What’s the outlook for college fossil fuel divestment?
"When Harvard University announced last fall that it would be divesting its endowment from the fossil fuel industry, it was part of a deluge. Roughly 20 colleges and universities announced last year that they would be divesting their endowments from the fossil fuel industry, according to a list maintained by environmental groups. Those included the California State University System, Dartmouth College, Amherst College and the University of Michigan. This year, that momentum appeared to have slowed slightly ... " – Higher Ed Dive, 8/15/22
Conservative Students Sue Clovis Community College
"Students from a campus chapter of Young Americans for Freedom, a conservative student organization, sued campus officials at Clovis Community College in California last week for allegedly requiring them to take down fliers expressing conservative viewpoints. The students are being represented by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), an organization that promotes academic freedom, free speech and due process rights." – Inside Higher Ed, 8/15/22
College students: How do you feel about returning to school post-Roe?
"The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in late June has limited access to abortion in roughly half the country. Now, a battle over abortion is playing out in legislation and lawsuits across the country. Historically Black colleges and universities are especially affected by Roe’s reversal due to their concentration in states that are restrict abortion. The decision has recalculated the some college-bound students to attend different schools." – Washington Post, 8/15/22
21,000 Fish Die in ‘Catastrophic Failure’ at California Research Center
"About 21,000 fish at an aquatic research center at the University of California, Davis, died from chlorine exposure in what the university described as a 'catastrophic failure' that had shocked researchers and would significantly delay their studies. The university said in a statement that it would investigate 'where our process failed' and initiate an independent external review." – New York Times, 8/15/22
Higher Education is Complicit in the Politicization of Science
"John Staddon is an emeritus professor of biology at Duke University and, thankfully, an academician who doesn’t fear being 'canceled' for voicing incorrect opinions. His latest book, Science in an Age of Unreason, abounds in such opinions. Staddon argues that science is in dire straits in America due to the way that it has become politicized, with many topics now 'off-limits' because the pursuit of truth might offend certain groups. Science should be dispassionate, but, in the modern university, passion often carries the day." – The James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal, 8/15/22
IUPUI to Split Into 2 Universities
"After five-plus decades as a joint venture, Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis is taking on a new form, one that will not continue the collaborative effort between its namesake partners. IUPUI will soon have a new name and structure as Indiana University and Purdue University split IUPUI into two institutions. The two universities announced the decision at their respective Board of Trustees meetings Friday morning, significantly reshaping a partnership that was minted in 1969 when the two institutions merged a number of programs to create the research institution in Indianapolis." – Inside Higher Ed, 8/15/22
Fluid students flowing in and out of education are higher ed’s future. Here’s how colleges must adapt.
"The enrollment crisis — indeed the workforce crisis — cannot be fixed by more aggressively recruiting students who already plan to attend four-year institutions. Nor can it be solved by appealing to nontraditional students by tweaking longstanding practices — by eliminating fees, eliminating the need for SATs, special programs to support first-generation students on traditional campuses, and so on. We need less tweaking and more rethinking of how to deliver greater access, affordability and equity in higher education, and we must do it at scale." – Higher Ed Dive, 8/15/22
Harvard flunks in this college ranking system
"These are statements you don’t often hear: Harvard is a fourth-tier institution. In fact, it ranks 847th out of 1,320 bachelor’s degree-granting institutions across the United States. But if you measure colleges in terms of the economic mobility they actually provide — rather than exclusivity and test scores — they are spot-on." – Washington Post, 8/14/22
Park the snowplow: Parents need to let first-year college students grow
"We understand that you want your students to get off to a good start and that social media and email provide an unprecedented opportunity to get answers quickly and connect with other parents; nonetheless, in a twist on the iconic advice of Ronald Reagan, we urge you to trust (your children) and, unless it is urgently necessary, refrain from verifying." – The Hill, 8/14/22
Colleges warn students about monkeypox risk as fall term approaches
"One by one, cases of the painful viral infection popped up this summer at George Washington, Georgetown and American universities. Now these schools in the nation’s capital and others across the country are warning their communities to be on guard against the potential spread of monkeypox in the coming weeks when students return to campus for the fall term." – Washington Post, 8/13/22
