Campus

The University of Phoenix announced plans this week to close more than 100 locations nationwide, including the Timonium center in Baltimore County. The 70 students enrolled at the Greenspring Drive branch can complete their degrees online or enroll at the school's Columbia campus in Howard County, said Rick Castellano, a spokesman with for the for-profit university. "We understand its not the ideal situation for everyone," he said. But the vast majority of the school's 328,000 students are already enrolling in online courses, he said, reducing the need for physical locations.

A Baltimore City Council committee on Thursday approved the sale of up to $35 million in bonds to help finance Under Armour's expansion of its Tide Point corporate headquarters. The Budget and Taxation Committee unanimously approved the sale of the bonds. The measure is to move to the full City Council on Monday. The council last month voted unanimously and without discussion to approve tax increment financing for the project. The deal allows the city to issue bonds to pay for infrastructure improvements on and around the waterfront campus.

This week, Baltimore County school officials started distributing hand-held metal detectors to school resource officers to help in the effort to keep weapons off campus. At the same time, Anne Arundel County made an app for students to submit tips about possible threats available on iTunes and Google Play. Parents who are worried about the rash of weapons incidents in area schools this year may be inclined to think Baltimore County is taking the more significant step, but research and recent experience suggest otherwise.

The U.S. Supreme Court takes up the issue of racial preference in college admissions on Wednesday, and that ought to be a concern for those who believe such policies have provided countless opportunities for minorities - and enriched the educational experience for whites. There is a growing movement in this country to eliminate affirmative action on the grounds that it's no longer needed - or was even helpful in the first place. Granted, this can be a complex issue, and even the most liberal interpretations of the race-conscious policy acknowledge that a balance must be struck to make colleges diverse but also keep the admissions process fair and merit-based.

Maryland freshman offensive lineman Nick Brigham has withdrawn from the university for personal reasons, a team spokesman said Wednesday. Brigham, a 6-foot-2, 280-pound guard from Atlanta, was a four-star prospect and the No. 28 player in Georgia, according to 247Sports.com. He never appeared in a game for Maryland. Brigham, a 3.9 student in high school, committed to the Terps in March 2011 shortly after a visit to College Park.  "And so I went there, looked at it completely, objectively," Brigham told The Sun . "Would I still love this campus even if I didn't have football?

Maryland's two largest public research universities launched a joint public health program Tuesday, the first of a series of planned collaborations designed to break down barriers between the two campuses. Officials say the joint program will enable students to draw upon the University of Maryland, College Park's expertise in subjects such as biostatistics and the social sciences while benefiting from opportunities for clinical research at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore.

The Baltimore City Council approved a deal Monday in which the city will sell up to $35 million in bonds to fund infrastructure projects around Under Armour's Tide Point corporate headquarters. Company officials sought the city's support as they planned to double the size of the Locust Point campus. Activists, including members of Occupy Baltimore, protested the deal, saying the $1 billion international athletic wear brand does not need financial assistance from the cash-strapped city.

Baltimore police have arrested and charged a 20-year-old man in a shooting they say resulted from a dispute over drugs that left a teen critically wounded on the campus of Morgan State University last week. Kelly Lamont Ellerbee of the 6000 block of Chinquapin Parkway faces attempted first-degree murder and related charges in the shooting of 19-year-old Michael Antonio Campbell at the student center. Police said Ellerbee and Campbell knew each other but would not say whether they believe Ellerbee went to the campus for the purpose of shooting Campbell or whether the two men went with each other.

Morgan State University was placed on emergency lockdown and classes were canceled Wednesday night after a man was shot on campus — the latest in a series of violent incidents that have touched the region's schools this fall. Many students had just gotten out of class for the day, and others were preparing for evening lectures around 4:15 p.m. when gunfire rang out in Morgan's student center, rattling the Northeast Baltimore campus. A message sent through Morgan's campus alert system soon aired a warning: "EMERGENCY!

Dizzy, Sara and Remi don't know whether or not the new freshmen at McDaniel College are feeling a little homesick, or experiencing their first time on a campus away from family or friends. But regardless, on Tuesday they were only too happy to cuddle with students who needed a hug in Whiteford Hall, the dorm for freshmen females, and also spent time visiting students at Kriel Lounge, a popular gathering place that includes a large cafeteria. The trio - Sara and Remi are spaniels, and Dizzy is a Chinese crested puff - were tough to resist, with their tails wagging and their puppy dog eyes.