Lombardi spoke Monday with the students' families. He said both students, who were diagnosed Feb. 16, were released from Ohio hospitals over the weekend and are recovering.

"We're very pleased to hear both students are on the mend, and we're looking forward to having them back on campus," Lombardi said. "They have started working with their colleges to make up assignments they've missed."

A serious illness that infects the linings of the brain and spinal cord, bacterial meningitis can pass from one person to another through contact with saliva, such as by kissing or coughing, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The earlier the illness is treated, the better chances are for recovery.

As of Monday evening, Hudson Health Center had administered prophylactic antibiotics to 388 students who thought they may have been in contact with the ill students and vaccines to 56 students who hadn't previously been vaccinated but wanted to be protected in case a future outbreak were to occur.

Additional information is available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at www.cdc.gov/meningitis/bacterial/faqs.htm and the American College Health Association at www.acha.org/projects_programs/meningitis/.