Afternoon Update: 5 colleges lose Chinese flagship programs because of Defense Dept. cuts

33 arrests at George Washington U. spare mayor from House hearing; CEO steps down from U. of North Carolina’s online-education project; and more. ADVERTISEMENT [Afternoon Update Logo]( You can also [read this newsletter on the web](. Or, if you no longer want to receive this newsletter, [unsubscribe](. LATITUDES [5 Colleges Lose Chinese Flagship Programs Because of Defense Dept. Cuts]( By Karin Fischer [STORY IMAGE]( Closure of the intensive critical-language programs, begun after 9/11, could hurt students and national security, supporters say. ADVERTISEMENT THE EDGE [What ‘Today’s Students’ Still Need]( By Goldie Blumenstyk [STORY IMAGE]( For one, policies recognizing that adult students “aren’t just recent high-school grads who showed up on campus a few years late.” THE POLITICS OF PROTEST [D.C. Police Arrest 33 in Clearing Pro-Palestinian Encampment at George Washington U.]( The university had asked the local police to intervene, but until early Wednesday the [request had been denied]( because the protest had been peaceful. [The police acted]( hours before Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, was scheduled to appear at a House Oversight Committee hearing. After the action at GW, the panel’s Republican chair canceled the hearing. (The GW Hatchet, The Washington Post) CAMPUS UNREST [Other Arrests Today at the Pro-Palestinian Protests on Campus]( About 130 people were arrested on Tuesday night at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, following demands from the flagship institution that an unauthorized pro-Palestinian encampment be dismantled, [WBTS]( reported. The University of North Carolina at Charlotte took down an encampment on Tuesday morning and arrested one protester, [The Charlotte Observer]( reported. Two students were arrested in a protest today at the University of Houston, the [Houston Chronicle]( reported. ONLINE LEARNING [Head of U. of North Carolina’s Ambitious Foray Into Online Education Departs]( Wil Zemp, chief executive of Project Kitty Hawk, resigned because a close relative is battling a serious medical condition, according to a letter from UNC-system leaders who also head the project’s board. The news came a few weeks after [an article reported]( that the $97-million project had slashed enrollment projections and dropped its business model. (The Assembly/The Chronicle/Open Campus) CAMPUS CUTS [St. Cloud State U. Leaders Recommend Major Cuts in Degree Programs and Faculty]( To close a series of budget gaps, administrators at the Minnesota university said they would propose discontinuing 46 of 136 degree programs and 50 of 85 minor degrees. They also will recommend eliminating 57 faculty positions, or about 13 percent of the total. The acting president said the university would focus on the 90 programs that enroll 90 percent of students. (Minnesota Public Radio) UGLY WORDS [No Charges Filed Against Man Who Admitted Yelling Racial Slur at U. of Utah Athletes]( The [incident occurred]( as the university’s women’s basketball team played its initial games of the NCAA tournament in Spokane, Wash., but stayed in nearby Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Prosecutors there said the 18-year-old high-school student would not be charged for lack of probable cause and potential violation of his First Amendment right to free speech. (The Athletic, KSL) UPCOMING PROGRAM [The Chronicle's Strategic-Leadership Program for Department Chairs | June 2024] [Join us in June]( for a professional development program tailored to the needs of department chairs. Experienced academic leaders will provide insights on the the current trends in higher ed, effective ways to manage a department, strategic planning, and more. 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