Salaries for midlevel administrators rose by a median of 2 percent this year over last year, matching the median pay increase for senior administrators and coming in slightly higher than the 1.9-percent median increase for faculty members, says an annual report released by the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources.…

Growing up in Westminster in northern Maryland, Ron Shriver, 29, used to pass by the stately brick buildings of the college that is now McDaniel College and wonder: What went on up there on that hill overlooking Main Street? What would it be like to go to a college like that? What would it be like to go to college at all? Nobody in Mr. Shriver's…

Walter Fortson never expected to finish college, especially as inmate 819161D at the Mountainview Youth Correctional Facility, in Hunterdon County, N.J. A few years ago, he chose to be a crack dealer to support his family and his reckless spending habits. He thought he was too smart to get caught, until one day in 2008 when he made a bad move. He…

Utah is the only state that prohibits its state institutions from barring guns on its campuses. The University of Utah fought that statutory requirement vigorously in court, but the interests of pro-gun groups prevailed. In 2006 the Supreme Court of Utah held that the university lacked the authority to issue firearms policies, including barring…

Tough times are encouraging colleges to share resources in a variety of areas, including campus security, research, and degree programs. Despite its veneer of cooperation, higher education is a competitive industry, where resource sharing is eyed warily. But the recession is chipping away at that reluctance, and institutions are pursuing…

Accreditation and public safety are vital issues for colleges, but rarely do they put the two together. The International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators is trying to change that. The group, known as Iaclea, started accrediting colleges' police and public-safety departments last year, holding them to a strict set of standards.…

Since 1970, officers on the Seattle campus have regularly patrolled the hallways of dormitories of the University of Washington. It is a community-policing strategy, a low-key way to engage students. However, the practice might cease this fall. In June, the state's Court of Appeals ruled that students have the same right to privacy in dormitory…

Describes how John Jay College of Criminal Justice, which serves many New York City police officers, is helping students and alumni at Ground Zero, location of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. (EV)

When a freshman at San Diego State University (SDSU) died of a cocaine overdose last May, the campus police chief decided to pursue a full-scale investigation. In December, he summoned undercover agents from the federal Drug Enforcement Administration to pose as students and roam the campus in search of illegal drugs. According to college…

After the fatal shootings at Virginia Tech last April, colleges went shopping for hardware. They bought sirens, mass-messaging systems, surveillance cameras, and door locks. Some colleges armed their police departments for the first time. Others added assault rifles to their arsenals. "Active shooter" drills happened everywhere. As administrators…

Increasingly, college and universities are allowing undercover police operations to halt drug trafficking involving students, hoping to break supply chains and convey the message that the institution takes drug policy seriously. Many students find the intrusion disturbing. (MSE)

Drug law violations have risen sharply on college campuses, but officials disagree on the reason. Some students feel administrators are invading their privacy. The trend is attributed to several factors, including changes in how violations are counted, reduced tolerance of increased drug use by non-drug-using students, and more vigorous…

Campus police and other college officials believe the 16,237 alcohol arrests and 7,060 drug arrests on college campuses in 1996 reflect tougher enforcement, not increased usage among students. This is particularly true in states such as Michigan, where state law concerning underage drinking has changed, and in communities where enforcement is…

Pennsylvania's sophisticated system for student loan fraud and abuse detection is described, including the factors felt to contribute to its success and suggestions for improving other state agency fraud units. (MSE)