Notes in the Margins: Penn State secrecy, Chinese funding and Irish access

Penn St. memos show funding fears, secrecy effort Penn State's board of trustees and president focused on repairing the school's tarnished image and braced for financial backlash in the immediate aftermath of the child sex-abuse scandal that erupted two months ago, going so far as to recommend reminding any outraged donors that they wouldn't get their money back, according to internal memos. (Associated Press via University Business)

Chinese-funded institutes raise concerns on U.S. campuses Chinese government funding into international universities allows cultural expansion, but also raises fears regarding academic freedom. (USA Today)

Diversity urged at UC Berkeley engineering school Walk into any first-year engineering class at Berkeley, graduate or undergraduate, and you'll find nearly everyone, about 95 percent, is white or Asian American. And the scene is as male as a sports bar in football season: roughly three in four new engineering students are male. (San Francisco Chronicle)

Grand pay for modest results To borrow from Twain, college presidents are indeed builders of men and women. But they are teaching their students a curious lesson when they choose to be the architects of their own unfettered fortunes. (The Boston Globe via University Business)

The consequences of expanding college access in Ireland Could Ireland’s efforts to improve college access for disadvantaged students be resulting in top performers leaving the country? That’s what one leading university president is arguing. (Lessons from Abroad) 

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