At Princeton, a Life Lost, and Questions Unanswered

The suicide of a senior lecturer, after he was suspended and banned from the campus, raises questions about his behavior, and the university's.

In Midmajor Athletic Programs, Ambitions Compete With Bottom Line

Spending is up and profits are elusive in Division I's less-elite tier, where the median deficit tops $9-million. The trends strike many as unsustainable.

Saudi Arabia's $10-Billion Experiment Is Ready for Results

King Abdullah University of Science and Technology could become a global player—if it can find the right talent.

Sports-Spending Laggards Feel the Pain, Play Catch-Up

The few athletic programs that have cut back in recent years see themselves as damaged by their frugality.

From a Flagship to a Football Enterprise

Robert N. Shelton is about to leave the presidency of the University of Arizona to become executive director of the Fiesta Bowl, a job with a whole new set of problems.

The Evolution of the Admissions Dean

The caricature of the tweedy idealist has yielded to that of the number-obsessed marketer. What most colleges want is something in between.

In Afghanistan, Private Colleges Find Opportunity in an Overburdened System

Government officials admit that the underregulated institutions are probably no worse than the strained state system.

Academic Publisher Steps Up Efforts to Stop Piracy of Its Online Products

Stolen university passwords may be at fault, and while safeguards can be a hassle for users, librarians say the effort is worth it.

5 Minutes With Marie-Claire Beaulieu, Whose Students Translated a Medieval Manuscript

A classics professor enlisted her students at Tufts University to post their own translations of Latin documents discovered in the library.

Summer Readings: A Dark Novel on the Summer List

Among the books being read by incoming freshmen is a verse novel about a real massacre in a Colorado coal-mining camp.

What They're Reading at ... San Francisco State U.

A list of the best-selling books at San Francisco State University.

At Duke, an Evolutionary Anthropologist Plumbs Jane Goodall's Research Trove

Anne Pusey, who studied chimpanzees with the famous primatologist in Tanzania, brought 50 years' worth of Ms. Goodall's field notes with her to Duke.

West Virginia U. Helps Local Papers Go Mobile

Small-town newspapers, struggling in the digital age, get a lifeline from the university's journalism school, which gives them multimedia stories and online business tools.

Students Get an Inside Look at Dominican Baseball Academies

A class at George Washington University probed the system of selecting, signing, and supporting the Caribbean nation's young athletes.

News Analysis: India's Political Reality Deflates Hopes for Reform of Higher Education

The minister of education arrived with an ambitious agenda two years ago. But today most of his ideas are still only on paper.

In Louisiana, a Small College Gives Itself a Makeover

Centenary College took a hard look at its finances and made some big changes, including cutting the number of majors in half.

Hamline U.'s Leader Looks Forward, but Her Past Is Problematic for Some Colleagues

It's a well-regarded regional university, but some faculty members worry that the president has not learned from her own history as a campus chief.

Goodwill Inc. Works With Community Colleges to Get Adults Back on Their Feet

Partnerships involving 18 pairs of two-year colleges and Goodwill agencies could provide job training in places where it's needed most.

5 Minutes With a Russian-Studies Scholar Who Retraced Tolstoy's Steps, for 100 Miles

Michael Denner, a professor at Stetson University, and a companion took the Russian writer's way home.

A Solar House 'That Really Matters'

A house designed for the biennial Solar Decathlon will become a home for two low-income families in Washington.

The Challenge of Putting a Grade on Ethical Learning

Union College is one of many liberal-arts institutions seeking to improve students' ethical thinking. The hard part is gauging whether it's working.

Academic Purgatory

An illegal immigrant earns a Ph.D. Now what?

Ideas in the Ascendant

In an online age, truth is more unbundled than ever. That makes higher education more important than ever.

Slow Violence

Long-term damage to the environment just doesn't grab the public's attention. Scholars can help change that.

The Intelligence of Beasts

If you've ever doubted that elephants are contemplative, Joshua M. Plotnik has some video you should watch.

Medieval Devotion and Miraculous Bleeding Bones

Caroline Walker Bynum interprets the meanings of talismans and relics as spiritual and symbolic conduits.

Confessions of a Middle-Aged Med Student

I watch my younger classmates multitask during lectures while I down energy supplements just to keep from nodding off.

Slide Show: The Art of Bookplates

Selections from the British Museum's extensive collection.

The Killing of bin Laden: Justice, Revenge, or ... ?

"As someone who lost a 30-year-old cousin (the father of two children, ages 3 and nine months), I can assure 'Chronicle' readers that revenge and justice were more than 10...

Michael Polanyi's Theory of Learning

Harriet Beecher Stowe's Powerful Mosaic of Facts

The enduring impact of "Uncle Tom's Cabin" indicates that it's a lot more complicated than the sentimental drama it's often made out to be.

Bernard Herrmann: Hollywood's Musical Poet

The brilliant, maverick composer changed how we see movies and how we think about their scores. A centenary appreciation.

The Last of the Tenure Track

Today some institution, somewhere, has hired its last tenured professor.

What's a Metaphor For?

A new book explores what the study of metaphor is, and what it's like.

A Professor and His Wife on Absorbing the Shock of Tenure Denial

Daniel and Erika Drezner describe the harsh sting, the unsolvable mysteries, and the regained momentum.

How to Justify Our Paychecks

"Faculty productivity" is a hot issue. We need to be able to describe our jobs clearly, and then to determine how well we are doing them.

Black Colleges Still Play a Vital Role in Education

It's fashionable to label historically black colleges as anachronisms while ignoring the racial and financial realities in America.

The Most Important Thing to Learn in College ...

Mastery of the ellipsis shows that students are paying attention to details, reaching for high standards, and building critical-thinking skills.

Fair Use and Copyright: The Law Is the Law

"Like much of the discussion these days about piracy and copyright, it is based on what the authors would prefer rather than the copyright law as it exists."

Education Trust's Research Assumptions Are Unreasonable at Best

"It strains credibility for Education Trust to report that less than one-half percent of U.S. four-year colleges and universities effectively serve low-income students."

What the U.S. Government Can't Do Abroad, Colleges Can

American political leaders try to win hearts and minds in troubled regions of the world, but they fail, while American universities succeed.

Faculty Unions: a Labor of Love

Facing increased global competition, low public confidence, and drastic financial cutbacks, U.S. colleges and universities are far better off with the organized professoriate...

On Curiosity, Rising From the Ashes of Failure, and Enjoying the View

Conan O'Brien, Marissa Mayer, and others offer lessons from life in this year's commencement speeches.

Creating a Cone of Silence in China

Perhaps the best thing American scholars can do to support academic freedom in China is listen to our Chinese counterparts.

Back to the Private Realm

After a year spent immersed in public higher education, a professor returns to her small private college.

E-Mail Marketing Campaign Gets By With a Little Help From Some 'Friends'

Madison College convinced voters to approve the funds to update classrooms and equipment by using a creative social-media effort.