Canary: Higher Ed Issues Landscape Report 08/26

August 26th, 2024

• What we’re watching: admissions, budgets, protests
• Welcome back: communications and coverage
• What we’re reading: Netherlands, Trump, Ivy League presidents, bumpy roads

What we’re watching

Admissions

MIT’s incoming freshman class is significantly less diverse than in previous years, according to data released by the university last week. In addition to releasing information on the Class of 2028, MIT published a wide-ranging interview with their Dean of Admissions.

“We expected that this would result in fewer students from historically underrepresented racial and ethnic groups enrolling at MIT. That’s what has happened. . . Many people have told me over the years that MIT ought to care only about academic excellence, not diversity. But every student we admit, from any background, is already located at the far-right end of the distribution of academic excellence.” - Dean of Admissions and Student Financial Services, Stu Schmill (MIT )

In other admissions news, Johns Hopkins announced it would once more require standardized test scores starting in Fall 2026. Over the last year, Harvard, Yale, Stanford, and UT Austin have also done away with test option policies.

“The review concluded that test scores, when considered in context as part of a holistic approach to admissions, serve as an important predictive metric to assess the likelihood of a student's academic success at Johns Hopkins. The review also found that the test-optional environment may have discouraged some applicants to Johns Hopkins from less-advantaged or underrepresented backgrounds.” University statement (JHU )

Budgets

The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents approved a new budget proposal requesting nearly a billion dollars in new funding from the state legislature. System leaders are adamant the money is needed to stave off tuition increases and prevent the UW system falling behind its peers.

“It’s time Wisconsin stops falling behind. Our universities have become increasingly more tuition-dependent, and that’s not good for our students.” - Jay Rothman, UW president (Higher Ed Dive )

“When we fall behind as a state educationally, we fall behind economically. It is time to reverse this trend,” - Ashok Rai, UW regent (Wisconsin Examiner )

Meanwhile at the University of Florida, multiple storylines have emerged around the resignation of former president Ben Sasse. According to UF’s student newspaper, The Independent Flordia Alligator , Sasse spent $17.3 million in his first year, growing the presidential staff threefold, hiring former capitol staffers in well-paid remote positions, and handing out lucrative consulting contracts.

Protests, masks and official statements

The University of California and Virginia Commonwealth both unveiled stricter policies around protests last week, including stipulations related to face coverings.

“Any individual who is present on University Property or attending a University Event and is wearing a mask, hood or other covering whereby a substantial portion of the face is hidden or covered to conceal the identity of the wearer, must present an Identification Document,” University statement (VCU News )

Intriguingly for UC, some onlookers in California made connections between masks, public health, and protests.

“My office and campus leaders have spent the summer reflecting with students, faculty, staff, Regents, and others on the events of the past year. . . Clear communication and consistent application of policies and laws are key to achieving the delicate but essential balance between free speech rights and the need to protect the safety of our community.” - Michael Drake, UC president (UC )

In addition, VCU issued new guidelines around institutional statements, narrowing their scope to subjects with a direct “connection to the university’s core function and mission.” Similarly, the University of Texas Board of Regents amended their free speech policy last week to prohibit official statements on “issues of the day.

“Issuing statements of empathy may have the unintended consequence of appearing to favor some people, positions, events or locations over others.” - Michael Rao, VCU president (VCU )

“Institutions should not, in their official capacity, issue or express positions on issues of the day, however appealing they may be to some members of the university community.” - UT system (Texas Tribune )

Back to campus

As the Fall semester beckons, students are moving back to campus, signing up for classes, and preparing for the start of a new academic year.

This week, we take a look at how university communicators have utilized owned and earned media to project a positive image. Meanwhile, national media have leveraged back-to-campus as a news window into well-established higher education issues.

Owned media

University messages have focused on welcoming new students, move-in logistics, academic preparations, and community-building activities. In doing so, universities have often featured non-presidential voices such as deans, Offices of Human Resources and university police departments.

In addition, a number of college presidents, particularly those at universities hardest hit by protests last spring, have utilized back-to-campus messages to share details of new policies related to free speech, protest, and campus climate.

“We are excited to start a new academic year and welcome our new and returning students, faculty, staff, and alumni to campus. . . Over the summer we tightened and expanded our rules and processes designed to ensure our campus is safe and welcoming for everyone. . he events of last spring were particularly challenging for campuses nationwide. . . We hope by making our policies, guidelines, and rules clearer, we can make USC welcoming and safe for all, no matter what issues or conflicts arise.” - USC President Carol Folt (USC )

“Beginnings are such important times – times to remember our traditions, to reaffirm our values, and to renew our aspirations. . . As we face a truly consequential election as well as other potentially contentious issues, we must reaffirm our values with the choices we make each day. Guided by the Statement of Student Rights and Responsibilities and the Principles on Diversity of Thought and Freedom of Expression , we must strive to “meet conflict and controversy with understanding and reason, refuting our opponents rather than revoking invitations or refusing them a platform, contesting their ideas instead of attacking their character.” - UMich President Santa J. Ono (UMich )

Local media coverage has been largely positive around move-in, with local outlets focusing on the energy and excitement of students and the new school year. For the most part, local coverage has declined to allude to protests and other controversies.

“I’m really excited for my classes and to meet a lot of new people. I come from a smaller school, a lot of my friends are here, but I’m really excited to have new friendships,” - University of Alabama freshman, Celia Quintera (WVUA23 )

Universities’ reputations still vulnerable

While the last week has been relatively protest-free, move-in and back-to-campus have not been without reputational challenges for universities.

For example, at Cornell, over 1,000 union members went on strike last week, leaving the university scrambling to operate basic dining and custodial functions as students returned.

“The American working class is in a fight for our lives, and if you don’t believe me, just last night, blue-collar workers — UAW members — at Cornell University had to walk out on strike for a better life . . . Our only hope is to attack corporate greed head on.” - UAW President Shawn Fain (Cornell Daily Sun )

“We’re the heart, soul and backbone of Cornell. Students and faculty depend on us to make the campus run, but we haven’t seen pay raises that keep up. In fact, we’re falling behind,” - UAW Local 2300 President Christine Johnson (Inside Higher Ed )

In addition, national media are leveraging back to campus to editorialize on higher education issues such as protests, housing shortages, and declining confidence.

“With summer drawing to an end in the coming weeks, rising college freshmen are increasingly excited to take the next step in their educational journeys. But the colleges they’re looking forward to attending may be feeling more dread than excitement. The schools know that the day classes resume, campus protests will likely return, too. The question is, are they ready?”- Evan Nierman (Baltimore Sun )

?? What we’re reading

New Lines Magazine: A War on Universities in the Netherlands

• On a rainy afternoon in early June . . .faculty members from the Free University of Amsterdam’s psychology department logged on to an online meeting to process some disconcerting news. The newly formed and largely right-wing [PVV-Led]? Dutch government was planning one of the largest cuts the education sector had ever seen. “Our universities must now reconsider their priorities,” PVV representative Reinder Blaauw said during a legislative meeting in June 2024, shortly after a “Free Palestine” protest at the University of Amsterdam resulted in substantial property damage. “What’s going to be on the menu — political activism or actual education?”?

The Hechinger Report: What education could look like under Trump and Vance

• The Trump campaign has gone after college accrediting agencies, which serve as the gatekeepers for billions of dollars in federal student aid, claiming that the entities are part of the “radical Left” and have “allowed our colleges to become dominated by Marxist Maniacs and lunatics.” . . Both Trump and Vance have taken a hard stance against affirmative action and diversity initiatives. . . Vance also has argued that conservative students are being silenced on college campuses.?

The Chronicle of Higher Education: A Year Ago, Women Were the Majority Among Ivy League Presidents. Now Most of Them Have Quit.?

• In the fall of 2023, six of the eight Ivy League universities had women as presidents. It was a milestone signaling that perhaps higher education’s glass ceiling was beginning to crack. But the past year has shown the glass ceiling to be predictably resilient. . .? The solution is to better educate governing boards, which tend to be far less diverse than the colleges they oversee and have little understanding of the different perspectives that a woman or person of color brings to the position.

Bloomberg Law: Colleges Face a Bumpy Road With AI, Protests, and Policy Updates

• Schools have found that organized, structured involvement and collaboration with student organizations is critical. Student affinity groups, including Greek life organizations and even sports teams, can be powerful catalysts in the quality of student life. Involving these groups in wrestling with important social issues early and often can be effective in heading off explosive campus conflicts. Engendering positive relationships with current students through these collaborative efforts often translates to increased alumni goodwill—a crucial element for campus leadership.

#?? Trending on Social This Week

Sources:

• Erick Erickson (@EWErickson )
• chris xu (@xuhulk )
• Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck )

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] .