It only took two years, but now Cornelius Kerwin can finally drop the "acting" part of his title. more ›

We've joked about it before, but it really seems to be true: this town eats university presidents for lunch. Today comes word that the president of the University of the District of Columbia, William L. Pollard, resigned yesterday and will step down at the end of June after five years in at the public university. The Post reports that he was asked to leave by the university's board of trustees when his contract ends at... more ›

First it was American, then Gallaudet and now Howard -- all in all, university presidents in the District just aren't having a good run. more ›

Given that the state of the District's public schools is one of the city's most pressing problems, we were excited to see Mayor Adrian Fenty host an online chat at the Post to clarify and explain his ambitious plans for a mayoral takeover. Unfortunately, the chat ended up sounding much like most of President George W. Bush's public appearances -- staged and scrubbed free of criticism. Fenty fielded 16 questions in total, none of which... more ›

Post chats have never been good for university presidents. Just last year American University's Ben Ladner was accused of cherry-picking questions to avoid anything below the level of fawning adoration, and yesterday embattled Gallaudet University president-select Jane K. Fernandes did her cause no justice by confirming what many of her detractors have claimed as her biggest flaws -- that she's divisive and insensitive. While saying she wanted there to be dialogue between her opponents and... more ›

So you're Jane Fernandes. In January you're set to take control of Gallaudet University, the nation's premiere institution of higher learning for deaf and hard-of-hearing students. But since your selection in May, it's been nothing but headache after headache. Students protested the decision until summer break, but showed surprising resolve and kicked off the protests again this semester. So far they've taken over a building, blocked all entrances to the campus, taken 133 arrests in... more ›

Bonjour, Washington. Still reveling in the beauty of yesterday's weather? Today it'll be mostly sunny, with a high around 77. Of course, then there is the issue of having to go into work...no way around that one, really. As for walking around the city, watch out for those exploding manholes; oof. Feds Seize Items from Alleged Area Prostitution Ring Owner Seizing more than $427,000 in cash and stocks, looks like federal agents have busted... more ›

Good morning, Washington. Hopefully you're getting the day off, especially because it seems Monday will be just as beautiful weather-wise as Sunday was. Did you spend your weekend in a productive manner? Running the Army 10-Miler, perhaps? I spent it playing flag football and drunk, so I'm going to go with "non-productive." But still nice. I mean, at least we didn't spend it at George Allen's fundraising hoedown. Lord. It's a Day That Ends... more ›

Word to the wise -- if you're skimming some company money off the top for personal expenses, spread some of the love around. If not, well, it's going to come back and bite you in the ass. That's exactly what happened with former American University president Ben Ladner, who was fired from his $875,000-a-year job last October after news emerged that he had been too liberally spending university funds on personal expenses and opulent parties... more ›

It was only a few months back that American University was the center of a local media storm, awash in allegations concerning the spending habits of its president, Benjamin Ladner. Accused of living large on more than $500,000 worth of university funds, Ladner was eventually fired, though not without a generous $3.75 million severance package. Things have quieted down some at the Northwest campus since then, even though a Senate committee has launched an investigation... more ›

Somewhere Joe Camel and the Marlboro Man are rolling in their graves. Yesterday afternoon the Committee on Health of the D.C. City Council endorsed legislation that would make all District bars and restaurants smoke-free by January 2007, according to WJLA. The bill, written by Council-member David Catania (I-At Large) offers exemptions for outdoor areas, cigar bars, hotel rooms, retail tobacco outlets, research projects on the effects of smoking, and businesses that can demonstrate economic... more ›

Students are angry. Faculty are indignant. Deans are upset. Former trustees are beyond themselves. All told, American University has seen better days. more ›

Welcome back to the work week, D.C. While some may have been celebrating the arrival of Christopher Columbus to the Americas yesterday, others were protesting for one cause or another. Students at American University organized to push for president Ben Ladner's dismissal (which came last night), while anti-circumcision activists, at right, took to the streets outside the Washington Convention Center, where the American Academy of Pediatrics was meeting (yes, we will have a full write-up... more ›

While the majority of the city enjoys the last of a three-day weekend, American University president Ben Ladner will be facing a Board of Trustees charged with deciding whether or not to end his tenure at the university's helm. Since August, Ladner has faced increasing questions concerning almost $500,000 in spending charged to the university, and as students and faculty have organized against him, he has stridently defended his leadership and criticized the media coverage against him. more ›

Good morning, Washington. Today the temperatures will be in the mid 90s. With a heat index back up over 100 this afternoon the weather services has issued a heat advisory in effect from 2 p.m. until 6 p.m., so stay cool. Looking for something to do? Ben Folds is at Wolftrap, George Washington University is showing "Finding Neverland," and the National Building Museum is screening "How to Succeed At Business Without Really Trying," in the... more ›

The Post reports that Ben Wetmore, a student who runs an American University blog/news site, has been annoying the university's president, Ben Ladner, so much, that he is taking action to shut it down. But the president may have good reason for the blog has his name, BenLadner.com. more ›