today.

“Ten years seems about the right time for a university president, at least for me,” he said in a statement.

During his reign at the Worcester institution, Bassett, 67, has overseen a trend of more selective enrollment.

The percentage of students accepted from the applicant pool dropped from 68 percent in 2001 to 56 percent in 2008. First-year students in 2001 held a 3.31 GPA in high school; 2008 freshmen boasted a 3.48 GPA.

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By Tracy Jan, Globe Staff

A top Harvard University dean told more than 250 professors, staff, and students in a meeting this afternoon that the Faculty of Arts and Sciences has managed to halve its projected deficit for the 2011 fiscal year through budget cuts and strong fund-raising results.

That means that the $220 million deficit that Michael D. Smith, dean of FAS, had forecast during an April meeting has shrunk to $110 million, according to Jeff Neal, a university spokesman who attended today's meeting.

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By Tracy Jan, Globe Staff

At a time of dwindling donations for many colleges, Tufts University’s School of Engineering hit the jackpot.

Technology guru Bernard Gordon is donating $40 million to the school to create an engineering leadership program, the university announced today.

The gift will allow the university to expand project-based learning for engineering undergraduates, create a minor in engineering leadership, and hire more seasoned engineers as professors.

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By Tracy Jan, Globe Staff

I was told to arrive hungry, wooed by promises that the food at the University of Massachusetts Amherst would be good. But how tasty could college dining really be?

Ken Toong

Award-winning, it turns out. And the best I’ve ever eaten on any campus.

Ken Toong, executive director of UMass Dining, escorted me on a spin around the Berkshire Dining Commons last week during a trip to Western Massachusetts to check out the Five Colleges.

My eyes popped at the all-you-can-eat sushi bar, with plates of the ever-popular California roll and rolls made with salmon and shrimp tempura. I never expected college dining to get this sophisticated. I grabbed a sample.

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(Wendy Maeda, Globe Staff/file 1996)

OK, no freshman residence hall was as bad as this dorm at the shuttered Boston State Hospital. But still, there are some horror stories recounted below.

By Globe Staff

Balky furniture. Overheated radiators. Drafty windows. Painted-over concrete walls.

Readers who responded to boston.com's call for recollections about their freshman dorm rooms told tales of woe, and forbearance. Their stories resonate this week as tens of thousands of college students in the region lug furniture into their new homes away from home, including to a posh new Boston University: dorm that offers some of the most breathtaking views of the city and beyond.

Here is a sampling of dorm life, in their own words:

MIT: Taming the 'elephants'

My MIT dorm room in the late '60s was typically a good-sized double with spartan furnishings: two beds, two desks, two bookcases and (since the rooms had no closets) two wardrobe units made of plywood that measured about 6 1/2 feet high by 4' wide by 2' deep with hanging space, a shelf, and small drawers. Because they were so heavy and difficult to move around, everyone called them "elephants!"

Roommates would usually position their two elephants to create a study area separate from the sleeping area of the room, aided by curtains and such. The bare plywood backs of the elephants were great places to hang posters.

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By Tracy Jan, Globe Staff

Home from a second tour in Afghanistan, 43-year-old Harvard engineering professor and Army Major Kit Parker is settling back into academia and reconnecting with his wife and infant daughter. This is a full version of an interview that appeared in the Globe Sunday Magazine.

Kit Parker

Q. What did you want to be when you grew up?

A. I played army with all my friends. And I had a Sears chemistry set, a used microscope and a lab set up in the garage. I do the same stuff now, but with better gear and higher stakes.

Q. Why did you join the military?

A. I’m very vulnerable to good advertising and I watch a lot of NASCAR.
At the time I joined I had a fellowship for graduate school, no loans, life was good. But there was a sense that somehow I needed to contribute and watching the first Gulf War on CNN mesmerized me. I joined to give back, but have come to find out after so many years that my debt is greater than when I came in.

Q. What’s that?

A. You can say Harvard students are an impressive demographic. The kids that really impress me are the kids out there laying their lives on the line. Some of these kids that I was out on patrol with were in 7th or 8th grade when 9/11 happened. And so they knew what they were getting into and they joined anyway.

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By Tracy Jan, Globe Staff

Brandeis officials can breathe easier now after reaching a settlement with the heirs of the late university benefactor Julius Kalman.

Sumner Kalman, great-nephew of Julius Kalman, had sued Brandeis last spring over the university’s intention to raze the 53-year-old science building named for Kalman and name its new science center after a more recent donor, Carl Shapiro.

But Kalman’s lawsuit was dismissed Wednesday following an agreement that Brandeis will name a research laboratory in the new center after Julius Kalman and install an existing tribute plaque to him on the ground floor of the new science center.

In addition to the plaque, another sign will acknowledge the former science center and read, in part: “Two generations of Brandeis scientists were trained inside its walls for the betterment of humankind ... Brandeis University is deeply grateful to Julius Kalman who had faith in this university in its earliest years.”

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By Globe Staff

 As a teenager in Brunswick, Maine, Gwyeth Smith decided that he wanted to become a guidance counselor.

Smith

That’s what he became, and recently he ended a nearly 40-year career of helping public school students get into colleges and figure out how to pay the bills.

In his new book, "Acceptance: A Legendary Guidance Counselor Helps Seven Kids Find the Right Colleges – and Find Themselves" (Penguin Press), former Globe reporter David L. Marcus chronicles how Smitty helped a group of high school seniors grapple with college admissions.

Boston.com asked Smitty, now a private  educational consultant on Long Island, for his five key tips for students confronting college:

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By Tracy Jan, Globe Staff

One week after the arrest of Harvard University professor Henry Louis Gates caused an international firestorm, the noted African-American scholar is receiving an outpouring of support from academia.

The leaders of Harvard's Association of Black Faculty, Administrators, and Fellows released a strongly worded letter this morning expressing outrage at Gates's arrest by a white Cambridge police sergeant for disorderly conduct, a charge that was dropped last week.

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(David L. Ryan/Globe Staff)

Marcelino Daveiga, 15, of Dorchester, tutors middle schoolers through a summer program run by Wheelock College to encourage more boys to consider teaching.

By Tracy Jan, Globe Staff

Men are such a rare sight on the Wheelock College campus that a visitor might believe that the tiny school, tucked among the hospitals and other small colleges in the Fenway, admits only women.

An admissions brochure features cheery testimonials such as: “Living in the dorms is so much fun. It’s like a sleepover every night,’’ from Christine. And, “It’s just one big family, and we are always happy to add friends [smiley face],’’ penned by Tanya. There is not a single missive from a John or a Jim.

Such appearances aside, Wheelock, founded in 1888 to train kindergarten teachers, went coeducational nearly 60 years ago, but male students make up less than 8 percent of its 800 undergraduates. How rare are they? Some don T-shirts proclaiming: “The Few, The Proud, The Brave: The Wheelock Men.’’

Now, Wheelock is trying to boost its enrollment and its bottom line by making itself more attractive to this underrepresented group. One would think that it might have been easy to lure male students to a campus teeming with women, but Wheelock’s pursuit of the opposite sex is proving difficult when fewer men want to go into teaching, still the college’s specialty.

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