Canary: Higher Ed Issues Landscape Report 07/29

July 29th, 2024

• What we’re watching: Harris on higher ed, UArizona becomes U of A, Recent graduates’ confidence in degrees, DEI at Alabama
• Free speech on campus: an ever-evolving reputational vulnerability
• What we’re reading: failure, history’s ROI, addressing confidence

What we’re watching

Kamala Harris and higher education

Last week, we looked at JD Vance’s record on higher education. This week, we look at the record of likely Democratic candidate for president, Vice President Kamala Harris.

• As VP, Harris has been aligned with President Biden’s higher ed agenda, championing policies such as debt cancellation. (Chronicle of Higher Education)
• As a U.S. senator, Harris signed on to legislation to make community college free and to help colleges provide for basic student needs. (Inside Higher Ed)
• As California’s attorney general, she touted her record going after for-profit colleges that engaged in predatory practices. (OAG-CA)
• Harris has appeared more sympathetic to student protests than President Biden while still rejecting extremist positions. (Forward)

“There are things some of the protesters are saying that I absolutely reject, so I don’t mean to wholesale endorse their points. But . . . I understand the emotion behind it.” - Kamala Harris (The Hill)

University of Arizona drops “UArizona”

The University of Arizona is ditching “UArizona” the abbreviation it adopted in 2019. Rather than go back to its former “UA” moniker, the university will officially adopt “Arizona” and “U of A” instead.

According to the Arizona Republic, going back to “UA” would run the risk of confusion with other brands such as Under Armour and United Airlines.

The Republic also noted that the change would “help the university improve its online search engine optimization.” While the change makes sense from a brand clarity perspective, it has not been universally welcomed.

“Continued optimization efforts have revealed that the university is best known to students, alums and fans as Arizona and the U of A.” - Mitch Zak, U of A spokesperson (Inside Higher Ed)

AI and the value of a college degree

Cengage Group has published its?2024 Graduate Employability Report, concluding that despite anxiety around AI, recent graduates exhibit greater confidence in the value of their degrees than previous cohorts.

Based on surveys of 1,000 U.S. employers and 974 recent graduates, Cengage found that:

• 73% of 2024 graduates thought their education provided good value — compared to just 52% in 2023.
• 70% of 2024 graduates believe basic generative AI training should be integrated into college courses
• 55% of graduates said their programs did not prepare them to use GenAI tools.
• 39% of graduates fear that GenAI could replace them in the workforce.

“As student demands and employer expectations continue to shift, this report shows that education institutions and skill providers have an opportunity to expand their offerings and continue delivering value to learners” (Cengage)

UA DEI offices to close

University of Alabama system campuses announced this week they would close DEI offices in compliance with a new state law that comes into effect on October 1.

“It’s important to note we will continue to provide resources and support to every member of our campus community, as our commitment to each individual’s success remains steadfast.” - UA President Stuart Bell (The Hill)

Reactions to the news were similar to those we observed with closures in Texas and Florida, with accusations of over-compliance and under-compliance stalking UA.

Free speech on campus

The failed assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump earlier this month brought free speech on campus back into the spotlight. In several cases, professors and staff were disciplined for making derogatory remarks on social media.

• The University of Alabama fired a staff member who, quoting the musical Chicago, said Trump ‘had it coming.’ (1819 News)
• An instructor at Bellarmine University was fired after posting on Instagram, “if you’re gonna shoot, man, don’t miss,” above a news headline about the assassination attempt. (IHE)
• The University of British Columbia endured a firestorm after a tenured professor posted on X, “Damn, so close. Too bad” in response to the assassination attempt. (City News)

Free speech was perhaps the most pressing repuation-related topic in higher education during AY 23-24.

• Like DEI, free speech touches on questions of value and values: for example, comments such as they above elicit a series of responses that question both the ROI and fundamental values of the professors and universities in question.
• Free speech had also already become a reputational vulnerability for universities in the years previous.
• Free speech interlocks with other repuational issues, most notably this year: campus responses to the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Shifts in the free speech debate

During the Israel-Hamas conflict,?the free speech debate on campus has morphed?from a discussion around classroom climate (chilling effects, diversity of viewpoints, cancel culture, etc.) to a debate around the limits of the First Amendment — and how disruption, harassment, encampments, and police responses delineate those limits.

“If someone is chanting ‘From the river to the sea’ at 4 p.m. on a Friday in the middle of a quad where protests are allowed, that’s protected speech. If they’re chanting it at 4 a.m. outside a Jewish student’s room, that’s harassment.” - David Wippman former president, Hamilton College (IHE)

In addition to these newer aspects of the free speech debate, protestors and counter-protesters evolved new tactics that demand the attention of communicators and administrators:

• Doxxing: the use of personal information and addresses by the opponents of protestors is a form of digital harassment that universities have clamped down on. (link)
• Projected messages: the use of light projectors to throw messages onto campus buildings has been an issue at some universities (link)
• Misinformation: examples abound. Recently, a faked screenshot led to false accusations that a California Lutheran University professor had called for the death of Donald Trump. (link)

The need for clarity

“If these past months have taught us anything, it is that we need greater clarity than ever before on what types of speech and protest are permitted, which are disallowed, and why, as well as greater transparency about how our institutions deal with the many boundary cases that inevitably arise.” - Louis E. Newman (IHE)

Not only is it likely that campus protests related to Gaza will continue into the Fall Semester, the general election will also weigh heavily on campus policies, practices and discussion around free speech. Last week, Legend Labs founder Jeff Hunt outlined a number of actions universities can take to prepare for the Fall.

• Internal reviews of AY 23-24: universities should ask themselves what they did well and what might have been done better and then establish an agenda for making the necessary improvements.
• Health check on relationships: from faculty councils to student governments, free speech related controversies have strained relationships — now is the time to reach out and heal rifts.
• Enforcement and appeal procedures: do campus policies and procedures provide clear guidance around the new free speech landscape (both themes and tactics)?
• Campus Coordination: How well do component parts of a university work together, especially in the crisis environment of a controversial demonstration? How can coordination and decision-making be improved in preparation for future disturbances?'

?? What we’re reading

Inside Higher Ed: How I Failed My First Presidency

• “The more time I spent listening to the discussions around me and watching what was happening, the more I realized that I had failed in the presidency in three key ways. 1) I didn’t spend enough time solidifying the mission and vision and getting broad buy-in. 2) I didn’t connect the external work to the internal work of the college. 3)Too many long-term plans were in my head—not on paper or otherwise shared with key people around me.”

The Chronicle of Higher Education: The ROI of a History Degree

• “History as a professional discipline developed in response to the Enlightenment’s call to arms for a systematic exploration of the universe. . . Today, businesses are increasingly expected to be socially responsible, and many of them are improving people’s lives. They might be our natural partners in the effort to revive interest in history and the humanities.”

Forbes: Addressing The ‘Crisis Of Confidence’ In U.S. Higher Education

• “To turn the tide of public opinion, higher education will need to reposition itself as an institution that’s more focused on career outcomes for its students and on economic development within its communities. And it will need to do a better job of measuring return on investment in order to make a stronger case to the students and policymakers who pay the bills.”

#?? Trending on Social This Week

Sources:

• Dr. Eli David (@DrEliDavid)
• Rep. Elise Stefanik (@RepStefanik)
• Brian Hart (@BrianHartPR)

Legend Labs is a brand and communications consulting firm for the digital age. We help ambitious leaders create, grow, and protect their Legends. This analysis of reputation-related trends in higher education features insights from Meltwater and direct social media & web analysis.

For more information, email us at [email protected].