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Chronicle of Higher Education

@chronicle.com
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Academe’s most trusted resource for independent journalism, career development, and forward-looking intelligence. Website: www.chronicle.com

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Chronicle of Higher Education @chronicle.com · 22h
In this week's Review newsletter: Jill Lepore warns that “the artificial state” alienates citizens from one another and weakens civic obligation. Subscribe here, it's free: chroni.cl/4srYE37
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Jill Lepore on AI, Harvard, and More
Plus: Misinformation and conservative civics.
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Chronicle of Higher Education @chronicle.com · 23h
When a Wyoming microbiology student came down with troubling symptoms, his wife teamed up with chemistry professors to test the water in his coffee pot. Now, a grad-school colleague faces charges that she tried to poison him before attempting to escape to China. chroni.cl/4ynYoDi
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Accused of Poisoning Colleague’s Tea, U. of Wyoming Grad Student Tried to Flee to China
She was carrying multiple laptops, portable digital-storage devices, physical records, and written materials when arrested, records show.
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Chronicle of Higher Education @chronicle.com · 16/10/2026
Opinion: At the University of Toronto 160 spots in “Dead Book Clubs” filled in one day. No phones. No grades. No professors. Just students reading Kafka, Munro, Greene and others together. What does this enthusiasm say about the so-called reading crisis? chroni.cl/3UvA9VZ
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Opinion | Long Live ‘Dead Book Clubs’
A solution to the reading crisis: Make space for students to discuss literature outside the classroom.
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Chronicle of Higher Education @chronicle.com · 16/10/2026
On many campuses, fraternities appear more powerful than presidents. In this episode of College Matters, Holden Thorp, who had a tumultuous run as chancellor of UNC Chapel Hill, said frats and football are virtually untouchable. chroni.cl/4i6x5re
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Chronicle of Higher Education @chronicle.com · 16/10/2026
Many higher ed workers prefer working remotely at least part-time, surveys find. But there are trade-offs: less feedback, weaker ties and fewer creative ideas, especially for junior employees. Two economists explain what that means for higher ed. chroni.cl/4dGaNv5
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The Case Against Remote Work
Two academics say the data show being on campus is better.
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Chronicle of Higher Education @chronicle.com · 15/10/2026
From 2019: Thehumanities are experiencing a “second secularization.” First religion lost authority, then the cultural canon did. The result, this essay argues, is a post-religious, post-canon age. chroni.cl/4i2yZJt
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Losing Faith in the Humanities
The decline of religion and the decline of the canon are part of the same big story.
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Chronicle of Higher Education @chronicle.com · 15/10/2026
Sonoma State cut its NCAA Division II program to help close a $24-million deficit. Then enrollment fell by 800 students, including athletes. Now 10 sports will return in 2027. Understand how leaders reversed the decision and subscribe to our free leadership newsletter: chroni.cl/4dH4NlP
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A Struggling Regional University Reverses a Big Cut
Why tigers and higher-ed leadership were in the news this week. And we ask you to share which snacks you bring to all-staffs and check-ins.
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Chronicle of Higher Education @chronicle.com · 15/10/2026
Cornell’s 2025 campus-climate survey found that 35 percent of undergraduate women and 8 percent of undergraduate men reported nonconsensual sexual contact. But a lower response rate complicates comparisons with prior years. We examined what the data can and can’t show. chroni.cl/4zu7pf6
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Does Cornell Really Have a Sexual-Violence Problem? Here’s What the Data Say.
Increasing shares of undergraduate women said in a 2025 campus survey that they had experienced harassment, stalking, and various forms of sexual violence.
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Chronicle of Higher Education @chronicle.com · 15/10/2026
New: Cornell's president said he would take, "a very careful, open look" at Greek life on the university's campus during a contentious meeting with the Faculty Senate on Wednesday afternoon. chroni.cl/4yjD5mj
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Cornell President Faces Critical Professors in Contentious Meeting of Faculty Senate
Michael I. Kotlikoff was criticized for only acting in response to public scrutiny, rather than attending to “the systemic nature of the problem,” as one senator put it.
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Chronicle of Higher Education @chronicle.com · 15/10/2026
Experts say Cornell appears to have followed federal law and its own protocols after Jane Doe’s sexual-assault report. But the university acknowledges that it fell short in other ways. chroni.cl/4dFNUI3
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Did Cornell Do Enough?
The university followed protocols in Jane Doe’s case, experts say, but that doesn’t let it off the hook.
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Chronicle of Higher Education @chronicle.com · 15/10/2026
Opinion: The University of Michigan paused a first-semester pass/fail pilot after national criticism and “distorted narratives,” its president said. In this opinion essay, a Michigan professor argues the retreat sets a troubling precedent for academic decision-making. chroni.cl/4il1282
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Opinion | The U. of Michigan Bows to Malicious Misinformation
The president’s capitulation to ignorant criticism is undignified and unwise.
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Chronicle of Higher Education @chronicle.com · 14/10/2026
New: Richard Linton, president of Kansas State University since 2022, will be the next president of Virginia Tech. He'll take over from Timothy Sands, who abruptly announced his resignation in April. chroni.cl/4yQnc80
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After Tim Sands’ Abrupt Resignation, Virginia Tech Appoints New President
Also, the former president of the now-defunct Eastern Gateway Community College is indicted as part of an alleged scheme to steal $20 million from the institution.
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Chronicle of Higher Education @chronicle.com · 14/10/2026
From 2016: Public intellectuals do not just address an audience. At their best, they help create one. Today’s challenge isn't the lack of intellectuals, but the difficulty of creating publics that last. chroni.cl/4dze1Ay
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How Intellectuals Create a Public
They offer arguments that produce and galvanize new audiences.
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Chronicle of Higher Education @chronicle.com · 14/10/2026
New: Micheal Kotlikoff, president of Cornell University, said in an interview published on Tuesday that he hadn't realized Jane Doe had dropped out. chroni.cl/4edZzOv
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Cornell President Says He Didn’t Know Jane Doe Had Dropped Out
Michael I. Kotlikoff told <i>The New York Times</i> that he didn’t follow up to learn what happened to Doe or the accused men after the 2025 campus investigation.
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Chronicle of Higher Education @chronicle.com · 14/10/2026
Advice: Have you abandoned research papers because of AI? You don't have to. Here's three ways to preserve student writing: version histories, “day two” assessments, and carefully used detection tools. chroni.cl/4hN9gWo
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How to Assign Research Papers Again
Three ways to counter AI and restore confidence in the integrity of student writing.
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Chronicle of Higher Education @chronicle.com · 14/10/2026
At some colleges, modified admissions standards and crackdowns on unpaid fees hope to improve retention and graduation rates. But these changes also mean grappling with longstanding tensions around colleges’ missions and their bottom lines. chroni.cl/4B9WTvm
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Why Are Some Colleges Choosing to Reduce Their Enrollments?
Student headcount has long been a topline focus. But more institutions are now prioritizing retention.
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Chronicle of Higher Education @chronicle.com · 13/10/2026
New: Cornell University said on Tuesday that it's suspending all parties and social events held by fraternity chapters through the end of the academic year as it studies "whether and how" frats can safely continue. chroni.cl/47h5gYk
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Cornell Suspends Parties as It Looks Into ‘Whether’ Fraternities Will Survive
The university’s president also apologized for “the harm Jane Doe suffered in 2024" and said he was “appalled that this act of sexual violence occurred within our Cornell community.”
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Chronicle of Higher Education @chronicle.com · 13/10/2026
This Ohio college’s former president and two other people are accused of orchestrating a scheme to steal more than $20 million of financial aid by improperly funneling money through a for-profit company. chroni.cl/4s180SZ
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Indictment Details Alleged Theft of $20 Million in Financial Aid by Ohio College’s Former President, 2 Others
The now-closed Eastern Gateway Community College drew scrutiny after its enrollment skyrocketed from 8,500 students to more than 60,000 students over a five-year period.
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Chronicle of Higher Education @chronicle.com · 13/10/2026
Penn State will end 47 academic programs due to low enrollment, redundancy, or other factors, the Centre Daily Times reports. Just under 800 students study in the programs recommended for cuts. Get the details here: chroni.cl/4zvohlK
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Penn State to Close 47 Programs
In other finance news, outlook worsens for Oregon State’s ag college, the U. of Minnesota at Rochester looks to build, and Stockton to lay off 21 workers.
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Chronicle of Higher Education @chronicle.com · 13/10/2026
From 2024: If you landed a tenure-track job, would you quit? After the pandemic, students needed more support and professors' workloads increased, and despite his love for the work, this burnout professor left. chroni.cl/3VGfDlP
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He Got His Dream Job as a Professor. Then He Walked Away.
Michael Chen thought he’d stay at Nazareth University for the rest of his career. But, like other professors in recent years, he found that the job’s demands became too much.
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Chronicle of Higher Education @chronicle.com · 13/10/2026
Colleges have emphasized bystander-intervention as key to ending sexual violence. But experts say the practice's underlying theory sometimes runs counter to a pervasive culture in some fraternities of misogyny and allegiance to fellow members. chroni.cl/4s7Gdk4
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Cornell Has Called for ‘Bystander Intervention’ to Stop Rape. Does It Work?
The theory behind such training can be at odds with the prevailing culture of some Greek life institutions.
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Chronicle of Higher Education @chronicle.com · 13/10/2026
To steer them away from AI professors are tethering themselves to students like never before. It's a fraught battle, one that they say undermines their relationships with students, eats up tons of time, and limits the freedom undergrads need to become fully formed adults. chroni.cl/4B50yuf
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The New Nanny State
In their fight against AI, professors are monitoring their students in ways previously unimaginable.
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Chronicle of Higher Education @chronicle.com · 12/10/2026
Campus sexual assault has been debated for decades, with laws passed and Title IX rules rewritten by multiple administrations. A former Cornell student’s lawsuit has brought the issue back into public view and the timeline shows why it has remained so difficult to solve. chroni.cl/4hFRDYy
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The Debate Over Campus Sexual Assault Has Stretched for Decades
Cornell University’s Jane Doe has reignited outrage over an intractable issue.
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Chronicle of Higher Education @chronicle.com · 12/10/2026
In an otherwise-gloomy picture for foreign enrollments in the U.S., a rare bright spot: doctoral students. Their numbers increased by 5 percent between the fall of 2025 and the fall of 2026. chroni.cl/4yQaCWE
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A Rare Bright Spot for International Enrollments?
Although foreign students at American colleges have declined, more are seeking Ph.Ds.
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Chronicle of Higher Education @chronicle.com · 12/10/2026
Wittenberg University’s enrollment has fallen nearly in half since 2017. Now auditors cite “substantial doubt” about its ability to continue, even as its president says a turnaround plan is taking shape. chroni.cl/4yJ9J1M
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‘It’s a Turnaround Project’: Wittenberg U. Tries to Pull Out of Its Tailspin
The university’s problems — a technical default, auditors’ concerns about financial sustainability, and a guarantee to the federal government — stem from its enrollment troubles.
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Chronicle of Higher Education @chronicle.com · 12/10/2026
New York is one of a handful of states reconsidering laws that make it hard to prosecute rape cases if the victim drank willingly. The alleged gang rape at Cornell is turbocharging the debate over whether that should matter. chroni.cl/4AWrkVL
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Should It Matter in a Sexual-Assault Case If a Student Chose to Drink?
The Cornell allegations are once again forcing colleges to wrestle with how to define consent.
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Chronicle of Higher Education @chronicle.com · 12/10/2026
Jill Lepore, staff writer at The New Yorker and Harvard professor, uses AI in her own research and sees real promise in it. But she argues higher ed is failing students if it treats machine-written work as education. chroni.cl/4e3WLU2
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Jill Lepore: ‘Has Harvard Indeed Lost Its Mind?’
The historian and legal scholar on AI, angry students, and absent leadership.
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Chronicle of Higher Education @chronicle.com · 12/10/2026
Yale's president was caught on a hot mic on Saturday speaking negatively about student activists and a former trustee. Having a conversation with a dean she could be heard saying, "The trustees are exhausting.” chroni.cl/4ieGCO6
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‘Exhausting': Yale’s President Caught Disparaging Student Activists and a Former Trustee
Also, the former president of the now-defunct Eastern Gateway Community College is indicted as part of an alleged scheme to steal $20 million from the institution.
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Chronicle of Higher Education @chronicle.com · 09/10/2026
From the archive: For many former graduate students, leaving academe is not just leaving a job market. It can mean leaving an intellectual community, a mentor, and a version of the future they spent years preparing for. chroni.cl/4B4QdP5
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Academe’s Extinction Event: Failure, Whiskey, and Professional Collapse at the MLA
Taking stock of a vanishing world.
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Chronicle of Higher Education @chronicle.com · 09/10/2026
A coalition of higher-education organizations sued the Trump administration over a new, rigid interpretation of visa rules that could prohibit foreign students from taking part in most internships, co-ops, and other practicums. chroni.cl/4hQcOGb
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Will International-Education Policy Be Decided From the Bench?
Trump administration restrictions on foreign students are increasingly ending up in court.
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Chronicle of Higher Education @chronicle.com · 09/10/2026
An Ohio grand jury has indicted three people, including Eastern Gateway Community College’s former president and CFO, in an alleged $20 million scheme involving federal aid and a for-profit entity. chroni.cl/4hNxcYB
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Ex-President Among 3 Indicted in Alleged Scheme to Steal $20 Million From Ohio College
Also, Bard College’s former leader resigned his other campus posts after congressional lawmakers alleged he “likely enabled” Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes.
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Chronicle of Higher Education @chronicle.com · 09/10/2026
The Trump administration said Thursday that it is investigating nine universities for alleged J-1 visa fraud. The visa allows noncitizens to research and teach on American campuses as part of exchange programs. chroni.cl/47Jmqh8
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Trump Administration Says It Is Investigating 9 Colleges for Alleged J-1 Visa Fraud
Vice President Vance said the institutions are using the exchange visas “way to much” and in a manner that undercuts “the wages of American grad students and American researchers.”
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Chronicle of Higher Education @chronicle.com · 09/10/2026
The alleged Cornell gang rape has prompted calls to ban fraternities altogether. The university's president says doing so could make things worse, pushing the problems associated with Greek life “into the shadows.” chroni.cl/4zpfTEl
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Cornell's President Says Banning Frats Would Make Things Worse. Is He Right?
The ongoing fallout from Jane Doe's alleged rape in a fraternity house has raised an age-old debate in higher education.
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Chronicle of Higher Education @chronicle.com · 09/10/2026
Rumors circulated that the Cornell students accused in the alleged October 2024 sexual-assault case received essay writing as their only punishment. That wasn't true. Cornell's use of essay writing has kicked up a debate about a common student-conduct practice.https://chroni.cl/4jLTMmS
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Why the Cornell Men Accused in the ‘Jane Doe’ Case Wrote Essays
Inaccurate claims that reflective writing was their only punishment sparked an outcry.
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Chronicle of Higher Education @chronicle.com · 09/10/2026
Lindenwood University’s revenue rose from $115 million to $421 million after it bought two career-tech institutions. Its president’s next bet: a system where certificates, work experience, and degrees build into one pathway. chroni.cl/4B2B40K
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A College Moved Aggressively to Find New Revenue — and Help Students Transfer
Lindenwood University’s John Porter has a vision for helping students move from a certificate through graduate school.
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Chronicle of Higher Education @chronicle.com · 08/10/2026
New York is expanding its free community-college tuition program to include people who already have a degree, if they pursue certain in-demand fields. chroni.cl/4yyu7CN
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More New Yorkers Can Now Get Free Community College Even if They Already Have a Degree
The goal is for two-year institutions to reeducate early- and mid-career professionals who want to pivot into high-demand fields.
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Chronicle of Higher Education @chronicle.com · 08/10/2026
The Trump administration released a proposed rule that will have recent graduates pay a $70,000 application fee to participate in optional practical training, a popular work program for recent international graduates. The steep fees may keep many students away from OPT. chroni.cl/4zgMaxe
chronicle.com
Colleges Would Have to Pay $70K for Each Recent Graduate on OPT
For many international students, gaining American work experience along with their degree — through optional practical training — is seen as an integral part of their education.
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Chronicle of Higher Education @chronicle.com · 08/10/2026
The fight over land-grant HBCU underfunding has been reignited with a $549-million lawsuit in Missouri. Lincoln University advocates say the state made its HBCU "jump through hoops" for funding. chroni.cl/4yBoi7s
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A Lawsuit Says Missouri Squeezed a Land-Grant HBCU. More Suits Might Follow.
A $549-million lawsuit in Missouri is the latest shot fired in a legal battle over underfunding of the nation’s land-grant Black colleges.
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Chronicle of Higher Education @chronicle.com · 08/10/2026
Cornell University's Faculty Senate will put forth a vote of no-confidence in late October. The resolution as drafted states that the Senate “has no confidence in the ability of the central administration to effectively address the ongoing crisis of sexual assault.” chroni.cl/4y4AL2J
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Cornell Faculty’s No-Confidence Vote Is Slated for Late October
Also, professors who are teaching two of the men accused by Jane Doe say they’re struggling to manage the dynamics in their classes, according to reported audio recordings.
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Chronicle of Higher Education @chronicle.com · 08/10/2026
At a time when many college presidents avoid public fights, Wesleyan’s Michael Roth is taking the opposite approach — calling out the Trump administration and peers he sees as too quiet. The question is whether he’s building a defense of higher ed or standing mostly alone. chroni.cl/4yIr776
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The College President Who Won’t Shut Up
Michael Roth is trying to defend higher education. Why isn’t anyone joining him?
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Chronicle of Higher Education @chronicle.com · 07/10/2026
Opinion: What would it take for colleges to have a serious national conversation about their biggest disputes? Danielle Allen proposes seven university-hosted summits on questions including free speech, open inquiry, admissions, and merit. chroni.cl/4i5RLk6
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Danielle Allen’s Seven Summits
Plus: Michael Gorra; AI peer review; and humanities and non-majors.
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Chronicle of Higher Education @chronicle.com · 07/10/2026
New: At a time when many college presidents avoid public fights, Michael Roth, president of Wesleyan University, is taking the opposite approach — calling out the Trump administration and peers he sees as too quiet. chroni.cl/4yIr776
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The President Who Won’t Shut Up
Michael Roth is trying to defend higher education. Why isn’t anyone joining him?
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Chronicle of Higher Education @chronicle.com · 07/10/2026
Students are coming into college dependent on AI and struggling to communicate effectively. One professor turned to graded discussions to help solve both challenges. chroni.cl/4i5RE8a
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Using Graded Discussions to Reduce AI Abuse and Build Skills
How one professor refashioned his course around developing students’ communication skills.
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Chronicle of Higher Education @chronicle.com · 07/10/2026
Opinion: Universities have no civic duty to negotiate with the Trump administration under threat to federal funding. “Dealmaking under duress,” she writes, is not democratic. chroni.cl/3WaSo3m
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Danielle Allen Is Wrong About Trump
Dealmaking under duress is always undemocratic.
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Chronicle of Higher Education @chronicle.com · 07/10/2026
Opinion: Syracuse and Northeastern once occupied very different places in higher education. Syracuse’s admissions yield fell from 31 percent in 2006 to 17 percent in 2025. Northeastern’s rose from 24 percent to 46 percent. chroni.cl/4yhbuT6
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Opinion | The End of the ‘Comprehensive’ Research University?
The diverging fortunes of Syracuse and Northeastern tell a clear story.
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Chronicle of Higher Education @chronicle.com · 07/10/2026
New: In February, a Michigan State University dean enthusiastically recommended an assistant chemistry professor for promotion and tenure. A month later, he told her she was under investigation and escorted her out of the building with orders not to return. chroni.cl/4jHGaJl
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A ‘Rising Star’ in Michigan State’s Chemistry Department Was Suddenly Banished. Why?
For months, she received paychecks but little information. Meanwhile, her career was unraveling.
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Chronicle of Higher Education @chronicle.com · 07/10/2026
New: Cornell's president told faculty and staff members during a Tuesday virtual meeting that while the alleged sexual assault was "horrific," shutting down frat would send issues "into the shadows. chroni.cl/47BssjY
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Banning Frats Would Send Problems ‘Into the Shadows,’ Cornell’s President Reportedly Tells Faculty
The meeting came as the Faculty Senate considers a potential vote of no confidence in the administration over its handling of Jane Doe’s allegations.
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Chronicle of Higher Education @chronicle.com · 07/10/2026
Five years after an accident in her lab slightly injured two students, a Michigan State U. chemist’s job is on the line. Here’s why an award-winning chemist isn’t being allowed back in her lab and why some of her colleagues are outraged. chroni.cl/3TEYcBx
chronicle.com
A ‘Rising Star’ in Michigan State’s Chemistry Department Was Suddenly Banished. Why?
For months, she received paychecks but little information. Meanwhile, her career was unraveling.
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Chronicle of Higher Education @chronicle.com · 06/10/2026
New: Cornell’s trustees have hired former U.S. Deputy Attorney General Sally Q. Yates to lead an independent review of the university’s handling of the Jane Doe sexual-assault case, including student hearings, campus police response and coordination with law enforcement. chroni.cl/4ysv0g6
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Cornell Taps Former Justice Dept. Official to Lead Independent Review of Rape Case
Also, the Faculty Senate is preparing a potential vote of no confidence in the university administration over its handling of Jane Doe’s allegations.
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Chronicle of Higher Education @chronicle.com · 06/10/2026
New: In February, a Michigan State University dean enthusiastically recommended an assistant chemistry professor for promotion and tenure. A month later, he told her she was under investigation and escorted her out of the building with orders not to return. chroni.cl/4jHGaJl
chronicle.com
A ‘Rising Star’ in Michigan State’s Chemistry Department Was Suddenly Banished. Why?
For months, she received paychecks but little information. Meanwhile, her career was unraveling.
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