Academia roundup #8
🔹 Recently in Higher Ed
As always there has been a flurry of news related to the US federal government and higher education. The last couple of weeks have included massive cuts to grant at Columbia and Penn, the arrest and attempted deportation of a US permanent resident, and the deportation of a faculty member. These are well covered in the news right now. It seems that individual faculty members, and even colleges and universities themselves, are ill-equipped to take on many of these challenges. The efforts of larger institutions (e.g., APLU, ACLU, AAUP) may be key in this environment.
🔹 Key Headlines (you might have missed)
A recent opinion piece highlighted the need for colleges to kick their addiction to consultants. Since serving in faculty senate for the past two years, I’ve been surprised to learn the degree to which parts of the university rely on outside consultants. We have a lot of expertise on campus that isn’t being fully utilized. I suspect this is the case in lots of places.
The University of California will stop requiring diversity statements in hiring. What comes next?
The ACLU posted an open letter to college presidents regarding free speech on campus.
Many colleges are feeling financial stress, resulting in some closing. A new white paper tries to predict which colleges are the most at risk of closing in the future. They include a searchable table so you can see how your institution fares.
An opinion piece in The Atlantic notes that higher education needs to do a better job of advocating for its value.
Can general education models be fixed at colleges? My own institution has been grappling with this difficult question for years.
🔹 Data Corner
According to a recent report, approximately 40% of UK universities are currently operating with budget deficits, leading to staff reductions and program closures. This financial strain underscores the global challenges facing higher education institutions.
🔹 Closing Note
I keep reflecting on the current moment in higher education and how it connects to the broader history of education. Are the challenges institutions face today truly new, or is this moment simply exposing long-standing, underlying issues that have gone unnoticed? I keep returning to Warren Buffett’s quip: “Only when the tide goes out do you discover who's been swimming naked.”
Thank you for reading this edition of Higher Ed Higher Hopes academia roundup. Please comment below if you have interesting articles that I should highlight.