Some of the country's most conservative universities are found in Virginia, according to a list produced by the Young America's Foundation. more ›

University of Maryland President Wallace Loh issued his response to the President's Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics this morning. Loh's decision? To eliminate eight athletic programs, as the commission had recommended last week. more ›

A brief, if very important update to this morning's developments in Blacksburg: the alert that was sounded on the campus of Virginia Tech regarding reports of a person with a gun has now been lifted. more ›

UPDATE: The alert has now been lifted. The latest here. more ›

Less than 24 hours after Maryland defeated Navy in the Crab Bowl Classic, the University unveiled former Army athletic director Kevin Anderson as the new athletic director in College Park. Anderson was selected late last week after a 17-person search committee deliberated over three finalists that also included University of Connecticut athletic director (and Maryland alumnus) Jeff Hathaway and University of Buffalo athletic director Warde Manuel. more ›

The University of Maryland will name University of Iowa provost Wallace D. Loh as its new president according to the Washington Post. The University had been actively searching for a new president after C.D. Mote announced he would be retiring after a 12-year tenure in College Park. more ›

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Via a Wall Street Journal story we missed yesterday, it seems college grads in Washington, D.C. graduate with the most debt in the country, according to a new study from the Project on Student Debt. Like every list we see that compares the District to states, we take this distinction with a grain or two of salt, but given that D.C. is home to one of the most expensive universities in the country, this particular ranking isn't too hard to swallow. Factor in the large number of private universities located here with no high quality public school to compete with them, and you can understand why college students in Washington graduate with an average of $29,793 worth of debt, compared to $23,200 in the entire country. The WSJ also notes that the national average is way up compared to four years ago, when average college debt was at $18,650. more ›

In case you hadn't heard already, Southeastern University in Southwest D.C. lost its accreditation on Aug. 31, the Washington Post is just reporting now. A message on the school's web site simply states, "Southeastern will not be offering a Fall Session. We are not accepting students at this time." more ›

Earlier this week, the D.C. Double the Numbers Collation launched a new website, doublethenumbersdc.org, featuring interactive tools and advice aimed at guiding D.C. students through the college application process. Many D.C. students are woefully uninformed about how to apply and pay for higher education, and a 2006 report found that only 9 percent of D.C. 9th graders graduate from college within five years of earning their diploma, less than half the national average. D.C.'s College Awareness Month runs from September 9th to October 9th. more ›

The American Institute for Economic Research put out its 2009-2010 college destination rankings today (hat tip to the Post), and D.C. was named fourth most desirable for college students on a list of large metropolitan areas in the country, ranked behind only New York, San Francisco and Boston. The news that D.C. is a top college destination comes as no big surprise to us. Not only does the area have a large number of desirable universities and a high percentage of college students compared to the overall population, it also has a large number desirable post-college jobs, making the city quite frankly (in our minds) a smarter choice than places like San Francisco or New York this particular year. more ›

We mentioned Montgomery College President Brian K. Johnson's troubles in yesterday's roundup, and now today comes word that Johnson has been fired by the school's Board of Trustees. Here's the statement from the board:

"We, as a Board, have decided to make a change in the leadership of the College. The Board voted not to renew Dr. Johnson's contract. We also voted to place Dr. Johnson on administrative leave, with pay, effective immediately so that the Board can consider further action. more ›

Virgil Griffith has a lot of time on his hands. A lot. more ›

Written by DCist Contributor Sarah Stonesifer The Diamondback – University of Maryland: >> Hartwick Towers, an off-campus apartment building, was the scene of a fire on Friday, Oct. 12. The fire has come under scrutiny by both students and city officials, as the building is not equipped with sprinklers and fire alarms did not function during the fire. Students were left on their own to find alternative housing until they were let back into their... more ›

Facebook isn't just for ridiculous photos of politicians' kids anymore. Now university presidents are getting into the act. We'd usually say that a college administrator having a profile on Facebook, the big social networking site that started with colleges but has since spread everywhere, sounds pretty neat — the administration is trying to be transparent and stay in touch with the students' internet fads. We can imagine a lot of good uses for the site... more ›

Written by DCist Contributor Fredo Alvarez Campus Pride, the nation's largest non-profit student LGBT organization, this week launched its Campus Climate Index, an online report card that allows LGBT students from colleges across the country to rate their schools on their inclusiveness and support of LGBT students, employees and their allies. Schools are rated on a scale from one to five stars based on a voluntary survey. Of 80 public and private institutions that... more ›

This is rich: apparently students living in on-campus housing at American University, and at other colleges around the country, are starting to get full-sized beds in their dorm rooms. The Post ran the story this morning as a trend piece, explaining that as universities continue to compete to attract top students, amenities like doing away with the standard, awkward twin-sized beds in college dorm rooms are becoming commonplace. DCist is here to say: this is... more ›

With unseasonable weather descending upon much of North America, schools getting ready to reconvene, and sports seasons getting exciting, it's a busy time of year for us here in the Ist-a-verse. Luckily, even with all the things we have to do, we still managed to get together to let you know what we've all been up to. After cooling down from a hot weekend of many badass Sunset Junction Street Fair photo dispatches, LAist asked... more ›

It's not exactly breaking news, but the City Paper's cover story this week is about the George Washington University and its high tuition, tops in the nation. The somewhat basic article (at least to a GW grad and basketball blogger) talks to a few University officials and a couple of students, but seems a little thin. The article does make a good point (and one that we made months ago) — is it worth it?... more ›

There is a lot of great jazz coming up in the D.C. area throughout the next week, much of which is FREE, an important word here at DCist. Of course, the big news for jazz aficionados is the annual Big Band Jam, which began on April 20 and runs through April 29. We already told you about the service bands playing at Blues Alley, but there are many other shows to check out. Here are... more ›

It's almost graduation time for colleges around the D.C. area, but many George Washington students aren't that thrilled about it. Why? The keynote speaker at their commencement is none other than... their outgoing university president. We guess that's what the highest tuition in the country gets you these days. Stephen Joel Trachtenberg, who has been president of the Foggy Bottom university for 19 years, always speaks at graduation, but he usually does so alongside folks... more ›

There are a lot of rules when you visit Soho Tea and Coffee in Dupont. Customers must spend at least $5 to use the wireless Internet. No credit cards are taken. Non-customers are charged $3 to use the unisex bathroom, adorned with a helpful reminder than only one person is permitted in the single stall at a time. Two months ago, another rule went into effect: no cell phones at the front counter. Owner Helene... more ›

MONDAY At Chapters, they’re mad for mystery writers on Mondays in March, and for alliteration at all other times. Today, they have a fine guest: Laura Lippman, who’ll be reading from her latest, What the Dead Know. 445 11th Street, NW, 1 p.m. TUESDAY Tom Bissell and his father, an ex-Marine who served in the Vietnam War, travel back to Vietnam on a journey that retraces both national and personal history. He’ll be in town... more ›

Last week the Wizards signed former GW forward Mike Hall to a 10-day contract, making him the second Colonial from last year's team to make it to the NBA. The first was Pops Mensah-Bonsu, who scored the first points by a GW player in the NBA since Yinka "the Stinka" Dare in 1998. Neither look to play much this season, but it got us thinking - where are all the other players from local colleges?... more ›

That somewhat dubious distinction goes to local George Washington University. According to The Chronicle of Higher Education and as reported in Forbes magazine, GW has the highest tuition of any college in America. Incoming undergrads can not only expect to learn in the heart of the nation's capital, but they (or, more likely, their parents) can expect to pay a very, very pretty penny to do so. The financial snap shot isn't pretty:George Washington University... more ›

Good morning, Washington. Got Halloween plans? Personally, I'm still trying to come up with a decent last-minute costume idea. My party deadline isn't until tomorrow, fortunately. For those who've got costume parties lined up for tonight, I hope you didn't make any part of your outfit from papier mache — it looks like it's going to be a soggy evening. Jemal Acquitted Of Most Charges: The verdict is in, and prominent District developer Douglas Jemal... more ›

The George Washington University's most recognizable basketball player of the last four years, Pops Mensah-Bonsu, signed a two-year contract with the Dallas Mavericks yesterday. Known for his thunderous dunks and an affable personality, "The Mayor" played in the Las Vegas and Salt Lake City summer leagues. Though he was not initially expected to make the Mavericks' deep roster, Pops' play impressed team president Donnie Nelson enough that he cited Pops as "the most athletic... more ›

With the USA's first World Cup match coming monday at noon, I decided to get a U.S. soccer jersey. It shouldn't be too hard, I thought, since the U.S. is ranked fifth in FIFA's rankings and the D.C. area has a relatively strong soccer tradition. After all, D.C. United is one of the most popular MLS teams and local colleges perform well nationally, with Maryland's men winning the NCAA title in 2005. However, I was... more ›

Written by DCist contributor Erie Meyer. John Kerry will be speaking today at 1 p.m. on American University's main campus about patriotism and the right of dissent as part of a nationwide tour, according to an email sent to students by the university. After his speech on dissent, however, students will not be allowed to, you know, dissent. While signs and banners are forbidden, as is standard, the Massachusetts Senator and failed presidential candidate has... more ›

Maryland entered this weekend the clear underdog against three opponents with Final Four pedigrees. They left with the trophy, proving that "experience isn't everything." Freshman point guard Kristi Toliver scored the team's final five points in regulation -- including a rainbow three-pointer from the right corner over 6-7 Alison Bales that tied the game with six seconds to play -- then made the go-ahead free throws in overtime in the Terps' 78-75 win in last... more ›