Photo: Johnny Pippins and Fortepan Iowa

Clemency petitions, which include pardons and sentence commutations, must address two main questions: Why are you in need of the relief? Why do you deserve relief?

For Johnny Pippins, who has served 26 years behind bars for murder, the answer to both questions is his education.

Otterbein University and Antioch University are combining forces—but not merging—to create an affiliation that aims to build a national university system focused on graduate education and adult students.

Mergers and acquisitions across higher education have made national headlines in recent years as colleges make such moves to remain afloat. But this affiliation offers a different approach, one more comparable to a business alliance.

When college students experience a mental health crisis, a call to 9-1-1 is often the only option. The result is a visit from the police, which can perpetuate the stigma around mental health for someone going through a crisis.

California State University, Long Beach is changing that scenario with its Mobile Crisis Unit. Instead of only sending police, mental health professionals will also respond to crisis calls. It’s part of a new initiative to overhaul how the campus addresses the mental health needs of its students.