Afternoon Update: Ben Sasse Tripled Spending of President's Office at U. of Florida

Stanford wins most Olympics medals; AAUP stops opposing academic boycotts; three colleges' new anti-DEI steps; advice on academic retreats; 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](. SECRETIVE CONTRACTS [Under Ben Sasse, U. of Florida President’s Office Tripled Its Spending]( Sasse, who stepped down as president after a 17-month tenure because of his wife’s health challenges, brought on former staffers from his time in the U.S. Senate as “presidential advisers” and paid them six figures to work remotely. He also spent millions on consulting firms to help with strategic planning, according to publicly available budget figures. (The Alligator) ADVERTISEMENT [Under Ben Sasse, U. of Florida President’s Office Tripled Its Spending]( JUST UPDATED [These Colleges Produced Individual Olympic Medalists. Is Yours on the List?]( By Amelia Benavides-Colón and Nell Gluckman [STORY IMAGE]( The Chronicle tracked which campuses helped train the most medalists at this year’s Games. Here’s who made it onto the podium. JUST UPDATED [Tracking Higher Ed’s Dismantling of DEI]( By Erin Gretzinger, Maggie Hicks, Christa Dutton, and Jasper Smith [STORY IMAGE]( This week’s update details how Wichita State University and the Universities of Florida and of South Alabama are limiting their diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. THE REVIEW [Can the Pope Save the Humanities?]( By Len Gutkin [STORY IMAGE]( Francis on the importance of literature. ADVICE [Ask the Chair: ‘Should I Retreat From the Annual Retreat?’]( By Kevin Dettmar [STORY IMAGE]( What to do when half of the department loves a day of brainstorming together, and the other half hates it. [AAUP Will No Longer Oppose Academic Boycotts]( The decision reverses a stance the advocacy organization adopted in 2005 on boycotts, which involve refusing to work with certain colleges or scholars to make a point. At the time, the American Association of University Professors said such refusals “strike directly at the free exchange of ideas.” Now, amid the Israel-Hamas war, the association says boycotts “can be considered legitimate tactical responses.” (Inside Higher Ed) [Sterling College Faculty Members Raise Alarm About Speech Restrictions in New Handbook]( Changes to the Kansas evangelical institution’s employee handbook included tighter guidelines on religious beliefs, which some faculty members believe forces them to adopt an anti-LGBTQ stance and agree to an explicit statement that the administration could discipline employees for social-media posts. The new language prompted the college’s faculty to vote no confidence in Sterling’s president. (Kansas Reflector) [Jackson State U. Faculty Senate Chair Is Placed on Leave]( The administration says that Dawn McLin, a tenured psychology professor at the historically Black college, abused the power of her position. During her four-year tenure as a faculty leader, Jackson State professors have approved several votes of no confidence in current and former administrators. Some faculty members say McLin has not been afforded due process. (Mississippi Today) UPCOMING WORKSHOP [The Chronicle's Leadership Transformation Collaborative | Starting in August 2024] Join The Chronicle’s Leadership Transformation Collaborative this fall to not only learn a new set of leadership skills, but to gain a structure for implementing them into your day-to-day work. This 15-week virtual program is designed to help current and aspiring higher-ed leaders instill new practices across the fall semester and beyond through practical tools, community building, and flexible learning. 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