STATE UNIVERSITIES
Wayne State Board of Governors approves housing transformation
The Wayne State Board of Governors approved a campus housing partnership with Corvias Campus Living that provides the university with approximately $1.4 billion in total value and compensation during the 40-year term of the agreement. The partnership will allow the university to fulfill the demand for more on-campus housing, while maintaining affordability for students and strengthening the university’s finances.
PEER INSTITUTIONS
Ten from Harvard named HHMI Faculty Scholars
Ten Harvard scientists are among the 84 researchers nationwide named HHMI Faculty Scholars as part of a new initiative by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Simons Foundation, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to recognize and support early career scientists who show exceptional promise. The scholars will receive grants of between $600,000 and $1.8 million over the next five years.
Graduation rates and incoming class set records at UT Austin
The University of Texas at Austin graduated a higher percentage of students on time in 2016 than ever before, with 60.9 percent earning their degrees in four years or less. This represents an increase of 3.1 percentage points compared with the previous year, and 10.3 percentage points since 2011 when the university made raising graduation rates a priority. The university’s goal is to raise the four-year graduation rate to 70 percent by 2017.
Penn State renovates historic Steidle Building
A complete renovation to Steidle Building, one of the most iconic buildings on Penn State’s University Park campus, is helping researchers advance the field of materials science and engineering and is providing enhanced learning experiences for undergraduate and graduate students. Home to Penn State’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering, the building contains collaborative work spaces, state-of-the-art laboratories, cutting-edge equipment and innovative learning spaces.
— Compiled by Meg Bauer, The University Record
