A Spring-Break Legacy: Swine Flu Hits Colleges

With hordes of students just recently returned from spring break in Mexico, colleges are gearing up in case of a H1N1 flu outbreak.

Top 10 Political Defections

In honor of Arlen Specter's jump across the aisle, I put together a list of the top 10 political defections in history. Reagan, Hillary Clinton, and Teddy Roosevelt all make the list. (Not to mention Specter, who first switched parties back in 1965.)

Forget Math. Women Lag in Becoming English Profs!

A new report finds that having kids is not the reason that women lag behind men in getting promoted.

In Trying Times, Colleges Willing to Boost Financial Aid

Paying for school this year is a big challenge for many families. Luckily, many schools are willing to renegotiate a financial aid award before the May matriculation deadlines.

Virginia Tech, Remembered

Today marks two years since the tragedy at Virginia Tech. I spoke with the then-chair of the school's English department about her memories of the gunman and her thoughts on how we can prevent a similar tragedy in the future.

Pirates XXX: A Battle Over Porn at the University of MD

I wrote a piece for Time.com last week about a Maryland legislature's fight to stop a public porn screening at the U of Md. He wasn't successful.

The Financial Aid Game

A couple of weeks before Skidmore sent out their admissions decisions, I spent two days there going over applications for admission and financial aid with the staff. This piece from the April 6 issue is about the challenge they, like many other schools, are facing: facing greater financial need than ever, many worry they won't have enough aid dollars to attract a full freshman class.