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When Jesica Rasmussen began looking into her university options three years ago, she had more on her mind than a typical college freshman. As the wife of an active-duty soldier in the U.S. Army, Rasmussen could expect many moves in her future. She could expect deployments when her husband was away for long periods of time, leaving her alone to care for their four children. She also had to find the funds to pay for school with limited budgets and financial programs available to military spouses.

Student groups at more than 60 college and universities hosted events to raise awareness and push for fossil fuel divestment as part of 350.org’s #FossilFreedom Day of Action.

Is it time for MOOC 2.0? Those behind World Education University (WEU) think so. The free online university opened its virtual doors worldwide on February 1.

Scott Hines, WEU’s chief operating officer, doesn’t mind the comparison to MOOC providers such as Coursera, which he sees as great trail blazers. But he sees WEU as the next step in the evolutionary process of online learning.

At Schreiner University (Texas), our team has applied the transformative power of technology to achieve our identifying motto “Learning by Heart”—a personalized, integrated education that prepares our students for meaningful work and purposeful lives in a changing global society.

It doesn’t seem so long ago that colleges and universities were largely run as academic entities, unworried about growth and profit, and doing much of their administrative paperwork by hand or with outdated computer programs. Fast forward to 2013, and we believe the polar opposite to be true. Universities are competing for increased revenues, student enrollment, and top academic prospects more now than ever before, and in order to maintain a competitive edge they must take advantage of the latest technology.

Transportation & Parking Services at Princeton University is committed to providing reliable, safe parking and transportation services that enhance the quality of life while promoting sustainability, accessibility and mobility on campus for the Princeton University community. For students, our focus at Transportation & Parking Services is to support campus life in a way that is pleasant and convenient; specifically to provide access to travel within campus, around campus, and off-campus.

It’s no secret that universities across the nation are facing more challenges than ever before. Shrinking budgets are contrasted with higher costs and aging facilities. The government is getting more involved from a regulatory standpoint while decreasing its funding support for education. Demand is up, enrollments are all over the map and across the board, and graduation rates are down. It’s a roller coaster of peaks and valleys that leaves schools fighting for ways to cope, retain students, and help them graduate on time.

There are seven areas of oversight that trustees of higher education institutions should consider as fiduciaries. Mistakes in any of these areas can negatively impact the expected growth and risk profile of the portfolio, and in turn, the institution’s financial well-being.

Mistake #1: Not Tracking Total Investment Portfolio Performance

Although many campuses are tobacco-free, it would be rare to find 100 percent compliance among staff, faculty, and students. There are usually a handful of smokers huddled together in a corner, puffing away.

“We try to tell people to spread the word in a respectful way, to be friendly, be positive, and not forget you’re talking to a fellow employee or student,” says Patrick Hennessey, a member of the President’s Advisory Committee for a tobacco-free campus at Westchester Community College (N.Y.). The campus’ ban took effect Sept. 1, 2012.

Mention “teacher training” to the typical college professor and his eyebrow will raise like the wing of a raptor. Talons may follow.

College professors are experts in various disciplines—political science, mathematics, the biology of anthropology, the history of technology, and other disciplines from arcane to pedestrian. Teaching ability is universally presumed to accompany expertise in a discipline. Call it pedagogy by osmosis.