Harvard Recruiters Getting Help

I'm no coach and I don't know all the ins and outs of this stuff, but I think recruiting against Harvard -- already difficult -- just got harder. News out of Cambridge is that Harvard's financial aid package will be significantly improved for middle income families. From an Associated Press story:

Families earning well into six figures will see the cost of a Harvard education reduced by thousands of dollars per year under a major financial aid initiative announced Monday that is bound to draw attention far beyond the school's ivy-covered walls.

Harvard — whose $34.9-billion endowment is the largest of any university — already offered one of the most generous aid programs for low-income students of any private college, asking nothing from parents earning under $60,000.

And this ...

Under the new plan, parents earning between $60,000 and $120,000 will pay a percentage of their income, rising to 10 percent. Families with incomes between $120,000 and $180,000 will have to pay 10 percent of their incomes, but no more.

In case you are wondering, expect recruiting against Yale to get tougher as well. In its story, the Harvard Crimson notes:

In response to questions about Harvard’s new initiative, Yale’s president, Richard C. Levin, told the Yale Daily News yesterday that the university would make a major announcement regarding financial aid in January.

Of course, if Harvard is doing it and Yale is planning on doing it, rest assured Princeton will do the same thing -- or top it.

Speaking of Harvard, today's Crimson has a story headlined: "HOMELESS TO HARVARD: A Ticket Out of Poverty; Sophomore, single mom, overcame addiction on long path to Harvard." It's an interesting read.

Former Dartmouth defensive coordinator Rob Talley is interviewing for the head coaching position at the University of Rhode Island according to the Providence Journal. Rob just concluded his first season as a head coach at Stonehill, helping the team go 5-5.

The Detroit News writes that Brown is in the running for a 6-3 wide receiver whose 200 career receptions place him second on the all-time list for Michigan high schoolers, but that's not why I note this. Once again, a newspaper that should know better says he's in line for a "scholarship" to Brown. The story also says, "Brown is one of three major universities located in Providence. The others are Providence College and the other the University of Rhode Island." Rhode Island School of Design yes. But as Rob Talley could tell you, URI is 30 miles south of Providence.