Where Most Needed

Charity Bake Sale Proponents Reject Nutritional Guidelines

A New York Times article about the impact of California regulation of food sales during school hours draws widespread scorn. 

Private Philanthropy Puts Yale in the Drivers Seat in New Haven

Gleaming new campus buildings arise while the city's infrastructure crumbles around them. 

School Tase Challenge to Student Government & Campus Police

The University of Florida taser incident should lead to a broader review of protocols for speakers forum, both for the student group that sponsors them and for the campus police, which prides itself on its adherence to professional standards.  But all universities—public and private—should be on notice.

Sidebar: Cambridge College and the Risks of Governance

A successful school for working adults provides an example of why legal compliance doesn't eliminate risks in charity governance.

Doonesbury Plugs DonorsChoose

Product placement in a comic strip puts the focus on a well-promoted online charity venture.  But a look at the financial statements suggests that there may be bottlenecks ahead as the organization tries to scale up. 

Harvard, Unbuilt and Unloved

Civil society (the local Cambridge version) puts a damper on architectural visions, while on the other side of town MIT manages to soar with the eagles. 

Edsouth CEO Pulled in a Million from Two Jobs with Affiliated Organizations

Before a corporate restructuring of the nonprofit student loan servicing organization, Tony Hollin claimed to work fifty hours a week from two different subsidiaries.  But he isn't alone in the student loan industry. 

James Irvine Foundation Turns Whoops into White Paper

When a huge foundation initiative failed to show much progress, they brought in outside help to turn it around, completely revamped the project, and wrote it all up for the world to see. 

The Roger Williams University Debacle Signals Failure of the Accreditation Process

Belated action by an accrediting body triggered the oafish outburst by the board chair that attracted media attention, but major governance flaws sat in plain sight for much longer.

Smaller Educational Institutions Falling Short in Fundraising

Big research institutions capture most of the growth in fundraising as its graduates hit the jackpot.