University President

- Johns Hopkins Hospital's Dr. Ben Carson tested the political waters Saturday at the Conservative Political Action Conference, where many said he would be a popular Republican contender for the White House. Carson's speech was met with several standing ovations - with the most enthusiastic applause following a veiled comment about his plans after retiring from Hopkins. And he ranked well in a straw poll, where he was on the ballot against nearly two dozen of the nation's most prominent conservative voices.

Embattled Coppin State University President Reginald S. Avery will step down in January, nearly a year after faculty gave him a vote of no confidence for lacking vision and before his initiatives to improve the state's lowest graduation rates have shown any progress. Avery, 66, who announced the move Wednesday, said that the vote did not factor into his decision, but that he felt the time was right to "step aside" after five years leading the West Baltimore institution. He acknowledged that a turnaround hadn't occurred, but said he plans to return to the classroom where he would continue seeking to improve student engagement on the campus and in the community.

A 19-year-old woman allegedly raped by former Calvert Hall star Gary Neal and a La Salle University basketball teammate told police she was so drunk she was throwing up into a sink when Neal forced himself on her, according to a police investigation report. In the report, the woman says Neal was the first to rape her in a dormitory at the Philadelphia school at about 1 a.m on June 24. She told investigators Michael Cleaves joined in, saying at one point: "I want to get some of that." Neal, a 6-foot-4 guard who grew up in Aberdeen, was the Explorers' leading scorer last season as a sophomore.

The Towson University Alumni Association Board of Directors supports President Maravene Loeschke and her commitment to advance our alma mater's focus on student success and academic excellence. Since Ms. Loeschke's arrival, Towson alumni have witnessed countless examples of her enthusiasm and devotion to Towson University. Her love for students is evident in everything she does. Dr. Loeschke's leadership - transparent, compassionate, inclusive and decisive - has served her well in making difficult, sometimes heart-wrenching decisions.

BWI Business Partnership's April signature breakfast will be held Wednesday, April 17 from 7:45 to 9:15 a.m. at the Hotel at Arundel Preserve, 7795 Arundel Mills Boulevard, in Hanover. Keynote speaker Maravene Loeschke, president of Towson University, will talk about new initiatives at Towson. Towson University is one of the largest public universities in Maryland, and has interdisciplinary partnerships with public and private institutions, which provide research, internship and jobs for students.

William Charles "Bill" Merwin, who had been president of Salisbury University and later became a consultant, died May 6 from complications of an infection at a Jacksonville, Fla., nursing home. He was 71. The son of an accountant and a homemaker, Dr. Merwin was born and raised in Lacrosse, Wis., where he graduated in 1957 from Aquinas High School. He earned bachelor's and master's degrees in history and secondary education from the University of Wisconsin-Lacrosse. Dr. Merwin was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship and studied in Japan.

Four presidents at public research universities made a collective $9.2 million in fiscal year 2012, with the top earner of the group making much of his money because he was fired, according to a report released Sunday by the Chronicle of Higher Education. Graham B. Spanier, who was terminated from Pennsylvania State University in late 2011 for his handling of a child-molestation scandal, was paid $2.9 million - $1.2 million of it in severance. This was the first fiscal year that four presidents topped the million mark in compensation.

The presidents of Maryland's leading public universities are modestly compensated compared to peers in other states, according to a survey being released today by the Chronicle of Higher Education. C.D. "Dan" Mote Jr., president of the University of Maryland, College Park, made $498,284 in salary and retirement benefits, according to the survey of the 2008-2009 school year. But Mote ranked 60th among 186 public university presidents across the nation. William E. Kirwan, chancellor of the university system, made $490,000, almost $60,000 less than the previous year, and turned down $100,000 in deferred salary.

The faculty at Coppin State University overwhelmingly expressed no confidence in the institution's president, Reginald Avery, in a vote taken Monday, according to letters obtained late Thursday by The Baltimore Sun. Fifty-five faculty members indicated that they are not satisfied with the leadership of Avery, who has been the school's head since January 2008. Thirteen faculty members opposed the no-confidence vote during the all-faculty meeting. "[Avery] has brought neither a clear vision of mission to CSU, nor established a coherent or viable strategic plan, nor wisely allocated resources," wrote Nicholas Eugene, the leader of the university's faculty senate, in a letter dated Wednesday to William E. Kirwan, chancellor of the state's university system.