The U. of Phoenix is creating social spaces for its online students. (U. of Phoenix images)

Loneliness may be fine for distance runners, but for distance-education students, it can be a barrier to success, particularly for students confused by their course work or the mechanics of navigating online classes.

That’s why the University of Phoenix has begun to develop new drop-in centers for its distance-education students. The specially-designed centers house tutoring services and double as social spaces. About 200,000 of the university’s 330,000 students take courses online.

The first of the centers,...

The University of California at Davis is, to be sure, a pretty crunchy, enviro-conscious place. And now university officials are trying to encourage environmental awareness among football and lacrosse fans by establishing a zero-waste policy at the new 10,700-seat Aggie Stadium.

The policy goes beyond the standard push for recycling empty cans and plastic bottles. The university has also set up composting bins throughout the stadium for half-eaten hot dogs, nachos, and other food and paper waste.

“The only trash cans are in the bathrooms,” says Jennifer Stallkamp, manager of the stadium. “Everything that comes out of the concession stands is recyclable or compostable.” The stadium (right), which was

So, you’ve built a new building and it’s so energy efficient and environmentally sensitive that you’ve earned a LEED Silver rating. Well, that’s all well and good. But what about that landscaping in the courtyard nearby, or that grassy quad across campus? Just how sustainable are all those nonnative plantings and ever-thirsty lawns?

A new project to create a rating system for sustainable landscape design could soon help answer some of those questions — and encourage colleges and others to adopt more sustainable approaches.

The new effort, dubbed the Sustainable Sites Initiative, is being spearheaded by the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at the University of Texas at Austin, and the United States Botanic Garden.

While some colleges and universities, such as the University...