W. Carson Byrd
@wcbyrdphd.bsky.social
Sociologist of higher ed inequalities & racism @ Michigan
Probably staring at data instead of writing, but at least there’s a stack of books & articles beside me.
More info: https://wcarsonbyrd.com
Probably staring at data instead of writing, but at least there’s a stack of books & articles beside me.
More info: https://wcarsonbyrd.com
An important point from @tressiemcphd.bsky.social about the dangers of affixing racism to mental conditions. @insurgentprof.bsky.social & I wrote about the these dangers about linking racism strongly to psychopathology
February 6, 2026 at 5:26 PM
An important point from @tressiemcphd.bsky.social about the dangers of affixing racism to mental conditions. @insurgentprof.bsky.social & I wrote about the these dangers about linking racism strongly to psychopathology
Reposted by W. Carson Byrd
The emergence of Jen and her snowdrift-stomping boots:
February 6, 2026 at 1:44 PM
The emergence of Jen and her snowdrift-stomping boots:
Reposted by W. Carson Byrd
Those are the hardest working scare quotes in the business.
What is the goddamn bar for calling something racist without qualification if monkey videos don’t make the cut?
What is the goddamn bar for calling something racist without qualification if monkey videos don’t make the cut?
“.. while the song ‘The Lions Sleeps Tonight’ plays in the background.”
@lbc.co.uk
www.lbc.co.uk/article/trum...
@lbc.co.uk
www.lbc.co.uk/article/trum...
February 6, 2026 at 12:23 PM
Those are the hardest working scare quotes in the business.
What is the goddamn bar for calling something racist without qualification if monkey videos don’t make the cut?
What is the goddamn bar for calling something racist without qualification if monkey videos don’t make the cut?
Reposted by W. Carson Byrd
New, from me: Trump finalized his Schedule F policy, allowing him to remove job protections from career civil servants.
The new rule is dishonest and unmoored from reality in its effort to formalize the politicization of the federal government 🧵
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/trumps-sch...
The new rule is dishonest and unmoored from reality in its effort to formalize the politicization of the federal government 🧵
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/trumps-sch...
Trump's Schedule F Rule Finalized
A bizarro rule formally justifies politicizing public services
donmoynihan.substack.com
February 6, 2026 at 4:16 AM
New, from me: Trump finalized his Schedule F policy, allowing him to remove job protections from career civil servants.
The new rule is dishonest and unmoored from reality in its effort to formalize the politicization of the federal government 🧵
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/trumps-sch...
The new rule is dishonest and unmoored from reality in its effort to formalize the politicization of the federal government 🧵
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/trumps-sch...
Reposted by W. Carson Byrd
www.fox47news.com/news/state/m...
The tool enables Michiganders to report and document concerns about actions taken by federal immigration officers in their neighborhoods. Nessel said the platform collects details, photos and video of those events.
The tool enables Michiganders to report and document concerns about actions taken by federal immigration officers in their neighborhoods. Nessel said the platform collects details, photos and video of those events.
Michigan AG launches tool to track immigration agents amid controversy
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced a new online tool Wednesday that allows residents to report alleged misconduct by federal immigration agents.
www.fox47news.com
February 6, 2026 at 12:29 PM
www.fox47news.com/news/state/m...
The tool enables Michiganders to report and document concerns about actions taken by federal immigration officers in their neighborhoods. Nessel said the platform collects details, photos and video of those events.
The tool enables Michiganders to report and document concerns about actions taken by federal immigration officers in their neighborhoods. Nessel said the platform collects details, photos and video of those events.
Reposted by W. Carson Byrd
Sociologist C. Wright Mills saw this coming—and tried to warn us—60+ years ago.
jacobin.com/2026/02/wrig...
jacobin.com/2026/02/wrig...
February 6, 2026 at 1:08 AM
Sociologist C. Wright Mills saw this coming—and tried to warn us—60+ years ago.
jacobin.com/2026/02/wrig...
jacobin.com/2026/02/wrig...
These continued attacks on higher ed are about control & protecting power, which includes the ability to shape education, knowledge, & history. Policies protecting faculty & their academic freedom are obstacles to authoritarian control.
Breaking, from me: An executive order from Oklahoma's governor directs most of the state's public colleges to "phase out tenure." #AcademicSky #HigherEd @chronicle.com
www.chronicle.com/article/tenu...
www.chronicle.com/article/tenu...
Tenure Will Be Eliminated at Most of Oklahoma’s Public Colleges, Governor Says
Gov. Kevin Stitt, a Republican, directed the state’s two-dozen regional universities and community colleges to phase out the practice. Existing faculty members will be grandfathered in.
www.chronicle.com
February 6, 2026 at 1:51 AM
These continued attacks on higher ed are about control & protecting power, which includes the ability to shape education, knowledge, & history. Policies protecting faculty & their academic freedom are obstacles to authoritarian control.
A few snowflakes catching a ride this evening on my coat.
February 5, 2026 at 11:03 PM
A few snowflakes catching a ride this evening on my coat.
Reposted by W. Carson Byrd
Incoming APS President @umpamdk.bsky.social describes the role indirect costs play in the university research landscape, as well as the important role of universities in their local economies, and what's at stake if those indirect costs are cut. #AcademicSky
Cutting Indirect Costs for Universities Impacts More Than Research
Incoming APS President Pamela Davis-Kean describes the role indirect costs play in the U.S. research landscape and the economies of university communities.
www.psychologicalscience.org
February 4, 2026 at 3:59 PM
Incoming APS President @umpamdk.bsky.social describes the role indirect costs play in the university research landscape, as well as the important role of universities in their local economies, and what's at stake if those indirect costs are cut. #AcademicSky
Reposted by W. Carson Byrd
This is the Yale professor's explanation for why he described the physical attractiveness of a student in an email to Epstein. He explicitly says he regrets nothing about their association.
Again, I'm so happy Yale hired David Brooks to restore trust.
yaledailynews.com/articles/gel...
Again, I'm so happy Yale hired David Brooks to restore trust.
yaledailynews.com/articles/gel...
February 5, 2026 at 4:14 PM
This is the Yale professor's explanation for why he described the physical attractiveness of a student in an email to Epstein. He explicitly says he regrets nothing about their association.
Again, I'm so happy Yale hired David Brooks to restore trust.
yaledailynews.com/articles/gel...
Again, I'm so happy Yale hired David Brooks to restore trust.
yaledailynews.com/articles/gel...
Reposted by W. Carson Byrd
But, as they say, there is no time like the present
[OK, maybe the 1930s if you want to nitpick]
But, with some data wrangling, my first NSF Funding Curves!
2/3
[OK, maybe the 1930s if you want to nitpick]
But, with some data wrangling, my first NSF Funding Curves!
2/3
February 5, 2026 at 1:58 PM
But, as they say, there is no time like the present
[OK, maybe the 1930s if you want to nitpick]
But, with some data wrangling, my first NSF Funding Curves!
2/3
[OK, maybe the 1930s if you want to nitpick]
But, with some data wrangling, my first NSF Funding Curves!
2/3
Reposted by W. Carson Byrd
More on NSF funding data
A deeper dive into the numbers of awards by Directorate.
1/9
A deeper dive into the numbers of awards by Directorate.
1/9
a picture of a person in the water with the words call of the deep below it
ALT: a picture of a person in the water with the words call of the deep below it
media.tenor.com
February 5, 2026 at 6:05 PM
More on NSF funding data
A deeper dive into the numbers of awards by Directorate.
1/9
A deeper dive into the numbers of awards by Directorate.
1/9
Reposted by W. Carson Byrd
Some people will be tempted to think that having the state dictate faculty teaching loads we can repair trust in institutions and avoid authoritarianism when in actuality having the state dictate faculty teaching is part of an authoritarian program.
February 5, 2026 at 12:34 AM
Some people will be tempted to think that having the state dictate faculty teaching loads we can repair trust in institutions and avoid authoritarianism when in actuality having the state dictate faculty teaching is part of an authoritarian program.
Reposted by W. Carson Byrd
This desire to decimate the white collar workforce is also driving the billionaire class's efforts to cut, curb, and control higher education. Because academia is the machine that produces the white collar class.
bsky.app/profile/loui...
bsky.app/profile/loui...
Most of this applies to academia too!
February 5, 2026 at 11:17 AM
This desire to decimate the white collar workforce is also driving the billionaire class's efforts to cut, curb, and control higher education. Because academia is the machine that produces the white collar class.
bsky.app/profile/loui...
bsky.app/profile/loui...
Reposted by W. Carson Byrd
NEW: USC named its interim president, Beong-Soo Kim, as president — effective today. When USC announced Kim’s interim job a year ago, the board and search committee said he was not a candidate for the permanent position. They later changed their minds. www.latimes.com/california/s...
USC names Beong-Soo Kim as its 'next generation' president
USC on Wednesday said Beong-Soo Kim, the interim campus president since June, would become president.
www.latimes.com
February 4, 2026 at 8:51 PM
NEW: USC named its interim president, Beong-Soo Kim, as president — effective today. When USC announced Kim’s interim job a year ago, the board and search committee said he was not a candidate for the permanent position. They later changed their minds. www.latimes.com/california/s...
Reposted by W. Carson Byrd
WTF
They closed the CIA World Factbook and deleted it entirely.
February 4, 2026 at 11:20 PM
WTF
Reposted by W. Carson Byrd
NEW: Abigail Spanberger this afternoon ordered that all state agencies leave ICE's 287(g) program.
This means that the state police (and some other agencies) will no longer be empowered to detain and arrest people for ICE.
Big, big move by the governor within weeks of coming into office.
This means that the state police (and some other agencies) will no longer be empowered to detain and arrest people for ICE.
Big, big move by the governor within weeks of coming into office.
Virginia’s New Governor Ends ICE Program. Local Contracts Remain, For Now. - Bolts
Abigail Spanberger left the 287(g) program, which empowered state law enforcement to detain immigrants. Will Democrats also bar local police and sheriffs from the program?
boltsmag.org
February 4, 2026 at 10:36 PM
NEW: Abigail Spanberger this afternoon ordered that all state agencies leave ICE's 287(g) program.
This means that the state police (and some other agencies) will no longer be empowered to detain and arrest people for ICE.
Big, big move by the governor within weeks of coming into office.
This means that the state police (and some other agencies) will no longer be empowered to detain and arrest people for ICE.
Big, big move by the governor within weeks of coming into office.
Reposted by W. Carson Byrd
Learn more about higher education finance in Lindsay Leasor and Kevin Stange’s chapter on expenditures and costs: livehandbook.org/higher-educa...
February 4, 2026 at 5:01 PM
Learn more about higher education finance in Lindsay Leasor and Kevin Stange’s chapter on expenditures and costs: livehandbook.org/higher-educa...
Important new research by @jamessmurphy.bsky.social about the continued changes in student enrollments after the SFFA decisions in 2023. The story is complex when looking across the US system & highlights how SFFA is intensifying racial stratification of higher ed.
Class Action's new report on post-SFFA enrollment outcomes is featured in the NYT today. 🧵https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/03/us/colleges-see-major-racial-shifts-in-student-enrollment.html?unlocked_article_code=1.JVA.m6aZ.vbFHPEWkRca_&smid=bs-share
Colleges See Major Racial Shifts in Student Enrollment
www.nytimes.com
February 4, 2026 at 12:34 PM
Important new research by @jamessmurphy.bsky.social about the continued changes in student enrollments after the SFFA decisions in 2023. The story is complex when looking across the US system & highlights how SFFA is intensifying racial stratification of higher ed.
Reposted by W. Carson Byrd
Cool workshop in DC in June for higher ed policy academics with less than 10 years of research experience. Deadline to apply is March 1.
www.peer-center.org/research/sum...
www.peer-center.org/research/sum...
APPLY NOW: PEER Center Summer Scholars Program — PEER Center
June 3-5, 2026 | Apply by March 1 The Postsecondary Education & Economics Research (PEER) Center invites early- and mid-career academics conducting higher education policy research to apply to pa...
www.peer-center.org
February 3, 2026 at 4:41 PM
Cool workshop in DC in June for higher ed policy academics with less than 10 years of research experience. Deadline to apply is March 1.
www.peer-center.org/research/sum...
www.peer-center.org/research/sum...
Reposted by W. Carson Byrd
Both chambers of Congress have now passed the FY26 minibus with NIH provisions. The President will sign.
(1) $48.7 billion for NIH
(2) Full IDC recovery
(3) No more multi-year funding
(4) No NIH reorganization, maintaining the current IC structure.
(1) $48.7 billion for NIH
(2) Full IDC recovery
(3) No more multi-year funding
(4) No NIH reorganization, maintaining the current IC structure.
February 3, 2026 at 7:48 PM
Both chambers of Congress have now passed the FY26 minibus with NIH provisions. The President will sign.
(1) $48.7 billion for NIH
(2) Full IDC recovery
(3) No more multi-year funding
(4) No NIH reorganization, maintaining the current IC structure.
(1) $48.7 billion for NIH
(2) Full IDC recovery
(3) No more multi-year funding
(4) No NIH reorganization, maintaining the current IC structure.
Reposted by W. Carson Byrd
Thank you, Victor. I spent a few weeks on this. As usual, it’s always a negotiation with length. So a few other bon mots:
1. The admin has issued DOJ guidance to challenge state laws that would regulate AI
www.wired.com/story/ai-sup...
1. The admin has issued DOJ guidance to challenge state laws that would regulate AI
www.wired.com/story/ai-sup...
February 3, 2026 at 1:58 PM
Thank you, Victor. I spent a few weeks on this. As usual, it’s always a negotiation with length. So a few other bon mots:
1. The admin has issued DOJ guidance to challenge state laws that would regulate AI
www.wired.com/story/ai-sup...
1. The admin has issued DOJ guidance to challenge state laws that would regulate AI
www.wired.com/story/ai-sup...
Reposted by W. Carson Byrd
Here's my piece on compensation absurdities in higher. Only scratches the surface, but hopeful we can use this as a springboard to say: this weird thing we do? We don't have to keep doing it. Or, we can do this better. Let's aim higher www.chronicle.com/article/high...
Opinion | Higher Education’s Compensation Charade
We’ve come to accept illogical, unjust, and occasionally insulting pay practices. Why?
www.chronicle.com
February 2, 2026 at 11:09 PM
Here's my piece on compensation absurdities in higher. Only scratches the surface, but hopeful we can use this as a springboard to say: this weird thing we do? We don't have to keep doing it. Or, we can do this better. Let's aim higher www.chronicle.com/article/high...
Such an important read from @tressiemcphd.bsky.social as she describes how all of this goes beyond protecting one’s data; it’s about protecting your rights from an authoritarian regime hellbent to demolish democracy.
February 3, 2026 at 1:33 PM
Such an important read from @tressiemcphd.bsky.social as she describes how all of this goes beyond protecting one’s data; it’s about protecting your rights from an authoritarian regime hellbent to demolish democracy.
Reposted by W. Carson Byrd
“You need only know this: Whatever is happening with your data, it is important enough to the most egregiously lawless administration in American history that it be collected and consolidated.” Always read @tressiemcphd.bsky.social (gift link)
Opinion | Democracy Dies by Database
www.nytimes.com
February 3, 2026 at 12:19 PM
“You need only know this: Whatever is happening with your data, it is important enough to the most egregiously lawless administration in American history that it be collected and consolidated.” Always read @tressiemcphd.bsky.social (gift link)