Education category, Page 24
Penn State main campus students face tuition hike; price at branch campuses still frozen
Pennsylvanians attending Penn State University’s main campus a year from now will pay 2% more in undergraduate tuition, while in-state branch campus undergraduates will see no increase for a third straight year. The university’s Board of Trustees Friday approved those and other rates in adopting a $9.9 billion budget for...
Federal appeals court blocks remainder of Biden’s student debt relief plan
WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court blocked the implementation of the Biden administration’s student debt relief plan, which would have lowered monthly payments for millions of borrowers. In a ruling Thursday, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals granted a motion for an administrative stay filed by a group of Republican-led...
Carnegie Mellon professor claims Trump shooting ‘was staged’
A Carnegie Mellon University professor, who in 2022 sparked a furor with her social media post wishing a dying Queen Elizabeth II “excruciating” pain, offered this take on Saturday’s attempt on former President Donald Trump’s life: “It was staged,” Uju Anya posted to the social media platform X. Anya, an...
State System of Higher Education freezes tuition for 6th straight year
Tuition across Pennsylvania’s 10 state-owned universities will not increase this fall as the State System of Higher Education on Wednesday approved a sixth consecutive tuition freeze, this one for 2024-25. During a special meeting, held virtually, the State System’s Board of Governors voted unanimously to keep full-time undergraduate tuition for...
Budget sends $500M more to Pa.’s poorest schools, falling short of what some say is needed
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. HARRISBURG — After weeks of tense, secretive negotiations on Pennsylvania’s budget, the legislature has approved a $47.6 billion spending deal that falls short of the...
Pitt raises in-state tuition on its main campus by 2%
Tuition for in-state undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Pittsburgh will rise 2% for the upcoming academic year. Tuition will be held flat at regional campuses. The rates were announced as part of Pitt’s $3.2 billion operating budget and $265.2 million capital budget for fiscal year 2025, which...
State System of Higher Education hopes to keep in-state tuition freeze
The Board of Governors for Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education reaffirmed Thursday its desire to freeze in-state undergraduate tuition for the 2024-25 school year. If PASSHE receives the state funding increase it requested, tuition will stay frozen for the seventh consecutive year. The ongoing rate has been $7,716 per...
Chatham students fear closure of Eden Hall campus dorm could affect access to classes this fall
Rachel Coyne is concerned about her upcoming semester at Chatham University’s Eden Hall campus in Richland. The school announced it is closing the sole dormitory on the branch campus, and students instead will be housed at the university’s main campus in Pittsburgh. Coyne, like other students who planned to live...
Proposed IUP medical school picks up $2M donation
Indiana University of Pennsylvania has picked up another $2 million toward its proposed college of osteopathic medicine, campus officials announced Tuesday. It comes from Tim and Debra Phillips Cejka, IUP graduates and longtime campus supporters. In remarks prepared for the gift’s announcement, Tim Cejka told his alma mater that the...
What should the future of Hempfield Area School District be? New superintendent aims to focus on plan
In his first week as Hempfield Area School District’s superintendent, Mark Holtzman has been busy. The former superintendent for Beaver Area School District began his five-year contract at Hempfield on July 1. In a letter posted online on the district website, he detailed his plans to conduct a series of...
Under mounting pressures, small private colleges across Pa. close their doorsVideo
A wave of small private college closures in Pennsylvania that already upended career plans of students from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia has claimed another institution. Clarks Summit University, a 92-year-old Baptist college founded during the Great Depression, is shuttering its Lackawanna County campus amid worsening financial and enrollment woes. Enrollment that...
Greensburg native, IUP alum helps establish scholarship for STEM students
A Greensburg native and graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania has helped establish a scholarship at her alma mater to assist military veterans working towards a degree in a STEM field. University officials said retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral C.J. Jaynes made a donation that allowed the Indiana County school...
Philadelphia’s Temple University hires John Fry as its president from neighboring Drexel
PHILADELPHIA — Temple University has hired John Fry of nearby Drexel University to become its 15th president, concluding a search that had been buffeted by the sudden death last fall of acting President JoAnne Epps, the Philadelphia school said. Fry, 63, has been Drexel’s president since 2010 and will start...
Duquesne renames law library for Ken Gormley at major donor’s request
The law library at Duquesne University is being renamed for the university president and former dean of its law school, Ken Gormley. Campus officials on Monday said the name change was requested by renowned trial attorney and Duquesne law school alumnus Thomas R. Kline, who in September 2022 made a...
Appeals court allows part of Biden student loan repayment plan to go forward
WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court has allowed the U.S. Education Department to move ahead with a plan to lower monthly payments for millions of student loan borrowers, putting on hold a ruling last week by a lower court. The ruling from the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals puts...
Campus carry weapons law debuts in West Virginia, joins 11 other states
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — People with concealed carry permits can possess firearms on West Virginia public college and university campuses under a state law that debuted Monday. Institutions of higher learning can implement exceptions to the law, which bans the open carry of a firearm on campus. Similar legislation has passed...
Penn State reaches tentative deal with union days after Teamsters OK strike
Union members will vote in the coming weeks on a tentative contract agreement with management covering 2,500 employees on Penn State University branches statewide and the main University Park campus. The deal, if ratified, could offer a measure of labor peace at a time of heightened workplace anxiety across Penn...
Universal Lunch initiative would mean free meals for all students, regardless of family income
Hungry kids can quickly turn into hangry students. Rumbling stomachs can lead to classroom distraction and discipline issues, research shows, along with feelings of isolation for children whose families struggle to afford school lunches. “Not only do we see the benefits of full bellies in academics, but it’s social, too,”...
Pitt looks to add 3,200 students to Oakland campus, Chancellor Joan Gabel says
The University of Pittsburgh aims to increase enrollment at the main Oakland campus by about 3,200 students or 11% in five years and likely will add faculty and undergraduate housing. The ambitious goal, contained in the school’s updated strategic plan, could bring Oakland enrollment to nearly 33,000 — its highest...
Starting your 1st post-graduation job? Here’s how to organize your finances
NEW YORK — With graduation season over, many college grads are embarking on summer internships or their first full-time jobs. Navigating your finances when you start adult life can be challenging, from understanding your health insurance and benefits to managing a budget. Finding a job is often the first hurdle,...
Penn State technical service union members authorize strike — if needed
Members of a union representing about 2,500 employees at Penn State University campuses statewide — including Western Pennsylvania branches — voted overwhelmingly to authorize their leaders to call a strike if needed, the union’s leader said Wednesday. Talks aimed at reaching a deal before the current pact expires Sunday are...
Avoiding AI not an option for teachers, education experts say at Pittsburgh conference
As discussions of artificial intelligence technology make their way into classrooms across the country, education experts speaking at a national conference in Pittsburgh Tuesday urged teachers to take part in the conversation. Mike Searson summarized it simply: educators cannot handle AI the same way they addressed the rise of social...
West Virginia University to increase tuition about 5% and cut some programs
CHARLESTON — West Virginia University is increasing tuition by just under 5% a semester and cutting several majors from its divisional campuses in an ongoing effort to offset enrollment drops and a budget deficit. The state flagship university’s board of governors voted to discontinue bachelor’s degree programs in chemistry, math...
Missouri, Kansas judges temporarily halt much of President Biden’s student debt forgiveness plan
TOPEKA, Kan. — Federal judges in Kansas and Missouri on Monday together blocked much of a Biden administration student loan repayment plan that provides a faster path to cancellation and lower monthly payments for millions of borrowers. The judges’ rulings prevent the U.S. Department of Education from helping many of...
Property taxes to jump 5% to support Hempfield Area budget
Property taxes in Hempfield Area School District will be going up nearly 6% to support a 2024-2025 budget approved Monday by the school board. The $109.6 million budget will increase the district’s tax rate from 85.76 mills to 90.76 mills. It was approved in an 8-1 vote, with board member...
