Penn in the News

If you need to take college courses in the summer, what better place to do it than the New Jersey shore? Rutgers University for the first time will offer 17 Jersey Shore-based courses, beginning this summmer, the university announced Monday. The decision followed a university poll of more than 4,500 students; 1,200 or nearly 27 percent said they’d be interested in earning credit for seaside learning.

Kathleen Hall Jamieson of the Annenberg Public Policy Center talks about the difficulties minority lawmakers face when trying to turn their ideas into law.

When Cornell University’s new president takes office, in July, half of the Ivy League’s colleges will be led by women. Brown University’s female leader is its second in a row. Over the past several years, a range of other institutions, including public flagships, liberal-arts colleges, historically black institutions, and community colleges have hired their first female presidents.

Kevin Werbach of the Wharton School comments on a Comcast-Time Warner merger.

Thomas Wadden of the Perelman School of Medicine says health-care practitioners are cautious about weight-loss medications because of their inconsistent history.

Olivia Mitchell of the Wharton School is cited for her research on financial literacy.

Erin Maloney and Joseph Cappella of the Annenberg School for Communication discuss their research on the use of electronic cigarette advertisements.

Well before the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity in Oklahoma became infamous for videotaped racist chants, SAE chapters in California were involved in numerous serious incidents, including a hazing death, the closing of two houses and disciplinary sanctions for drinking and conduct problems.

Trying to reduce high-risk drinking among college students is a never-ending process. New freshmen arrive, hot spots change, staff members move on. All of that requires nimble thinking. While the University of Missouri at Columbia may not have solved the problem, its progress over time shows how years of dedication can pay off.

Ian Lustick of the School of Arts & Sciences comments on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit and speech to the U.S. Congress.