Afternoon Update: New university withdraws a plan for a digital-first library

Professors’ tech paranoia; U. of Chicago settles antitrust lawsuit; only seven complaints of "woke" classes at Florida universities; 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 [Apple News]( [Flipboard]( and [Google News](. LEADERSHIP [After Protests and a Resignation, a New University Withdraws a Plan for a Digital-First Library]( By David Jesse [STORY IMAGE]( Proposals to remove books and reshape campus athletics shook up three soon-to-be-merged Vermont colleges. ADVERTISEMENT THE REVIEW | OPINION [How Professors’ Tech Paranoia Hinders Higher Ed]( By Mark Garrett Cooper [STORY IMAGE]( Rejecting innovation won’t convince an increasingly skeptical society of our value. THE REVIEW | OPINION [The University of Michigan Demands Flattery for President — While Crushing Labor]( By Silke-Maria Weineck [STORY IMAGE]( The administration wants a nice little poem for the president. THE REVIEW | ESSAY [Confessions of a Professor of Decadence]( By David Weir [STORY IMAGE]( What trigger warning do you use for an amorous unicorn? RACE ON CAMPUS [What Do DEI Officers Do, and Why Are They Under Attack? An Explainer.]( By Katherine Mangan [STORY IMAGE]( Bills in at least 19 states would impede or ban their work. We explain why colleges employ them, who is attracted to this job, and how it has evolved. ADVICE [The Provost Files: How to Hire New Deans]( By George Justice [STORY IMAGE]( Seven steps every provost should take in overseeing a leadership search. ADMISSIONS [U. of Chicago Is First to Settle Price-Fixing Lawsuit Over Top Colleges’ Student Aid]( The suit, filed last year, claims that 17 prominent colleges [conspired for years]( to restrict financial aid and so overcharged more than 200,000 students by billions of dollars, in violation of U.S. antitrust law. Terms of the preliminary settlement, which faces review by a federal judge, were not disclosed. (Reuters, The Chronicle) ATTACKS ON DEI [Few Complained of ‘Woke’ Classes at Florida Universities, but DeSantis Pushed New Bans]( In the four and a half months that the governor’s signature law, the so-called Stop WOKE Act, was enforced at the state’s 12 public universities — before it was [blocked by a federal judge]( last November — only seven people reported potential violations of it, records show. Now new [legislation]( is [pushing]( similar [goals](. (Miami Herald, The Chronicle) CURRICULA [College Board Will Change Its AP Course in African American Studies]( The course had run into criticism from scholars, who [accused the board]( of omitting key concepts and [bending]( to [political pressure]( from [Gov. Ron DeSantis]( of Florida. The board appeared to acknowledge that in its quest to offer the course to as many students as possible, including those in conservative states, it had watered down key concepts. (The New York Times, The Chronicle) REALISTIC DREAMS [Priced Out of a U. of California Campus, Students Choose Community College Instead]( A growing share of low-income students admitted to the renowned University of California system are going to community college instead as [skyrocketing]( housing [costs]( [limited]( dormitory [space]( and insufficient financial aid put their dream campuses out of reach. (Los Angeles Times, The Chronicle) CONSOLIDATION [Lewis U. and St. Augustine College Plan Merger]( The two Roman Catholic institutions — one in Chicago, the other in a Chicago suburb — said the move would enable them to better meet the needs of underserved communities that each had been founded to help. (News release) LEADERSHIP [Penn State President Calls Local Paper ‘Fake News’]( During a faculty and staff meeting on Monday, the president, Neeli Bendapudi, described a local newspaper as offering “[fake news]( in a recent [article about potential plans for mass layoffs]( at the university amid larger budget cuts. The Centre Daily Times and Spotlight PA, which had published the article, [defended their reporting]( and criticized Bendapudi’s choice of words. (Inside Higher Ed) RESEARCH INTEGRITY [Florida Surgeon General Altered Key Findings in Study on Covid-19 Vaccine Safety]( Joseph A. Ladapo, a vaccination skeptic who [received tenure]( at the University of Florida on a [controversial fast-track basis]( personally altered a state-driven study of Covid vaccines last year to suggest that some doses pose a significantly higher health risk for young men, in defiance of the consensus of the broader medical community. (Politico, The Chronicle) CAMPUS SAFETY [One Person Dead and Suspect in Custody After Community-College Shooting in Okla.]( The incident occurred on Monday at Rose State College, near Oklahoma City. The police chief in Midwest City, Okla., said that the suspect and the victim, both men, had been “acquainted through a domestic situation.” He said the suspect’s wife and the victim, both students, were leaving a campus building when the suspect confronted them and opened fire. (CNN) 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. UPCOMING PROGRAM [The Chronicle's Strategic-Leadership Program for Department Chairs] [Join us in June]( for a virtual professional development program which will provide the space, time, and tools to help department chairs take on the challenges and opportunities of the role. Through workshops, high-level seminars, and individual development plans, chairs will think strategically about their departmental and institutional impact. 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