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"Some college administrators seem so distracted with fund raising, academic infighting, and community initiatives that they set up their emergency communications departments very poorly. Training is poor to nonexistent, secretaries are pressed into service with tremendous responsibilities for running 'notification systems' 24/7 and on weekends because no one else knows how to do it and the administration won’t pay for additional staff. Procedures are seat-of-the-pants and dependent on HIPPO (highest paid person’s opinion), except when something like Virginia Tech happens and there is some sort of scramble to do something different." --Donna
Most Colleges Avoid Risk Management, Report Says
U. of Georgia Paid 2 Fraternities $2.4-Million to Relocate, Contracts Show
The two were among five that houses on property where the university plans to build new academic facilities.
New Allegations in Admissions Controversy at U. of Illinois Suggest Ex-Provost Played a Role
Linda P.B. Katehi, the incoming chancellor of the University of California at Davis, has insisted she knew nothing of the admission of politically connected applicants at Illinois.
Sonoma State U. Foundation May Lose $350,000 on Loan to Former Board Member
The foundation will be forced to issue fewer scholarships in the 2010-11 academic year because of a diminished endowment, a university official said.
Court Overturns $2-Million Verdict for Former Coach at U. of Louisiana-Lafayette
The coach, one of the few African-Americans in big-time college football, was fired after three losing seasons. He sued, saying he had been dismissed because of his race.
The notorious vermin have forced Colorado State University at Fort Collins to cancel its annual Great Sofa Roundup, which allows students to donate unwanted couches.
College Suspends Student for Working in Gay Pornography | 58
President Obama's Visit to Notre Dame Carries Barely a Hint of Controversy That Preceded It | 58
Drug Sting Nabs 21 Students at U. of Illinois | 57
Faculty Members and Union Protest Staff Layoffs at Temple U. as 'Cruel' | 57
North Dakota Board's Vote Puts 'Fighting Sioux' Mascot on Thinner Ice | 57
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January 23, 2008
Senate Aide Who Spurred Key Nonprofit Tax Reforms Resigns
Washington — A top Senate aide responsible for much of the hard-nosed scrutiny of colleges and other nonprofit organizations in recent years has resigned.
Dean A. Zerbe, the senior counsel for Sen. Charles E. Grassley, the top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, announced this morning that he would leave his post at the end of February to become national managing director of Alliantgroup, a Houston-based tax-consulting company.
Since 2001, Mr. Zerbe has been the engine driving the ambitious agenda on nonprofit issues pursued by Mr. Grassley, shaping many of the committee’s moves on tax policy related to universities.
Most recently, Mr. Zerbe has led the Iowa senator’s investigation of college endowments, pushing the biggest institutions to spend more of their assets every year.
He has also scrutinized the offshore hedge-fund investments many college endowments make, helped investigate how universities use tax-exempt bonds, and organized a hearing on rising tuition and higher-education tax incentives.
And he helped oversee the senator’s investigation of governance problems at American University, calling its Board of Trustees a “poster child for why review and reform are necessary” for governing boards of nonprofit organizations.
Mr. Grassley plans to replace his top investigator with someone who will continue the committee’s scrutiny of colleges and other nonprofit groups, said a lobbyist familiar with the senator’s plans.
But they will be big shoes to fill. “They’ll never have Dean’s energy,” said the lobbyist. “Once you were in his sights, you know, he was ruthless.” —Brad Wolverton
Posted on Wednesday January 23, 2008 | Permalink |Comments
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So they finally found a way to buy him off?
— Firstsai Jan 23, 07:43 PM #
Don’t you just love how when one of these guys, so many of them, leaves the Govt., where they worked on policy initiatives for one thing or another, maybe a number of them, they go off to a job that have nothing whatsoever to do with initiatives they worked on. Their real calling is something other than what they purport to know about. here, the (supposed) education expert is off to lead a prominent tax consulting firm.
— David Jan 23, 08:34 PM #
I beg to differ wtih David in comment 2. According to this post, everything that Mr. Zerbe is credited with influencing is related to tax policy in one way or the other. He is not described as an “education expert,” nor does his work touch on matters such as admissions or curriculum. It does have to do with the finances of universitites and how tax policy affects it, which appears to be a legitimate application of his expertise.
— J. Ward Jan 24, 01:16 PM #