Canary: Higher Ed Issues Landscape Report 09/30
September 30th, 2024
All eyes on October 7
A week today marks the 1st anniversary of Hamas’ deadly attack on Israel.
For many, it represents a brutal act of terrorism. To others, it marks the beginning of a genocide that has so far claimed over 40,000 Palestinian lives while leaving many others in desperate poverty. The tension between these views — and the world views behind them — is felt and fought out on college campuses like no other space in American society.
This week, we take stock of the landscape — how student groups, university administrations and politicians are preparing for what next Monday may bring.
October 7 events
From Hillel to Students for Justice in Palestine, campus groups are planning events, vigils and protests for October 7, raising the possibility of clashes between campus members (and campus watchers) with radically different viewpoints.
“We unfortunately predict that things will only get worse. The coming anniversary of the Oct. 7 attack . . . will likely motivate many on campus to gather in community to mourn and mark the solemn anniversary. At the same time, we know that preparations have already been made by anti-Israel student groups to stage large-scale protests and/or invite highly controversial speakers to campus on that day.” (ADL)
Blurred lines
Student groups are increasingly pushing the boundaries on time, place, and manner guidelines. Because many universities updated their free speech, expressive activity or spontaneous event policies over the summer, their responses to student defiance are being watched even more closely.
“University leaders possess a unique platform to communicate to the entire campus community the unambiguous expectations for the coming year. We urge you to use this platform.” (Hillel International)
Presidents in focus
As expected, the reputations and fortunes of college presidents are intimately intertwined with those of the universities they lead.
Brandeis president Ron Leibowitz has resigned after the university faculty passed a vote of no confidence last week. The motion cited “a consistent pattern of damaging errors of judgment and poor leadership,” however Leibowitz’ fall was widely attributed to his handling of Spring protests.
“His departure marks at least the fifth major university president who has stepped down due, at least in part, to campus conflict over the war in Gaza.” (NYT)
The University of Maryland will investigate plagiarism claims against President Darryll J. Pines who is alleged to have not attributed large portions of a 2002 paper. Pines has been criticized recently for first authorizing and then canceling a pro-Palestinian event on the UMD campus. The allegations of plagiarism came from a publication that has been highly critical of Pines’ handling of protests.
Institutional neutrality ≠ silence
As Legend Labs has previously touched upon, a wave of universities have adopted an official position of institutional neutrality in recent weeks.
Those policies will provide some insulation to college presidents and administrations who choose not to speak on October 7. However, those policies will not preclude the need for statements, campus letters and explanations to faculty if students and policies clash on Monday. University leaders should especially be ready to speak about how stringently (or not) they chose to enforce new policies.
Rankings, DEI, US-China Research
Rankings:
Last week, U.S. News & World Report released their 2025 rankings. It is the second year since U.S. News made major changes to its methodology to emphasize more socio-economic factors. However, the new rankings yield few surprises.
“Despite recent criticisms of ranking systems . . . students and their families continue to look to the rankings for guidance as they build their college lists. . . Despite its flaws, the ranking system can lend valuable insights into the world of higher education and simplify the dense and complex landscape of college admissions.” - Christopher Rim (Forbes)
As Legend Labs has pointed out on a number of occasions, rankings remain influential despite criticism of U.S. News’ methods and a proliferation of pretenders to their throne.
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From an earned and owned media perspective, universities are quick to tout a rise in any ranking format — while the local press is quick to point to a drop, often framing that news within a wider narrative of the university’s journey in and out of controversy over the preceding months.
DEI back in the legislative crosshairs
Legislative measures targeting Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives and programs look set to evolve as conservative lawmakers try to build on their successes of the past few years.
Texas: Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick ordered the Senate Subcommittee on Higher Education to “expose how [DEI] programs and their curriculum are damaging and not aligned with state workforce demands.”
"It's a signal from the lieutenant governor that he wants the Senate to look at these institutions and see if they're following through and complying with legislation that was passed in 2023." - Mark Jones, Rice University (CBS Austin)
Kentucky: at a recent hearing of the Interim Joint Committee on Education, Republican lawmakers renewed criticism of DEI, grilling college presidents in the process, and signaling their intent to file more anti-DEI bills in the upcoming legislative session.
“Our Constitution talks about equality. I don’t love that word, equity. Because it assumes . . . that everybody . . . leaves the same way. That’s just impossible. We’re all different people.” - Kentucky Senator Lindsey Tichenor (Kentucky Lantern)
Iowa: The Iowa Board of Regents is reviewing all diversity, equity and inclusion programs at system colleges to ensure compliance with new state laws set to take effect next summer. Iowa law defines DEI as “any effort to manipulate or otherwise influence the composition of the faculty or student body with reference to race, sex, color, or ethnicity.”
The law also elaborately defines institutional promotion of DEI as supporting a “particular, widely contested opinion referencing unconscious or implicit bias, cultural appropriation, allyship, transgender ideology, microaggressions, group marginalization, antiracism, systemic oppression, social justice, intersectionality, neo-pronouns, heteronormativity, disparate impact, gender theory, racial privilege, sexual privilege, or any related formulation of these concepts.”
US-China research
Relatively few reputation-related vulnerabilities in higher education touch directly upon the sciences. However, a new congressional report alleges that many universities are engaged in technological and scientific research ventures that have a direct military benefit to China.
The report specifically targeted joint research ventures or institutes that are co-sponsored by Chinese universities. The Georgia Institute of Technology, the University of Pittsburg, UCLA and UC Berkley were mentioned in the report, among others. GIT and Berkley have begun to wind down certain collaborations with Chinese universities in response to legislative scrutiny.
“The results of our joint investigation are alarming. The Chinese Communist Party is driving its military advancements through US taxpayer-funded research and through joint US-PRC institutes.” - Congressman John Moolenaar (The Select Committee on the CCP)
“Our research universities have a responsibility to avoid any complicity in the CCP’s atrocious human rights abuses or attempts to undermine our national security. It’s time for any school with this type of partnership to cut all ties.” - Congresswoman Virginia Foxx (The Select Committee on the CCP)
?? What we’re reading
The New York Times: For Economists, Defending Big Business Can Be Big Business
Money pouring into universities from corporations and foundations influences the way scholars think and write, whether the scholars themselves are fully aware of it or not. . . The money that corporations can spend on professors is far greater than their nominal employers, the universities, can afford. The university affiliation is nonetheless valuable because it gives the impression of impartiality. . . ‘People who cloak themselves in the trappings of neutrality are taking advantage of the good will and reputation that professors at universities have been built up over centuries without suffering the sacrifices that go with that.’
Out of the almost 3000 4-year colleges, there are approximately 100 that admit fewer than half of their applicants. Of the rest, their major concern is filling their classes. . . The elite, extremely selective colleges are not seeking to fill a class; they seek to craft a class. . . This year, though, colleges were constrained from giving preference in admissions to students of color. Many colleges used proxies in order to maintain diversity on their campuses.
Inside Higher Ed: Sending the Wrong Message to Students on AI
The message is clear: Learning to use AI is about getting ahead of your competition. Students who learn how to use it will win, and everyone else will be unemployed. That approach doesn’t engender a great deal of ethical consideration or critical thought. . . Too often, the complex practical, ethical and pedagogical issues surrounding AI are brushed aside in favor of breathless promotion of its capabilities—language that often feels more like Silicon Valley marketing than thoughtful educational guidance.
#?? Trending on Social This Week
Sources:
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].