BOSTON – Grand Canyon University – an Arizona-based Christian college – has backed out of a deal for a free 217-acre campus in Massachusetts, The Associated Press reported. The college cited millions of dollars in unanticipated costs that it said made an expensive project too risky. more

Salve Regina University will launch a new Bachelor of Science degree program in health care administration and management beginning in the upcoming fall 2013 semester, the school announced Monday. more

The Center of Excellence for Explosives Detection, Mitigation and Response, one of only 12 of its kind nationally, lies quietly but actively in the heart of the University of Rhode Island’s South Kingstown campus, thanks to federal funding that next year will be up for renewal. more

Sylvia Maxfield, whose career has taken her from the Ivory tower, as she calls it, of Yale University to Wall Street and then back into higher education, became dean of the college of business at Providence College last summer. more

IE Business School, the Madrid-based member of a broad-based partnership with Brown University, earned a spot on the Financial Time’s 2013 Global MBA Ranking. more

It is not by chance that faculty and staff at Bryant University have been making healthier choices. In 2005, the Bryant Wellness Committee was formed. The following years brought national recognition from the Wellness Council of America with the kick-off of the successful “Healthy YOU at Bryant U” program. The school’s wellness platform aims to enhance awareness and promote behavioral changes, such as better eating habits and greater physical activity. more

In most plans to pull Rhode Island out of its economic doldrums, harnessing the power of the state’s colleges and universities is a central strategy. more

Research spending at the University of Massachusetts in fiscal year 2012 surpassed the $500 million mark for the third consecutive year, UMass President Robert L. Caret announced Wednesday. more

PROVIDENCE – The Howard R. Swearer Center for Public Service at Brown University celebrated its 25th anniversary Sept. 24 at the Steel Yard in Providence to commemorate its work in fostering collaborations among students, faculty and community partners. more

Jack Hayes was recently named director of athletics at Brown University, where he will oversee 37 varsity teams and 17 club-level intercollegiate teams. The Providence native previously held the same position at Hofstra University, where he focused on raising athletic and academic achievement among student athletes. Hayes holds a B.A. from Providence College and a master’s degree in education with a concentration in sports management from the University of Connecticut. more