The Daily Commercial, a newspaper in that serves Lake and Sumter Counties in Florida, reports on the opening of the new Cooper Memorial Library, a joint venture between Lake County, Lake-Sumter Community College, and the University of Central Florida. The new library replaces both the community-college library and the downtown public library.

"I don't think any of the partners could have built such a large facility with all these amenities on their own," Denise English, the director of library services for the University of Central Florida, said of the $12.7-million, 50,000-square-foot building.

Meanwhile, in California, the Los Angeles Times reports that the University of California at Los Angeles is looking at closing libraries to deal with a budget crisis. The arts library on the Westwood campus, which the Times calls "one of Los Angeles' largest cultural resources," may close to make...

It's difficult to know what to make of a news article like this one, the sort that shows up more often when times get tough. The Boston Globe reports on the opulence of the homes of local college presidents, and on what people at those colleges might think of them amid layoffs, salary freezes, and program cuts:

"While the houses often serve an important ceremonial role and it is questionable how much money could be saved by their elimination, the very mention of them has elicited low-level grumbling on campuses and anxiety among university officials over the Globe’s request to tour them.

'"It seems terribly unfair that people who are being laid off can’t even afford to make their modest mortgage payments, while people at the top are living in luxury," said Desiree Goodwin, a Harvard library assistant who has seen dozens of workers lose their jobs across campus. "They’re not really being...

Old Central, an 1894 building at Oklahoma State U., sparkles again. (Oklahoma State U. photo)

An article in the Tulsa World notes that many times in the past 50 years, people at Oklahoma State University proposed tearing down Old Central, which dates to 1894.

Thank goodness that didn't happen. Instead, the building will reopen this fall, after a two-year, $8-million renovation, to house the university's honors college. Workers had to hunt down original materials and replicate old techniques to match the original design of the building. They kept steam pipes and radiators in place, even though those fixtures are no longer used to heat the building.

"Some of its more intriguing areas will continue to be displayed museum-style," writes Shannon Muchmore, a reporter for the newspaper. "The original university president's office and a small enclave for the night watchman will be be...

Middlebury College recently sent us this video, which details the environmental and economic impact of mowing the vast expanses of lawns on the campus. Middlebury officials have decided to stop mowing some parts of the green, both to cut carbon emissions and to save money.

Middlebury joins a number of colleges that are already doing this -- notably, Cape Cod Community College.

The other Chronicle -- the Christian Chronicle, the international newspaper of the Churches of Christ—carries an article this week about the ways in which Christian colleges are "going green." The article features a project to make student housing out of recycled shipping containers at Lubbock Christian University, along with some notes about the university's geothermal field. The article also mentions Pepperdine University's "green team," Faulkner University's recycling programs, and Lipscomb University's green buildings.

The projects cited in the article would sound familiar to many colleges with sustainability programs—there's nothing unusual here, except perhaps that the movement is taking hold among people who are frequently stereotyped as conservatives. The article cites the Creation Care movement, which was started by the Rev. Jim Ball, as highly influential in sustainability...

The Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences will be one of many projects to emerge at a medical campus in Central Florida. (U. of Central Florida image)

The University of Central Florida celebrated the opening of its medical college with the enrollment of 40 students, who will have all four years of their studies covered by scholarships.

But real work is just beginning on the sprawling, $2-billion complex that will house the medical school. The project is generating construction jobs in a state that faces serious economic problems, and residents of the surrounding Orlando area hope the complex will generate jobs for decades to come.

The Burnham Institute for Medical Research, based in California, has opened an $80-million facility on the campus. The University of Central Florida's $100-million biomedical research unit will open next month on the grounds. An article in The...

Rachel Ray, The Omnivore's Dilemma, and the Food Channel have had their effect on the eating habits of college students, helping inspire a push for local and organic food at colleges across the country. An article from the Associated Press notes that trend—and adds that more students are interested in cooking for themselves.

Student tastes have become more diverse, more sophisticated, and more international, the article says, if Sodexo's list of top campus foods for 2009 is any indication: It includes Vietnamese pho, mini-samosas, goat-cheese salad, and chicken mole. (A potential downside, from the local-food perspective: The more diverse the food options a college offers, the tougher it is to get a large proportion of the ingredients locally.)

Beyond the dining-hall doors, more residence halls feature kitchens, and some students invite chefs to teach cooking classes or gather together to...

U. of Rochester students take advantage of a study area they helped design. (U. of Rochester photos)

One of the most popular articles The Chronicle has run in recent years was "An Anthropologist in the Library," which focused on the University of Rochester's renovation of a library's student area. Students helped design the space under the guidance of an anthropologist.

On a recent trip to Rochester, I stopped by the university to see Susan Gibbons, the dean of the library who oversaw the renovation, which was finished last fall. It's a colorful room, with funky Herman Miller furniture, and the sunshine streams in. (The addition of big windows was a major part of the renovation.) Unfortunately, the room was empty, this being summer break, so I couldn't see the students working in the space myself. I had to imagine the students as Ms. Gibbons walked around the room,...

The Eugene, Ore., Register-Guard reports that the Portland Historic Landmarks Commission has rejected the University of Oregon’s plan to put two six-foot yellow neon O’s on a water tower on the university’s Portland campus.

The city Landmarks Commission on Monday voted unanimously to tentatively deny the neon “O” proposal, citing concerns that the sign would affect the skyline and create a precedent for other wood water tanks around the city, city planner Mark Walhood said. The water tank at the UO campus currently has “Old Town” painted on it.

“You’ll find a lot of these wood water tanks throughout the city,” Walhood said. “But no one could think of any with a neon sign structure on it.”

The university had struck a deal to replace a historic neon sign that says “Made in ...

With the Peggy Ryan Williams Center, Ithaca College may become the first college to have two platinum-rated buildings in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Program. (Photos courtesy Ithaca College)

The latest edition of The Chronicle features a story about a new green building at Ithaca College — and how staff members at Ithaca may have to change their habits to live in that building:

Thanks to technology and cheap energy, the average cubicle worker in the average American building can be as carefree as any old-fashioned, energy-guzzling American ideal. Just show up to work, plop down in a seat, and the building — sealed off from the outside and flushed with temperate air and electricity — will supply all comforts and needs.

In the...