Afternoon Update: After Mysterious Suspension of Award-Winning UCLA Professor, Scientists Fight Back

Unequal faculty workloads; DeSantis aims to "curb" DEI; Oklahoma wants history of DEI spending; Arkansas affiliate may buy U. of Phoenix; and more. ADVERTISEMENT [Afternoon Update Logo]( Did someone forward you this newsletter? [Sign up free]( to receive your own copy. You can now read The Chronicle on [Flipboard]( and [Google News](. RETALIATION ALLEGED [After Mysterious Suspension of Award-Winning UCLA Prof, Scientists Fight Back]( By Katherine Mangan [STORY IMAGE]( A prominent ecologist had complained of racial discrimination before being barred from campus. ADVERTISEMENT THE REVIEW | OPINION [Faculty Workloads Are Unequal. That Must Change.]( By Rafael Walker [STORY IMAGE]( If service isn’t made more fair, people will stop doing it. LATITUDES [For International Recruitment, Is Africa the Future?]( By Karin Fischer [STORY IMAGE]( A look inside my notebook from a reporting trip to Africa, plus new data show international applicants on the upswing. THE EDGE [Chasing Enrollment Against the Odds]( By Goldie Blumenstyk [STORY IMAGE]( Colleges aim to expand their graduate- and adult-student head counts, but many lack adequate resources and expertise. ACADEMIC FREEDOM [DeSantis Administration Aims to ‘Curb’ DEI at Florida’s Public Universities]( Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez also told the State University System’s board that the governor wants to put hiring authority “in the hands” of campus presidents, not in “hidden” practices and faculty committees. The [effort to dismantle]( diversity, equity, and inclusion on campus follows the governor’s demand that public colleges [detail their DEI spending](. (Miami Herald, The Chronicle) IN THE STATES [Oklahoma Education Secretary Wants 10-Year History of DEI Spending in Higher Ed]( Ryan Walters said he intended to review the last decade of spending by state colleges and universities on diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as the materials used to achieve DEI goals. The move follows similar action by the [governor of Florida](. (Tulsa World, The Chronicle) DEAL IN THE WORKS [Nonprofit Affiliated With U. of Arkansas System Considers Purchase of U. of Phoenix]( Under the proposed deal, the unnamed nonprofit entity would acquire the for-profit university, which once had nearly 500,000 students but now has only about 75,000, for $500 million to $700 million, and would turn it into a nonprofit institution. In addition to plunging enrollment, Phoenix has had major problems in recent years with federal regulators. (Arkansas Times) RESEARCH [Women Scientists at Famed Oceanography Institute Have Half the Lab Space of Men]( Women at the University of California at San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography also have a third of the storage space of their male peers. The 16 labs defined as “very large” all belong to men. And 31 of 32 coveted on-site storage containers are assigned to men. A [95-page report]( says the differences cannot be “explained away” by funding, seniority, discipline, or research-group size. (Science) EXERCISE [Physical-Education Requirements Continue to Decline at Colleges, Study Finds]( About 32 percent of American colleges require some form of physical-education course to graduate, down from 39 percent in 2010, according to an Oregon State University study. Colleges have built lots of [swank recreation centers]( but their PE requirements, including [swimming tests]( are [still dropping](. (University statement, 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. NEWSLETTER [Sign Up for the Teaching Newsletter]( Find insights to improve teaching and learning across your campus. Delivered on Thursdays. To read this newsletter as soon as it sends, [sign up]( to receive it in your email inbox. SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHRONICLE Enjoying the newsletter? [Subscribe today]( for unlimited access to essential news, analysis, and advice. SPONSOR CONTENT | Oregon State University [Oregon State University launches world-class research center]( ADVERTISEMENT FROM THE CHRONICLE STORE [Reimagining the Student Experience - The Chronicle Store]( [Reimagining the Student Experience]( Many colleges are intentionally rethinking and reshaping what has broadly become known as the student experience. [Order your copy today]( to explore the many forces affecting the student experience with the goal of making students’ time on campus more engaging. 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. © 2023 [The Chronicle of Higher Education]( 1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037