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Tom ‘Beardo’ Hilliard

@tomh4.bsky.social
1.6K followers 1.3K following 1.8K posts

Trying to stay focused on higher ed, but someone always seems to be wrong on the internet.

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Reposted by Tom ‘Beardo’ Hilliard
Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 30/09/2026
I for one think it’s bad that the president can just say crazy stuff all day every day and 99% of it doesn’t make the news because we’ve normalized having an insane president
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Reposted by Tom ‘Beardo’ Hilliard
Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
When they get back in power, Democrats need to go all-in on higher education. We need a campaign of reinvestment in public universities across the country that makes the Morrill Land-Grant Act look like nothing by comparison *and* a GI Bill of Rights-style program of tuition grants.
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Tom ‘Beardo’ Hilliard @tomh4.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
College accreditation overseer NACIQI paralyzed halfway into a Trump admin takeover. Designated enemy is ABA, but the admin remains one vote short of removing their role in accrediting law schools.
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Tom ‘Beardo’ Hilliard @tomh4.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
A thoughtful article which illuminates why the current round of Witkoff/Kushner visits will yield no significant results. But its purely descriptive focus and defeatist tone provide no guidance for policymakers seeking a path forward in the Ukrainian conflict.
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Tom ‘Beardo’ Hilliard @tomh4.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
That’s us!
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Tom ‘Beardo’ Hilliard @tomh4.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Its people!
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Tom ‘Beardo’ Hilliard @tomh4.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Having played pickleball for the first time today, I am ready to explain what it feels like: Like you're playing tennis with a ping pong paddle or maybe playing ping pong on a tennis court. A pickleball field sounds like a troop of monkeys throwing golf balls against the wall forever.
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Tom ‘Beardo’ Hilliard @tomh4.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
On Monday 9/14, ex-Fetterman staffers launched an anonymous Threads account promising dirt on their former boss. A handful of article reposts followed...then nothing. This morning the account was gone, deactivated in the night. Was it always a troll, or did somebody feel the heat?
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Tom ‘Beardo’ Hilliard @tomh4.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Important win against Trump-era corruption in crypto industry.
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Tom ‘Beardo’ Hilliard @tomh4.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Flagging. Call today! You can dial 202-224-3121 and ask for your Senator.
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Tom ‘Beardo’ Hilliard @tomh4.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
President Trump, who could not be bothered to attend the 9/11 service in Manhattan today, has just proclaimed that 9/11 will henceforth be known as "Patriot Day" - a bracing reminder of Samuel Johnson's dictum that patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel. www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...
whitehouse.gov
Patriot Day 2026, The 25th Anniversary of the September 11 Terrorist Attacks
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA A PROCLAMATION A quarter of a century has passed since the terrible day of September Every child deserves a safe and nurturing home where they can lear...
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Tom ‘Beardo’ Hilliard @tomh4.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
In comments, people are rolling their eyes at this question. But the Norman conquest was traumatic. The new ruling class imposed continental systems on their unwilling subjects. Whether it mattered in the long sweep of British history, though, seems like an impossible question to answer.
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Tom ‘Beardo’ Hilliard @tomh4.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
🌅
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Tom ‘Beardo’ Hilliard @tomh4.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Hooray! Pass the word. 👂📣
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Tom ‘Beardo’ Hilliard @tomh4.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
I was the health policy analyst at the Office of Public Advocate during 9/11. We were hearing serious concerns about air quality, so I reached out around 9/25 or so to a top official at NYC DOH. There was nothing to worry about, she assured me. They had conducted tests and air quality was fine.
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Tom ‘Beardo’ Hilliard @tomh4.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Paul Schrader watched “Hollywood Shuffle” and thought the takeaway was “actors who care about moral degradation are such a drag.”
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Reposted by Tom ‘Beardo’ Hilliard
Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Very good point here: A lot of university leaders will think, "the Trump administration just wants us to make some vague statements - we can live with that." They are not counting on the DOJ using those statements as the basis for legal investigations. Which this DOJ will be willing to do.
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Tom ‘Beardo’ Hilliard @tomh4.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
I want to mock Thune, but I suspect he lives in the real world, and that is a precious legacy of the pre-Trump era. Of course he lacks any kind of backbone. How else could he do this job? But Thune sees roughly the same world I do.
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Tom ‘Beardo’ Hilliard @tomh4.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Another excuse for cutting off congressional mandated formula funding to blue states.
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Tom ‘Beardo’ Hilliard @tomh4.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
👀
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Tom ‘Beardo’ Hilliard @tomh4.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
I love to see concrete proposals for what the Democratic Congress can do next year.
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Tom ‘Beardo’ Hilliard @tomh4.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
After watching #Lanterns Ep 3, I think we're about to find out how much of a rules-follower John Stewart really is. And if the Guardians frowned on Hal Jordan getting involved in a "terrestrial dispute," how did they feel about Guy Gardner intervening to defeat Boravia in Superman?
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Reposted by Tom ‘Beardo’ Hilliard
ProPublica @propublica.org · 30/08/2026
In Philadelphia, lawyers appointed to represent people challenging their convictions can file a “no-merit” letter against their client. One lawyer has done so more than 100 times. “I knew he wasn’t going to fight for me,” a former client said. (Published May with @inquirer.com)
propublica.org
With a Chance at Freedom, They Faced an Unexpected Obstacle: Their Own Lawyers
Pennsylvania courts allow attorneys to argue against their convicted clients’ bid for justice. It has resulted in people spending years or decades in prison before being freed based on issues lawyers ...
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Tom ‘Beardo’ Hilliard @tomh4.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Kusama was a radiant spirit.
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Tom ‘Beardo’ Hilliard @tomh4.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Let’s go to the record. In November 2025, less than a year ago, the Trump administration released a 28-point plan calling for the surrender of Donetsk and Luhansk to the Russian government. Trump pushed Zelenskyy hard to accept the deal. www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
politico.com
Trump plan to end Ukraine war cedes Donbas to Russia
Neither Russia nor Ukraine has publicly commented on the proposal.
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Tom ‘Beardo’ Hilliard @tomh4.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Worth noting that Kellogg is now employed by the America First Policy Institute, which means that he continues to advance the MAGA foreign policy agenda on Trump’s behalf. www.americafirstpolicy.com/team/keithke...
americafirstpolicy.com
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Reposted by Tom ‘Beardo’ Hilliard
Gillian Brockell @gillianbrockell.com · 25/08/2026
This girl I used to waitress with in Austin, we moved to New York together in 2003 on a literal Greyhound bus. Shared a fifth floor walk-up studio that, when it rained, had more leaks in the ceiling than we had pots and pans. We used to get drunk and smoke off the fire escape and do “sad-offs.”
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Tom ‘Beardo’ Hilliard @tomh4.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
For folks grieving over Dolly Parton's passing, I recommend this @radiolab.bsky.social podcast series on Dolly Parton hosted by Jad Abumrad. It's an amazing tribute, and you'll feel like she's in the room with you. www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/dol...
wnycstudios.org
Dolly Parton's America : Episodes | WNYC Studios | Podcasts
The story of a legend at the crossroads of America’s culture wars.
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Tom ‘Beardo’ Hilliard @tomh4.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Sums it up pretty well. Although I also agree with the commenter who noted that it's not "we" but the guy currently representing us in the White House.
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Tom ‘Beardo’ Hilliard @tomh4.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Worth noting that Daniels helped to shape the Trump administration's latest higher ed extortion strategy: Demanding that colleges post statements on their websites detailing their compliance with administration priorities by year-end.
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Tom ‘Beardo’ Hilliard @tomh4.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Or…Trump could organize an in-house office of experts on the Middle East armed with classified intelligence to advise him. He could call it a “National Security Council”. Biden would never have thought of that!
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Reposted by Tom ‘Beardo’ Hilliard
Robert Kelchen @robertkelchen.com · 24/08/2026
Here are some of the declines in international student applications and enrollment revealed in a lawsuit challenging new duration of status regulations that would limit the ability to offer some programs of study and create administrative bloat on campus. www.insidehighered.com/news/global/...
Institution	Grinnell College
Enrollment data	15.8 percentage point decline in international student yield from fall 2023 to fall 2026
Institution	University of Illinois Chicago
Enrollment data	50 percent decline in admitted international students over historic levels
Institution	University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Enrollment data	25.1 percent decline in international graduate applicants from 2025 to 2026 cycle
Institution	University of Maryland, Baltimore
Enrollment data	37.9 percent decline in new international student enrollment from fall 2024 to fall 2025. Thirty-two students admitted for fall 2026 have withdrawn applications, and 14 have requested to defer their admission.
Institution	University of Maryland, College Park
Enrollment data	anticipated 30 percent decline in new international graduate students year over year
Institution	University of Wisconsin–Madison
Enrollment data	10.9 percent year-over-year decline in undergraduate applications, and 27 percent year-over-year decline in graduate applications. Five undergraduate students who put down deposits have since withdrawn.
Institution	University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee
Enrollment data	42 percent decrease in applications, 29 percent decrease in admissions and 38.7 percent decrease in enrollments year over year
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Tom ‘Beardo’ Hilliard @tomh4.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
“… and we know that [racial] stereotypes generally have a basis in reality.“
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Tom ‘Beardo’ Hilliard @tomh4.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Thread starts with Marcus Aurelius and ends with Beowulf. In a word: awesome.
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Tom ‘Beardo’ Hilliard @tomh4.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
It’s the Chairman Mao’s translator strategy. www.sltrib.com/opinion/comm...
sltrib.com
George Pyle: An old ‘Doonesbury’ contains the solution to our immigration problems
It is fair to worry that politicians of all stripes are reluctant to actually solve problems because they are so used to the fight. That they know that continuing the battle helps them rally supporter...
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Tom ‘Beardo’ Hilliard @tomh4.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
So what’s the takeaway here? Don’t nominate Muslims? It’s a familiar message to Jews and Catholics, who were once demonized in similar ways.
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Reposted by Tom ‘Beardo’ Hilliard
Dan Cassino @dancassino.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Hypothetical horse race polls all face the same problem: differential turnout. Asking the same people, “if the race were between x and y? What about x and z?” Makes the assumption that the same people who would vote in the first race would also vote in the second.
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Reposted by Tom ‘Beardo’ Hilliard
Katherine Knott @knottkatherine.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
In Trump's latest effort to overhaul higher ed, colleges see an opportunity to share their various committments. Others see another attempt to coerce institutions. My story with @jessicablake.bsky.social on the call to action. www.insidehighered.com/news/governm...
insidehighered.com
McMahon Sends Reform ‘Questionnaire’ to Colleges
The Association of American Universities and other university leaders consulted on the call to action, which represents a shift in tactics for the administration.
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Reposted by Tom ‘Beardo’ Hilliard
Emily Atkin @emorwee.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Alexandra Fasulo runs one of the most prolific anti-solar campaigns online, regularly telling over 2 million followers renewable energy is threatening farms and wildlife. But how much of her rhetoric is actually true? @alexhannaford.com spent months parsing through the nuance for HEATED:
heated.world
The influencer teaching millions to fear solar
Alexandra Fasulo says she’s protecting farms and wildlife. Her campaign is becoming a blueprint for the fossil fuel right.
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Tom ‘Beardo’ Hilliard @tomh4.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Great scoop from Knox. But also puzzling: Why would Higher Ed Compact 2.0 end any differently from 1.0? Trump admin still demanding colleges publicly submit to right-wing priorities, still holding federal research dollars hostage, not committing to dropping lawsuits.
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Tom ‘Beardo’ Hilliard @tomh4.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
I check in on Threads now and then. This week the site is melting down over @emilyrcwilson.bsky.social’s @lrb.co.uk review of The Odyssey movie. People are absolutely losing it over her lack of collegial decorum. The nerve! 1/
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Tom ‘Beardo’ Hilliard @tomh4.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
If only RFK Jr had thought to investigate the effect of vaccines on autism. I mean, the evidence is RIGHT THERE.
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Tom ‘Beardo’ Hilliard @tomh4.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
This. Don’t let RFK Jr rewrite America’s most recent history.
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Tom ‘Beardo’ Hilliard @tomh4.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
I have been promoted to assistant emperor of France. This achievement is a reflection of my relentless dedication to supporting imperial rule over continental Europe and registering all exhibits from the Egyptian expedition. www.nga.gov/artworks/461...
nga.gov
The Emperor Napoleon in His Study at the Tuileries by Jacques-Louis David
How do portraits influence the way we see historic figures? David shows Napoleon Bonaparte working tirelessly for the people of France. The clock reads 4:13, the early morning. The candles are almost ...
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Tom ‘Beardo’ Hilliard @tomh4.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
A scathing, perceptive critique of The Odyssey movie by the translator Christopher Nolan himself cited as an inspiration for the script.
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Tom ‘Beardo’ Hilliard @tomh4.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
This kills me: A game modeled on Monopoly that enables you to play as scheming siloviki, the autocrats of the Russian state. Now that I think about it, the Kremlin under Putin would be perfect for an RPG.
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Tom ‘Beardo’ Hilliard @tomh4.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
The Russian establishment is in a state of absolute panic over their unpopularity. They cannot allow any real electoral choices.
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Tom ‘Beardo’ Hilliard @tomh4.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Worth noting that 69% of Republicans say that the US should maintain or increase American support for Israel. That's why almost every House Republican voted for Israeli aid on July 15. emersoncollegepolling.com/july-2026-na...
emersoncollegepolling.com
July 2026 National Poll: Democrats with 11-Point Generic Ballot Advantage - Emerson Polling
Opposition to data centers growing; majority think US spending too much on Israel aid A…Full Release & Results
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Tom ‘Beardo’ Hilliard @tomh4.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
The easily foreseeable catastrophes likely to result from the Trump administration's plan to limit international students to 4-year stints are nothing short of mind-boggling.
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