Members of the Council of Independent Colleges and other supporters of liberal arts education gathered in Washington Thursday for a symposium called "The Liberal Arts in Action." The symposium, part of a campaign to increase public understanding of liberal arts colleges, featured alumni of liberal arts institutions discussing the value of their educations. Read more...

Many student loan borrowers who could qualify for the federal government's income-based repayment plans do not participate in them, and the Education Department has not done enough to make borrowers aware of their repayment options, the Government Accountability Office said in a report Thursday. Read more...

A professor of history at Arizona State University who’s been accused of plagiarism multiple times was placed on administrative leave this week as the university looks into new allegations of misconduct, The Arizona Republic reported. Read more...

A Pennsylvania judge has granted an injunction to block the State System of Higher Education from starting background checks on all faculty members, Lancaster Online reported. Read more...

President Obama spoke at an Iowa high school this week and was asked about proposals to cut off federal funds to "politically biased" colleges. The president didn't think such a plan was workable or desirable, but he gave a strong statement about the value of being exposed in college to new ideas, including those that are different from one's own and even appear offensive. Read more...

American colleges should expand opportunities for their students to participate in national service programs, the Center for American Progress recommended in a paper released Wednesday. Read more...

A new study confirms previous research finding strong long-term economic payoff to earning a college degree, and a larger payoff for majoring in a science-, mathematics- or engineering-related field. Read more...

Two private universities announced in as many days considerable slashes to their sticker prices. Utica College in central New York is dropping by 32 percent, from $44,600 to just under $30,500 (this percentage has been corrected from an earlier version), and Rosemont College will cut by $16,000 (from $46,000 to $30,000). Read more...

A professor at Delta State University in Mississippi was shot dead on campus Monday morning. The university identified the victim as Ethan Schmidt, a professor of history. The campus was on lockdown for much of the day as police worked to clear buildings and move stranded faculty, staff and students to a sports arena on the north side of campus. Read more...

Women starting careers in biomedical research receive less start-up support than do men, according to a new study in JAMA (second study discussed in this link). Read more...