Higher Education & Academic Research

NEW ORLEANS — November 12, 2026 -- The Xavier Ochsner College of Medicine formally opened its 72,000-square-foot Center for Medical Education in Benson Tower in the New Orleans BioDistrict and opened applications for its first class, which starts in 2027.

The opening follows preliminary accreditation from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education in October. The school was formed in 2024 through a partnership between Xavier University of Louisiana and Ochsner Health, so its first students will arrive about three years after formation.

The new center will house only the first two of four curriculum years

First- and second-year students will learn in the center's team-based classrooms and education laboratories. Third- and fourth-year students, the other half of the four-year program, will complete clinical clerkships in Ochsner facilities. The named sites are Ochsner Medical Center - New Orleans, Ochsner Children's and Ochsner Baptist.

Wismar – November 12, 2026 -- NEURA Electronics GmbH, a Bösingen-based maker of control cabinets and control technology for robotics and humanoid systems, is relying on the MBA Applied AI at WINGS to build AI expertise at management level.

NEURA Electronics treats AI as a leadership task rather than an IT project

NEURA Electronics develops and manufactures control cabinets and control technology for the automotive industry, industrial automation, robotics and new humanoid technologies. The company is one of several that have chosen the program, according to WINGS.

Managing Director Jens Arnold says AI is a leadership responsibility at the company, not an IT project. Because NEURA builds robots that think for themselves, he argues, its managers must understand how AI works.

Berlin – November 12, 2026 -- Forty-two percent of surveyed German students report strong to extreme climate anxiety, and health insurer mkk - meine krankenkasse and Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (HAW Hamburg) are now offering universities a prevention program to address it.

Survey of 4,494 students from about 190 universities drives program design

The program, called KLIM MENT, is based on a non-representative online survey from the 2024/2025 winter semester. Respondents came from roughly 190 higher education institutions. Many said they want personal and psychological support, low-threshold contact points, and better communication and transparency from their universities.

Washington – November 12, 2026 -- American University will award an honorary degree to Cleveland Mayor Justin M. Bibb, a 2009 alumnus, when he addresses 1,100 graduates at its December commencement on December 20, 2026.

Ceremony Covers Eight Academic Units at Bender Arena

The ceremony begins at 9:00 a.m. in Bender Arena on the AU campus. Graduates will receive degrees from eight academic units. Bibb, who earned a BA from the School of Public Affairs, will be the university's 152nd commencement speaker.

AU's David Marchick will join Bibb at the ceremony. Marchick described Bibb as Cleveland's first millennial mayor and said he demonstrates the impact AU graduates can make.