Morehouse ranked among "most grueling" colleges

The Huffington Post, one of the nation's leading blogs, has named Morehouse College as one of the nation's "most grueling colleges". Morehouse joins MIT, Johns Hopkins University and the United States Naval Academy on the list of the ‘Most Grueling Colleges.’

The Huffington Post had the following to say about Morehouse, "the alma mater of Martin Luther King, Jr., Spike Lee and Samuel L. Jackson is committed to upholding standards of excellence. “Morehouse men” must follow a dress code and choose between 35 areas of study. Courses in pre-med biology are notoriously difficult, and many of the Atlanta college’s students opt for pre-law, pre-med or pre-dentistry tracks."

Forbes Magazine recently named Morehouse as one of the “10 Great Schools for Networking".

Howard makes pitch to move its hospital and health colleges to Walter Reed

Howard University has submitted a $1.1 billion plan to move its hospital and health sciences operation to the nearby Walter Reed Army Medical Center campus after the facility closes next year.

University officials say the ambitious proposal would bring a top-notch teaching hospital to an underserved area.

"We're very excited about the possibility," said Eve Higginbotham, senior vice president and executive dean for Health Sciences. "We believe it would be a win-win for the District." A recommendation is expected to be made to the military in June or July.

Higginbotham said that if the bid is successful, the project would be built in three phases, starting in 2012 and ending in 2017.

The new hospital would probably be financed through a partnership with a private hospital management company, according to the proposal. Other money would come from fundraising, leveraging non-core assets and other means.

The university is one of 23 organizations, including charter schools, arts programs and food pantries, that have expressed interest in the land.

When Walter Reed closes, its medical operations will be shifted to a campus at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda and an Army hospital being built at Fort Belvoir.

Tuskegee plans $20M, 500 bed housing complex

Tuskegee University, Sunday, announced plans to construct a new $20 million, 500 bed, dorm named for retiring president Benjamin F. Payton. The new facility will provide living spaces, study halls, labs and lounges for freshmen and sophomore students.

The dorm will have cutting-edge technology throughout, and offer suites as well as more traditional singles and doubles, and includes strong emphasis on physical as well as intellectual fitness.

President Obama delivers Hampton U. graduation address

President Barack Obama returned to the Hampton Unversity campus yesterday to give a commencement speech in which he cited the struggle of African Americans to gain the right to an education.

President Obama's presence at the podium was met with a roar of clapping and cheering and a shout from the crowd: "I love you." "I love you back, that's why I'm here," the President replied.

In his commencement speech, he said the founders of Hampton University and all historically black colleges knew that the inequality wouldn't vanish overnight but that an education was the place to start.

He quoted Frederick Douglass, saying that "education ... means emancipation," and told graduates that their college degrees are more important than ever, because high school diplomas are no longer a ticket to a solid middle-class life.

"All those checks you or your parents wrote to Hampton will pay off," he said. "You are in a strong position to out compete workers around the world."

Obama spoke of disparity in academic achievement, with blacks being outperformed by their white classmates, and rich students outperforming poor students, no matter their skin color. All Americans have a responsibility to change that, he said.

"Be role models for your brothers and sisters," Obama told graduates. "Be mentors in your communities. And when the time comes, pass that sense of an education's value down to your children."

President Barack Obama accepted an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Hampton University after the speecch. He also was given an athletic jersey with "Hampton University" on one side and "President Barack Obama" on the other. "He promised me he's going to wear it, so you'll see it on TV," Hampton University President William Harvey said.