Faith-based Colleges Say Anti-Discrimination Bill Would Infringe on Their Religious Freedom
California faith-based colleges are speaking out against a potential anti-discrimination bill saying it would infringe on their religious freedom. The schools, including William Jessup University, say the bill opens up the ability for students to file lawsuits if they feel they are being discriminated against by the school’s rules about same-sex relationships, birth-gender-specific locker rooms and student housing, etc. Sen. Ricardo Lara says the bill is not intended to interfere with what is taught in the classroom or chapel requirements, but that currently the universities have “essentially a license to discriminate, and students have absolutely no recourse.” Kristen F. Soares, president of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, is negotiating with Lara’s office in hopes of a compromise, reports the L.A. Times.
Waynesburg University Names New Provost
Pennsylvania’s Waynesburg University has named Dana Cook Baer as its new provost, according to the Pittsburgh Business Times. She has been at the university since 1998, beginning as a professor of criminal justice administration and has served as the chair of the school’s Department of Criminal Justice Administration; interim chair of English, business administration and foreign languages; dean of undergraduate studies; assistant provost and interim provost. Prior to Waynesburg, Baer served as a law firm partner at Marriner and Crumrine.
$2 Million HRSA Grant Awarded to Loma Linda University School of Nursing
The U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration has awarded a $2.05 million grant to Loma Linda University’s School of Nursing to expand and diversify its nurse practitioner program. The three-year grant seeks to better prepare graduates that will work in more culturally diverse and medically underserved populations like San Bernardino County, which is experiencing “intensified health disparities,” below-average educational attainment and above-average unemployment and poverty rates, according to DailyNurse.com. The grant will enable the school to hire additional faculty, expand partnerships, increase clinical hours for students, increase minority enrollment and augment the curriculum.
Wingate University Selects New Provost
Helen Tate, Ph.D. has been named the new provost of Wingate University in North Carolina. She most recently served as the associate vice president for academic affairs at Georgia Southwestern State University in Americus, Ga. since 2012. She will be reintroducing the provost position for the school for the first time since the 1990s in response to rapid enrollment growth. reports the Anson Record.
A Retired Army General Will Be The New Mount Saint Mary’s University President
Mount St. Mary’s University is bringing in Brigadier General Timothy Trainor, Ph.D. as its interim president after Simon Newman stepped down from the position in March after a controversial comment about weeding out first-year students. The retired general had been serving as dean of the academic board at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y. and will be at Mount St. Mary’s helm for two years beginning Aug. 15, 2016 as the university searches for a new president, the Baltimore Sun reports
