Corruption calls for drastic reform in universities

Chinese anti-corruption officials daring to catch tigers and flies both may already have new targets in their crosshairs: college officials abusing power for personal gains.

Over the past week, the public has been reeling from a barrage of media reports that Cai Rongsheng, head of admissions at the prestigious Renmin University of China, is being investigated for his role in a scandal that involved selling seats in the public university for hefty prices.

The fall of Cai, who reportedly has been detained while trying to flee China with a fake passport, has heightened people's anticipation of a major clean-up, and a possible domino effect at the university, after inspectors from the Communist Party of China said in late September that they had discovered "weak links" in its financial management, officials' pay and students' recruitment, and received tips on problems related to the institution's top officials. Such euphemisms bode ill for officials as they often herald formal criminal investigations.