That's just a tiny fraction of the 23,000 pounds of mercury the EPA estimates comes from U.S. cement plants every year. And it's far below the record-setting levels from a cement plant in Eastern Oregon. That facility, in Durkee, Ore., is thought to be the biggest single industrial source of mercury in the country - at more than 2,500 pounds per year.

Smith University, is an estimated $800,000, according to Gerald Hector, the university's vice president for business and finance. Through fundraising, the university has raised about $320,000 of the construction costs and plans to continue its efforts as well as explore other private funds or loans.

The Bureau of Labor and Statistics estimated that an entry-level aerospace engineer holding an associate degree was liable to make an average income of $58,000 in 2010, which in some cases ranked well over the entry-level salaries of graduates holding a bachelor's degree.

The House bill imposes that same tax on more colleges – private colleges with income of $250,000 per student (estimated to hit 65 to 70 colleges).