The Associated Press

Colleges and universities raked in money by the billions last year. But their investing success now has a price a movement in Congress to force the wealthiest schools to spend more of their money to keep down tuition.

In recent weeks, a string of colleges and universities have announced enviable investment results. Leading the way was Yale, which earned 28 percent over the year ending June 30, increasing the school's endowment to $22.5 billion overall. …

Private foundations are required by… more

Remember all that administration talk about democracy in the Middle East?..The United States, along with much of the rest of the world, has leapt to support Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as he has tried to consolidate power and avert all-out civil war with his Islamist Hamas rivals.The choice elevates short-term political expediency, and Bush's imperative to fight terrorism and extremism, above pure principle. The administration has brushed off questions about whether Abbas' actions are undemocratic, but… more

There were historic breakthroughs, such as the selection of Harvard's first woman president, and there was tragedy - the horrific shooting spree at Virginia Tech.But if the academic year now winding down had a theme, it was a more subtle one: dishonesty.Consider:- Nine MBA students at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business faced expulsion, and 25 others lesser punishments, for their roles in an exam-cheating scandal - the most high-profile of several this year. more

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Democratic presidential candidate Bill Richardson on Thursday laid out his plan for a dramatic shift in the way the U.S. uses energy, proposing to all but end the country's reliance on oil and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2040.Invoking President Kennedy's call for the Apollo space program, he said the nation needs a "man-on-the-moon" effort to develop technologies that will cut energy costs and halt global warming."I am issuing a… more

WASHINGTON — SLM Corp., the nation's largest student lender that is soon to become a private company, said Tuesday its first-quarter profit shrank 24 percent as more students missed payments on loans.The earnings decline at SLM, commonly known as Sallie Mae, reflects the higher risk of student loans not guaranteed by the federal government. Those private loans, which constitute about 16 percent of Sallie Mae's nearly $150 billion portfolio, do not have their interest rates capped as many… more

A Department of Education official who oversaw the student-loan industry and owned at least $100,000 worth of stock in a student-loan company has been placed on leave, a department spokeswoman said this month. Matteo Fontana, who keeps an eye on lenders and loan guarantors that participate in the Federal Family Education Loan Program, was placed on leave with pay April 6, a day after his ownership of stock in Education Lending Group Inc. was disclosed by Higher Ed… more

WASHINGTON (AP) - An Education Department official placed on leave over a potential conflict of interest in his management of the government's student loan program filed disclosure forms that raise questions about the department's oversight of its own employees.The forms, released by the department late Thursday, show the official, Matteo Fontana, listed ownership in 2002 of stock in two companies that manage student loans: Direct III Marketing Inc. and Education Lending Group. In fact, the companies are the… more

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice disputed claims Wednesday that the Bush administration bungled a diplomatic overture from Iran that offered a broad dialogue with the United States after nearly a quarter-century of enmity.Rice told Congress she does not remember seeing the 2003 Iranian proposal, which suggested Iran was ready to discuss its disputed nuclear program, support for militant groups that the United States labels terrorists and the acceptance of Israel...The document, faxed to the State Department… more

WASHINGTON - The No Child Left Behind law was supposed to level the playing field, promising students an equal education no matter where they live or their background. From state to state, however, huge differences remain in what students are expected to know and learn... Republicans generally have opposed national standards. GOP lawmakers say state and local officials know what is best for their students and as the primary funders of elementary and secondary education, should have primary… more

The last time a company run by Allen B. Salmasi was a top bidder in a government airwaves auction, it took eight years and the Supreme Court to unravel the mess that followed.

Now he's back.

Salmasi controls AWS Wireless Inc., one of the leading bidders in the airwaves auction currently under way.

The auction is expected to raise up to $15 billion and increase by half the amount of spectrum available to the mobile wireless industry. The expansion is large enough to… more