This week, an enrollment spike, news about college students’ mental health, a development in the Varsity Blues scandal, big gifts at two universities, and a record return on endowment dominated college admissions news.
Purdue University announced a record enrollment of 50,000 students, with a freshman class of 10,000 and more out-of-state students attending the Indiana school this year. One reason for the bump? Families told Purdue they were impressed by its response to Covid.
Not surprisingly, reports of anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues are up amongst college students. In response to the increased need, colleges are enhancing their mental health services, including offering more telehealth options.
In Varsity Blues news, a former Georgetown tennis coach agreed to “plead guilty in connection with soliciting and accepting bribes to facilitate the admission of Georgetown applicants and failing to report a significant portion of those bribe payments” to the IRS.
Two universities are the lucky recipients of major gifts this week. The University of Wisconsin at Madison received a commitment of $175 million for the School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences and Cornell announced a $50 million gift to its School of Hotel Administration.
Meanwhile, Washington University in St. Louis announced that their managed endowment generated a record 65% return during the 2020-2021 fiscal year. With that, Wash U’s endowment is now valued at $15.3 billion.
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