Penn in the News

Ivy League colleges once again disappointed tens of thousands of teenagers as they accepted a lower percentage than ever -- even as they encouraged more to apply. Harvard University accepted a record-low 5.3 percent of hopefuls after attracting 37,307 applicants as it stepped up recruiting with a social-media campaign. The previous year, the figure was 5.9 percent.

Some Rutgers University sports fans, including state politicians, say that if the Scarlet Knights want to compete with the big-name programs in their new Big Ten athletic conference, the university has to pony up for improved facilities. But a legislative body on campus last week urged the opposite, recommending that the university postpone spending on any new projects until the athletics department solves a multiyear budget deficit.

Syracuse University is dropping all fossil fuel stocks from its endowment, the university announced on Tuesday. At $1.2 billion, Syracuse’s is the largest endowment to divest entirely of fossil fuel stocks.

In the hills of Central Virginia, Sweet Briar College has been educating young women for more than a century. But for students, like sophomore Jordyn Elliott, that will end this spring when the school shutters its campus for good. "I have a half-finished scrapbook of memories, and just knowing that it's not going to be there, it's devastating," said Elliott.

Cary Coglianese of the Law School shares his opinion about federal regulations.

A private Pennsylvania college expelled three students over a campus radio broadcast in which they made racist comments and used a slur. Bucknell University president John Bravman met with about 1,000 students and staff about the matter on Tuesday, a day after sending a late-night email revealing the expulsions.

Suppose you accept the persuasive data that inequality has been rising in the United States and most advanced nations in recent decades. But suppose you don’t want to fight inequality through politically polarizing steps like higher taxes on the wealthy or a more generous social welfare system.

President Amy Gutmann talks about the importance of a college education.

Silicon Valley’s “war for talent” has technology companies tempting potential recruits with benefits such as egg freezing, gourmet cafeterias and private shuttles. But few can match semiconductor producer Integrated Device Technology’s latest perk: a graduate school in the office. Northeastern University on Monday officially unveiled its latest branch campus, adding to its locations in Charlotte, N.C., and Seattle.

The organization that administers Rhodes scholarships, the prestigious grant program that sends promising students to the University of Oxford, is preparing to expand to other countries and will soon begin naming scholars from China.