Weekly academia roundup #2
A summary of what I'm reading this week
There has been continued fallout and confusion at West Virginia University. In early August 2023, the university announced recommendations to cut 10% of majors and over 150 full-time faculty positions. The university has backtracked on some proposed cuts to programs and will announce additional recommendations over the next couple of weeks. The WVU Board of Governors will vote on the final recommendations on Sept. 15. Other writers have pointed out that what happens at WVU may be a blueprint for other universities.
As university students return for the Fall semester, The New York Times has several articles on the state of higher education. One article describes a College-Access Index that highlights the economic diversity at US colleges and universities. The index uses data on the number of Pell Grant recipients over time. Pell Grants are part of a federal program to support undergraduate students who display exceptional financial need1. The authors note that most elite colleges have become more diverse since 2010.
I think the NYT index on college access is a useful metric in a sea of metrics for ranking institutions of higher education. However, I prefer the more detailed Social Mobility Index that provides a more complete picture of diversity beyond the number of Pell Grant recipients. The Social Mobility Index combines data on the economic background of students, tuition, graduation rates, endowment, and the median salary of students five years after graduation. The Social Mobility Index also includes data on over 1,400 institutions compared to just over 300 in the NYT College Access Index. My own university, The University of New Hampshire, performs poorly on both metrics. UNH was in the bottom 12% of all institutions of higher education in advancing social mobility.
For years (see here, here, and here), scientists have been speaking out about issues of assault and harassment for women working in Antarctica. These issues were highlighted again last week with an article in the Associated Press.
Graduate students at universities across the USA are continuing to unionize. There was a 56% increase in the number student bargaining units in the past year and a half alone.
As always, Terry McGlynn has a nice collection of articles from last week on scientific publishing, pay disparities, and more.
https://www2.ed.gov/programs/fpg/index.html