Afternoon Update: Professor Is Fired After Being Charged With Murder of Student

Ferris State U. professor who made vulgar video agrees to retire; impatient for workers, businesses help students take college shortcuts; and more. ADVERTISEMENT [Afternoon Update Logo]( Did someone forward you this newsletter? [Sign up free]( to receive your own copy. CAMPUS SAFETY [Professor Is Fired After Being Charged With Murder in Student’s Shooting Death]( The University of West Georgia [dismissed]( Richard Sigman, a business lecturer, after the student, Anna Jones, was shot in her car early Saturday. The police said Sigman had just been [kicked out]( of a restaurant after an argument. It was not known if he had a lawyer. (WSBTV, CBS News, 11Alive) ADVERTISEMENT FACULTY [Ferris State U. Professor Who Made Vulgar Video Agrees to Retire]( Barry Mehler, 75, was suspended in January after posting a [profanity-filled video]( that called students “vectors of disease.” Also under the $95,000 settlement, both he and the Michigan college agreed not to criticize each other. (Associated Press, The Chronicle) THE REVIEW [Campus Politics and the Primordial Dramas of Race]( By Len Gutkin [STORY IMAGE]( What 1990 tells us about 2022. WORK-FORCE TRAINING [Impatient for Workers, Businesses Help Students Take College Shortcuts]( Some employers and states are adding fast-paced training programs for short-term credentials for people who want to forgo college and get jobs. The programs’ quality varies. (The Hechinger Report) ONLINE EDUCATION [Zovio Sells Its Online-Program-Manager Business to U. of Arizona Global Campus]( The university’s [global arm]( the formerly for-profit Ashford University, had a [rocky start](. Now it is taking over the business that has provided it with OPM services. (News release, The Chronicle) VIRTUAL PROGRAMS [2U Announces Layoffs and New Approach to Tuition-Share Agreements]( The online program manager, facing a [possible buyout from Byju’s]( says it expects the restructuring will yield about $70 million in annual savings as it reorients itself around edX, a prominent MOOC platform it acquired last year. (Higher Ed Dive, The Chronicle) EVENTS [Browse Upcoming and On-Demand Virtual Events]( [STORY IMAGE]( Join a discussion with national experts and leading practitioners on how to navigate an uncertain future and what new ideas your institution can pursue. SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHRONICLE Enjoying the newsletter? [Subscribe today]( for unlimited access to essential news, analysis, and advice. SPONSOR CONTENT | University of Birmingham [Quantum mapping breakthrough proves real world applications of a frontier science]( ADVERTISEMENT FROM THE CHRONICLE STORE [The Library of the Future]( [The Library of the Future]( Academic libraries occupy a central position on campus, literally and figuratively. Explore the challenges libraries and librarians have endured in recent years, how this transformation is affecting institutions, and the ways they’ve adapted to it. [Order your copy today.]( NEWSLETTER FEEDBACK [Please let us know what you thought of today's newsletter in this three-question survey](. This newsletter was sent to {EMAIL}. [Read this newsletter on the web](. [Manage]( your newsletter preferences, [stop receiving]( this email, or [view]( our privacy policy. © 2022 [The Chronicle of Higher Education]( 1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037