A Blackburn College graduate who produced an off-Broadway musical for a New York theater festival in August took home an award for best music for the festival for the year. Carlinville native Richard Russell staged the play “It Takes a Rainbow” in August for the Midtown International Theatre Festival’s summer session. It was the play’s first performance outside of a school setting. More.

Because the beloved community is what God intends for us, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is engaging in an ongoing campaign to share a wealth of antiracism resources with the greater church. As part of the Facing Racism campaign, books, worship suggestions, studies, training sessions and other resources are posted here to assist in equipping congregations in their work against racism. More.

Mary Baldwin University is responding to pushback after admitting men for the first time in its 175-year history by "confirming its commitment to women’s education, leadership and empowerment." There are three components to this commitment: the naming of a new dean for the College for Women; five new programming initiatives; and the announcement of new support to assist in recruiting women for MBCW for the fall of 2018. More.

At 224 years old, Tusculum College is going through changes. And the first step is a name change. For the 2018-19 academic year, the school will formally change from Tusculum College to Tusculum University. Along with the name change, Tusculum President James Hurley said the institution is evolving to accommodate more programs to appeal to a broader spectrum of prospective students. More.

In a political era defined by echo chambers and fake news, Davidson professors joined forces to lend insight, lead discussion and—maybe—restore a measure of civility to political discourse. A new series, "Challenge the Policy: Political-Economic Analyses of Trump-Era Proposals," provided fact-checked information, mental elbow room and time for discussion on two pressing national issues: inequality and immigration. More.

Timothy Gaster, professor of modern languages, literature and cultures at Monmouth College has been conducting workshops to help Monmouth’s growing immigrant population understand what documentation they need to become U.S. citizens. More.

“I have no message to sell you, except a science message,” Tom Werkema Jr. said during a guest lecture Monday at Maryville College. Werkema, a part of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change group that was co-winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 along with Al Gore, has spent over 20 years at the national and international levels working with climate change. More.

Bloomfield College received one of the largest gifts by a foundation in the school's 150 years, a $1 million donation from the JC Kellogg Foundation, administrators announced Monday. The gift from the Kellogg Foundation will be used to "create a new pension incentive program for staff, with eligibility depending on the employee's annual salary," Bloomfield College administrators stated. More.

A $300,000 federal grant that Westminster College received will be for enhancing the school's efforts to prevent sexual and domestic violence. The grant money will be used to hire a new full-time employee on campus focused on these issues and a nurse trained to handle sexual assault cases. It will also be used to purchase a new online training module to educate students, faculty and staff. More.

President Bob Staton announced Presbyterian College’s new comprehensive strategic plan, “The Promise of PC,” on Nov. 20. Presbyterian College’s Board of Trustees unanimously approved the plan, which positions the school for academic, athletic and financial success for many years to come. More.

The NAIA Division II men’s basketball tournament has found a new home after a national anthem disagreement took the event out of Point Lookout, Mo. The College of the Ozarks had been the site of the tournament for the previous 18 seasons. But the event was pulled — and the school said it requested the move — when the NAIA wouldn’t agree to have participating schools pledge to stand for the national anthem. More.

An Alzheimer’s patient listens to music from his past and starts to form words he has not uttered in years. A wounded soldier creates a sculpture to sort through a traumatic incident on the battlefield. A child receiving cancer treatment happily paints a picture during a hospital visit to take her mind off the procedure. All are methods of expressive arts therapy, and they are vital tools in psychological treatment. It’s a truth Warren Wilson College recognizes as it offers a new major in the field. More.

Rocky Mountain College hosted a second annual bone marrow drive Thursday, November 16. This year, the bone marrow drive was held in honor of RMC senior basketball player Marissa Van Atta who is battling acute myeloid leukemia. Marissa and her family are still searching to find her lifesaving match. More.

High school valedictorians and salutatorians can now attend college tuition-free at Blackburn College. A unique college with the only student-managed work program in the country, Blackburn is extending the offer of tuition-free education to all high school valedictorians and salutatorians throughout the U.S.  More.

From environmental science to biology, The College of Idaho presented a wide range of student research on Nov. 9-10 at the 26th Annual Murdock College Science Research Conference in Spokane, Washington, with one student coming away with an award for her summer research at the event. More.

Clarence “Clay” Armbrister will become the 14th president of the historically black school effective Jan. 1, JCSU announced earlier this month. He succeeds Ron Carter, who will step down after leading the 150-year-old university for nine years. Armbrister is president of Philadelphia’s Girard College, an independent college preparatory school for students from economically disadvantaged families. More.