'Public Safety Situation' at University of Minnesota Hotel [Breaking Education News]

Police at the University of Minnesota have evacuated some guests from a campus hotel, saying they're negotiating a "situation" with a person in one of the hotel's rooms. The school issued an alert early Monday about a "public safety situation" at the Graduate Minneapolis Hotel. The school said some roads around the campus were closed, as was a campus recreation and wellness center.

University of Arkansas Endowment Increases to $996 Million [Education News]

An annual survey indicates that the endowment at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville has increased to more than 996 million and ranks 101st among U.S. and Canadian institutions. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports that the value of UA's endowment increased on June 30 was up 10.8 percent compared with the $899 million market value a year earlier.

Ohio State University Meets $100 Million Student Aid Goal [On A Positive Note In Education]

Ohio State University has reached its goal of raising $100 million to help needy students earlier than expected. The Columbus Dispatch reports university president Michael Drake announced during a speech Thursday that the institution would meet its fundraising commitment when it gives out an additional $40 million in the 2018-19 school year.

7 Tennessee State Professors Awarded More than $2M in Grants [Beyond Education]

SD Official: Universities Shouldn't Be Immigration Police [Education News]

A top South Dakota Board of Regents official says universities shouldn't play the role of immigration police after a lawmaker proposed banning people who are living in the U.S. illegally from enrolling at the state's public colleges. Mike Rush, the regents' executive director and CEO, says the board doesn't believe it's an issue at South Dakota public universities.

Sanford Donates $30 Million for Higher Education Scholarships

Billionaire philanthropist Denny Sanford is donating $30 million to create college scholarships for students who have faced tough hurdles in their path to becoming successful learners, including those in South Dakota. The money will start an endowment fund with the Horatio Alger Association. The organization provides scholarships to four-year universities across the country. Sanford picked seven South Dakota universities that winners can attend.

Justice Sotomayor to Speak at Brown University [Education News]

Brown University says U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor will speak at the Ivy League school next week in an event that's open to the public. The university announced that the justice will speak Wednesday in a free but ticketed event on its Providence campus.

University of Missouri-Kansas City Offers Tuition Deal [Education News]

The University of Missouri's Kansas City campus is cutting tuition costs for more Kansas students and making it cheaper for students in seven other states. The Board of Curators said yes Thursday to offering in-state tuition rates to all Kansas students. It's an expansion of a program that had benefited students from 11 Kansas counties.

Kean University Awards Five Presidential Excellence Awards

Five dedicated Kean University employees received the institution’s Presidential Excellence Awards during a reception on June 23. Kean President Dr. Dawood Farahi bestowed the honor in recognition of their exceptional contributions in teaching, service and scholarship. The Kean University 2016 Presidential Excellence awardees are: Robin Landa, Dr. Marguerite Mayhall, Dr. Wolde Woubneh, Donna Lowe Alexander and Millie Gonzalez.

USM Center Gets Federal Grant to Help At-risk Students

The Center for Community and Civic Engagement at the University of Southern Mississippi has been awarded a $379,076 federal grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service to implement the Campus Link AmeriCorps Program. The funds will support the program for year one of a three-year cycle. Through Campus Link, 80 AmeriCorps members will tutor 4th-8th grade students in-school and after-school across South Mississippi.

Cleveland State: No On-campus Classes During Republican National Convention

Cleveland State University has announced it won't hold classes on campus during the Republican National Convention next week. The university has told professors to find others ways to teach, including off-campus meeting places, working online or assigning take-home work. University spokesman Will Dube (DOO'-bee) tells cleveland.com (http://bit.ly/29DJG4r ) the decision came after the Secret Service released details of its convention security plan last that week that included road closures.

University of Maryland, Baltimore Accreditation Extended 10 Years

The Middle States Commission on Higher Education (Middle States) has approved reaccreditation of the University of Maryland, Baltimore following a 30-month study of the institution’s standards, practices, and educational outcomes. Middle States is recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education to conduct accreditation activities for institutions of higher education in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, including distance education and correspondence education programs offered at those institutions.

Mosquito Traps to Be Deployed by New Mexico State University to Study Possible Zika Impact

New Mexico State University researchers plan to place mosquito traps across roughly two-thirds of the state to map the range of two species known to transmit Zika virus. Biologist Kathryn Hanley says researchers asked to do this project four years ago but funding agencies had little interest. The Albuquerque Journal (http://goo.gl/3iAygn ) reports that changed when Zika was linked to severe birth defects in Brazil and other nations in the Americas.

Michigan State University Gets $2M to Boost Bridge Research

Michigan State University is getting $2 million to enhance research on the nation's transportation infrastructure, specifically its bridges. The East Lansing school says a Lansing-area couple designated money from their estate to the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering to fund an endowed faculty chair with an emphasis on bridge research.

Oklahoma State Receives $11.3 Million for Children's Health

An $11.3 million grant has been awarded to Oklahoma State University to create a program designed to eliminate disparities in children's health due to race, ethnicity and socioeconomic status. The grant from the National Institutes of Health will create the Children's Health Equity Solutions Center through OSU's Center for Health Sciences. The research will be conducted by a multi-institutional group of OSU and University of Oklahoma-Tulsa researchers.