Education

Nichols College in Dudley has elected a new chair and vice chair of its 29-member board of trustees.

Worcester Polytechnic Institute President Laurie Leshin will leave her role at the college to become the director of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology, according to a Thursday announcement from Caltech.

Framingham State University received a second grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) totaling $146,785 which will be used to expand programs on investigating race through the University’s Digital Humanities program.

Hudson nonprofit Crossroads Continuum has launched a therapeutic services program for children with autism and related disorders between the ages of 3 and 6 at its Marlborough-based Crossroads Learning Center, according to a Tuesday announcement.

State education officials this spring will evaluate admissions and waitlist data from vocational-technical high schools and "begin the process of intervening if necessary," Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Jeff Riley said this week.

Framingham State University is freezing its undergraduate tuition, fees, and standard housing rates for a second consecutive academic year in an effort to provide relief during the coronavirus pandemic.

The North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce will team up with the Leominster nonprofit Spanish American Center and Mount Wachusett Community College in Gardner as part of a national grant program aimed at breaking down barriers for and increasing the number of students of color earning short-term industry-related credentials and degrees.

African Community Education, a Worcester nonprofit which assists African refugee and immigrant families, has purchased the former site of Learning First Charter Public School on Gage Street for $1.8 million, according to the Worcester South District Registry of Deeds.

UMass Memorial Health’s Community Healthlink division is partnering with William James College in Newton to serve as a field training site for WJC students, the pair announced on Wednesday.

Assumption University in Worcester broke ground on its new $2.6-million athletic facility on Jan. 9, funded by notable college football coach and alumnus Brian Kelly, according to a story on the college’s website.