Chronicle of Higher Education
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Academe’s most trusted resource for independent journalism, career development, and forward-looking intelligence.
Website: www.chronicle.com
Website: www.chronicle.com
What made the best higher-ed Illustrations of 2025? Artwork that sharpened ideas, added emotional force, and made complex stories instantly legible. https://chroni.cl/491bFbP
The Best Illustrations of 2025
Highlighting the most impactful images Chronicle art directors have commissioned or created this year.
www.chronicle.com
December 23, 2025 at 5:04 PM
What made the best higher-ed Illustrations of 2025? Artwork that sharpened ideas, added emotional force, and made complex stories instantly legible. https://chroni.cl/491bFbP
Throughout the year, Chronicle journalists have reported the news that defines the sector. Reflecting on the economy, technology, politics, and more, we've analyzed the forces that shape your professional world. https://chroni.cl/3YFjuxw
What You Read Most This Year
Department drama. Faculty firings. Gordon Gee. Parking fees. We look back on the higher-ed topics and stories that drew the most attention.
chroni.cl
December 23, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Throughout the year, Chronicle journalists have reported the news that defines the sector. Reflecting on the economy, technology, politics, and more, we've analyzed the forces that shape your professional world. https://chroni.cl/3YFjuxw
Opinion | A leading expert on academic freedom explains the complex lay of the legal terrain, now. https://chroni.cl/4ap8qMg
Opinion | The Legal Status of Trump’s Assault on Higher Ed
Will the courts continue to protect academic freedom?
www.chronicle.com
December 22, 2025 at 6:08 PM
Opinion | A leading expert on academic freedom explains the complex lay of the legal terrain, now. https://chroni.cl/4ap8qMg
UVA's next president, the dean of the business school, will start January 1.
A statement from the Board of Visitors said it reviewed 27 candidates out of more than 100 nominations. https://chroni.cl/3Y7vY0Q
A statement from the Board of Visitors said it reviewed 27 candidates out of more than 100 nominations. https://chroni.cl/3Y7vY0Q
Amid Political Jostling and Scrutiny of Its Board, UVa Picks a President
Scott Beardsley, dean of the university’s Darden School of Business, will face skepticism from faculty and among Democratic lawmakers.
www.chronicle.com
December 22, 2025 at 5:04 PM
UVA's next president, the dean of the business school, will start January 1.
A statement from the Board of Visitors said it reviewed 27 candidates out of more than 100 nominations. https://chroni.cl/3Y7vY0Q
A statement from the Board of Visitors said it reviewed 27 candidates out of more than 100 nominations. https://chroni.cl/3Y7vY0Q
A single weather event, Hurricane Helene, has caused an estimated $44 million in damages to North Carolina's public colleges. https://chroni.cl/3Ncidvq
These Rising Costs Are Squeezing College Budgets
Dwindling revenue might be the greatest threat to your institution. But escalating expenses are driving campus belt-tightening, too.
chroni.cl
December 22, 2025 at 4:00 PM
A single weather event, Hurricane Helene, has caused an estimated $44 million in damages to North Carolina's public colleges. https://chroni.cl/3Ncidvq
Jacob Savage argues young white men have been systemically shut out of academic jobs, along with those in media and in Hollywood. Is that true? https://chroni.cl/4qopg2J
Is Academe Discriminating Against White Men?
A viral article has everyone talking, and arguing.
chroni.cl
December 19, 2025 at 9:20 PM
Jacob Savage argues young white men have been systemically shut out of academic jobs, along with those in media and in Hollywood. Is that true? https://chroni.cl/4qopg2J
Reposted by Chronicle of Higher Education
The UNC system just released its final policy on mandatory syllabi disclosure, stating that syllabi are university (not faculty) IP and certain course info must be posted on new, publicly searchable databases before every semester.
A thread about what's changed from the draft I reported on earlier:
A thread about what's changed from the draft I reported on earlier:
NEW: Public universities in red states, from Texas to Florida, are increasingly required to make their syllabi public. The University of North Carolina may be next. Does "syllabi transparency" help combat distrust in higher ed, or feed ill-informed suspicions of it? www.chronicle.com/article/when...
When Everyone Can See Your Syllabus
More states are requiring public colleges to make class syllabi available to the masses. Proponents say these measures boost higher ed’s credibility, while faculty fear being targeted.
www.chronicle.com
December 19, 2025 at 8:46 PM
The UNC system just released its final policy on mandatory syllabi disclosure, stating that syllabi are university (not faculty) IP and certain course info must be posted on new, publicly searchable databases before every semester.
A thread about what's changed from the draft I reported on earlier:
A thread about what's changed from the draft I reported on earlier:
Opinion | Alumni and graduate students see a hostile takeover of a storied department. https://chroni.cl/4j99Pcj
Opinion | A Coup at Carnegie Mellon?
The university is replacing the humanities with more computers.
www.chronicle.com
December 19, 2025 at 8:16 PM
Opinion | Alumni and graduate students see a hostile takeover of a storied department. https://chroni.cl/4j99Pcj
In two letters, a University of Arkansas dean outlined his reasons for recommending the professors firing, including social media posts, the signing of letters, and testimony submitted in a legal proceeding. https://chroni.cl/3Y46zoI
The U. of Arkansas Is Trying to Fire a Tenured Professor for Statements on Iran and Israel
A dean also removed Shirin Saeidi as director of the Center for Middle East Studies, which is under scrutiny by Republican state lawmakers. She says she’ll fight the decision.
www.chronicle.com
December 19, 2025 at 7:12 PM
In two letters, a University of Arkansas dean outlined his reasons for recommending the professors firing, including social media posts, the signing of letters, and testimony submitted in a legal proceeding. https://chroni.cl/3Y46zoI
A new Texas Tech University system policy expands administrative review of course content related to race, gender, and sexual orientation. Faculty say the rules go beyond state law and threaten academic freedom. https://chroni.cl/49lPLjq
Texas Tech Faculty Are Pressed to Ponder: Is Your Course Content ‘Relevant’ and ‘Necessary’?
Ahead of a new systemwide administrative-review process, instructors are scrutinizing lessons on race, gender, and even <i>The Great Gatsby</i>.
chroni.cl
December 19, 2025 at 6:08 PM
A new Texas Tech University system policy expands administrative review of course content related to race, gender, and sexual orientation. Faculty say the rules go beyond state law and threaten academic freedom. https://chroni.cl/49lPLjq
A man suspected of the deadly Brown University shooting and the killing of an MIT professor was found dead inside a storage unit in Salem, N.H. https://chroni.cl/4b55UuK
A Long-Ago Brown U. Grad Student Is Suspected of Shooting 11 Students and an MIT Professor
Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, 48, was found dead in a storage unit in New Hampshire late Thursday, authorities said. Brown’s president emphasized he had no current affiliation with the Ivy League inst...
www.chronicle.com
December 19, 2025 at 5:04 PM
A man suspected of the deadly Brown University shooting and the killing of an MIT professor was found dead inside a storage unit in Salem, N.H. https://chroni.cl/4b55UuK
Clemson University went from defending First Amendment principles to firing three employees over their comments about Charlie Kirk when administrators scrambled to manage an avalanche of demands from donors, alumni, and legislators threatening to defund the university. https://chroni.cl/459BK5T
Inside Clemson U.’s Response to Backlash Over Employees’ Charlie Kirk Posts
Before it fired three people, administrators scrambled to manage demands from the public and politicians, according to records obtained by The Chronicle.
www.chronicle.com
December 19, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Clemson University went from defending First Amendment principles to firing three employees over their comments about Charlie Kirk when administrators scrambled to manage an avalanche of demands from donors, alumni, and legislators threatening to defund the university. https://chroni.cl/459BK5T
News of campus gun violence, like the recent shooting at Brown, can reinforce perceptions among international students and families that the U.S. is a dangerous place. https://chroni.cl/4ajJsOp
How Campus Shootings Resonate Abroad
Could foreign enrollments be a casualty of America’s gun violence? Plus, widespread anxiety over visa rules.
chroni.cl
December 18, 2025 at 8:16 PM
News of campus gun violence, like the recent shooting at Brown, can reinforce perceptions among international students and families that the U.S. is a dangerous place. https://chroni.cl/4ajJsOp
Opinion | What could be wrong with giving? The problem is not altruism, ultimately, but the machinery of effectiveness. https://chroni.cl/4aUgO6y
Opinion | How a Thought Experiment Changed the World
Peter Singer and the roots of effective altruism.
www.chronicle.com
December 18, 2025 at 7:12 PM
Opinion | What could be wrong with giving? The problem is not altruism, ultimately, but the machinery of effectiveness. https://chroni.cl/4aUgO6y
Opinion | Political homogeneity among faculty members is a real problem, and a hard one to solve. https://chroni.cl/4p6BGev
Opinion | The Fraught Task of Hiring Pro-Zionist Professors
Ideological imbalance is real. But the solution is unclear.
chroni.cl
December 18, 2025 at 6:08 PM
Opinion | Political homogeneity among faculty members is a real problem, and a hard one to solve. https://chroni.cl/4p6BGev
Making syllabi public can help students make informed choices and combat distrust in higher education, proponents say. But many faculty fear that sharing their syllabi with the world will feed ill-informed, partisan suspicion of the sector. https://chroni.cl/4j71LZq
When Everyone Can See Your Syllabus
More states are requiring public colleges to make class syllabi available to the masses. Proponents say these measures boost higher ed’s credibility, while faculty fear being targeted.
www.chronicle.com
December 18, 2025 at 5:04 PM
Making syllabi public can help students make informed choices and combat distrust in higher education, proponents say. But many faculty fear that sharing their syllabi with the world will feed ill-informed, partisan suspicion of the sector. https://chroni.cl/4j71LZq
A few years ago, in search of a financial lifeline, Webster University went all-in on an ambitious plan: recruiting more international students to its main campus in St. Louis than ever before. https://chroni.cl/3KXDfgL
A Regional College’s Enrollment Bet Worked. Or Did It?
Within a few years, international students made up nearly half of Webster University’s main-campus population. But officials are rethinking the approach.
www.chronicle.com
December 18, 2025 at 4:00 PM
A few years ago, in search of a financial lifeline, Webster University went all-in on an ambitious plan: recruiting more international students to its main campus in St. Louis than ever before. https://chroni.cl/3KXDfgL
Nicholas Kent, under secretary of education, told accreditation committee members to “buckle up” — because the Trump administration was determined to “break the mold” in how it manages the committee and overhauls accreditation. https://chroni.cl/4aPMY3a
Under Trump, Accreditation Oversight Committee Produces Some Smoke, but No Fire
The federal panel’s new chair, formerly of the Heritage Foundation, acknowledged the “awkwardness” in the room and said he aimed to be “evenhanded.”
chroni.cl
December 17, 2025 at 7:12 PM
Nicholas Kent, under secretary of education, told accreditation committee members to “buckle up” — because the Trump administration was determined to “break the mold” in how it manages the committee and overhauls accreditation. https://chroni.cl/4aPMY3a
In an interview, Texas Tech’s system chancellor defended new limits on course content related to race, gender, and sexuality as necessary to deliver degrees that meet employer demand and parent expectations. https://chroni.cl/4j7ISpo
The Man Behind Texas Tech’s Controversial Curriculum Crackdown
Brandon Creighton believes colleges should focus on careers and salaries — not contested ideas about race, gender, and sexuality.
www.chronicle.com
December 17, 2025 at 6:08 PM
In an interview, Texas Tech’s system chancellor defended new limits on course content related to race, gender, and sexuality as necessary to deliver degrees that meet employer demand and parent expectations. https://chroni.cl/4j7ISpo
Some of the big names who helped draw attention to the U. of Austin have bowed out. So have staff at all levels. https://chroni.cl/45erM37
At the U. of Austin, a Raft of Departures Leaves More Questions Than Answers
Much of the senior staff who helped get the new institution off the ground have left this year.
www.chronicle.com
December 17, 2025 at 5:04 PM
Some of the big names who helped draw attention to the U. of Austin have bowed out. So have staff at all levels. https://chroni.cl/45erM37
Long-considered a foreign concept, faculty are increasingly contending with the possibility their discussion or lecture could be recorded and uploaded to the internet to influence how and what they teach. Can free discussion in the classroom survive?
https://chroni.cl/4aTJRao
https://chroni.cl/4aTJRao
The Classroom, Caught on Camera
Professors and students are increasingly worried what they say in class could end up on the internet.
www.chronicle.com
December 17, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Long-considered a foreign concept, faculty are increasingly contending with the possibility their discussion or lecture could be recorded and uploaded to the internet to influence how and what they teach. Can free discussion in the classroom survive?
https://chroni.cl/4aTJRao
https://chroni.cl/4aTJRao
"The small liberal-arts college, whatever else it is, is always the hopelessly scrambled remains of someone else’s utopia." https://chroni.cl/49fkkY0
In Praise of College Towns
Small liberal-arts colleges hold out the promise of utopia.
www.chronicle.com
December 16, 2025 at 8:16 PM
"The small liberal-arts college, whatever else it is, is always the hopelessly scrambled remains of someone else’s utopia." https://chroni.cl/49fkkY0
Colleges are wrestling with AI-resistors: students who don’t want to use AI even when it’s part of a required assignment. https://chroni.cl/4jjoTnP
How to Respond When Students Don’t Want to Work With AI
Some students object to using artificial intelligence on ethical grounds. What happens when it’s part of the assignment?
www.chronicle.com
December 16, 2025 at 7:12 PM
Colleges are wrestling with AI-resistors: students who don’t want to use AI even when it’s part of a required assignment. https://chroni.cl/4jjoTnP
The White House is seeking to place new limits on the authority and autonomy of accrediting agencies, pushing for more government oversight of how they operate and what they require from colleges. Will those changes serve students or political aims? https://chroni.cl/4oXrkxo
Will Trump Try to Strong-Arm College Accreditors?
The Education Department has signaled that reforming the system — which the president has described as a “secret weapon” for changing higher education — is its top priority.
chroni.cl
December 16, 2025 at 6:08 PM
The White House is seeking to place new limits on the authority and autonomy of accrediting agencies, pushing for more government oversight of how they operate and what they require from colleges. Will those changes serve students or political aims? https://chroni.cl/4oXrkxo
Opinion | Flagships have been living in an age of disruption for nearly two decades -- and their efforts are paying off. https://chroni.cl/3KzMpQx
Opinion | Why Flagships Are Winning
Battered by decades of disruption, they are now more frugal and more resilient than elite privates.
www.chronicle.com
December 16, 2025 at 5:04 PM
Opinion | Flagships have been living in an age of disruption for nearly two decades -- and their efforts are paying off. https://chroni.cl/3KzMpQx