Welcome to the Centennial Conference: 11 small, private liberal-arts colleges in the mid-Atlantic region that belong to the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division III, where there are no sports scholarships to lure top-notch players. Instead, the contest to recruit the best athletes--a high-stakes game that has long defined only the…

Colleges have been building so-called smart classrooms for years, equipping them with computerized projectors, digital whiteboards, and other tools. Now some of those once-high-tech rooms are starting to show their age at many colleges. At the Auraria Higher Education Center, a facility used by three colleges in Denver, a group of high-school…

Many college and university trustees say money matters are the biggest challenge their boards face. This article discusses the results of "The Chronicle's" survey of the fiscal condition of public and private colleges. According to the survey, board members of four-year institutions are grappling with how to pay for new buildings and how to repair…

Reports that Yale University (Connecticut) is 5 years into the most expensive renovation and construction project any university has ever undertaken. The renovations, when completed around 2010, will cost about $2.6-billion and new construction another $400 million. Critics worry about preservation of historic buildings and Yale's intentions in…

Union College's Victorian-style Nott Memorial has mysterious and intriguing architectural features, a checkered history, and serious problems of neglect and underutilization. The college must resolve its future soon. (MSE)

After years of being ignored by federal regulators because of the low volume of hazardous waste in question, colleges and universities are facing increased enforcement of environmental laws concerning waste disposal and storage, at great cost in money, facilities, and personnel. (MSE)

More and more colleges are building fancy residence halls and improving their grounds to stand out in an increasingly competitive market for freshmen. Colleges are also finding that they must upgrade their dining halls because students are going off campus for pizza and other fast food. (MLW)

Nearly three years after the beginning of the Internet2 project, designed to enhance research by building a superfast version of the Internet, few professors are finding it revolutionary. Most participating institutions have not upgraded local networks to take full advantage of the two interconnected high-speed networks used by the project.…

The trend in campus housing is to make college residence halls as much like apartments as possible, rather than impersonal high-rise dormitories. Older buildings are in favor despite a lack of amenities. Lower cost is a factor. One drawback is that students don't want to leave their rooms to socialize. (MSE)

At Oregon State University, an investigation into physical plant administration in response to complaints found significant problems with customer service. Adopting an approach called Total Quality Management, the staff identified and resolved problems, improved quality, and reduced cost. Administrators feel the principles could be applied in all…

Vanderbilt University (Tennessee) is experimenting with a special multimedia classroom designed around cutting-edge electronic equipment that allows faculty to use computer and audiovisual technology together. Initially used most in sciences and mathematics, faculty from other disciplines are joining in. The facility encourages development of new…

Many state legislatures are authorizing the largest bond issues for campus facilities in years, in part for deferred maintenance and repairs. The robust national economy appears to be the main force driving the spending trend. Ironically, some of the states best positioned to give colleges large construction windfalls are those limited…

The University of California at Santa Cruz has completed a successful test of a wireless computer network that would enable students and professors to get on line from anywhere on campus. The network, linked by radio waves, could save millions of dollars in campus wiring costs and would better meet student and faculty information needs. (MSE)

At Boston College (Massachusetts), chemistry faculty are incorporating advanced technology into the classroom to motivate students to further study. A new $31 million chemistry center allows computer-based simulated experiments, computer-assisted instruction, and advanced graphics for visualization. Despite use of incentives, some student…

A study found that a typical research university would raise its overhead rate significantly if it constructed a new building by borrowing or using its own money, but, if it won a congressional earmark, the overhead rate could decline slightly. This encourages colleges to seek construction money directly from Congress. (MSE)