Afternoon Update: Florida higher ed faces assault unparalleled in history, AAUP says

UC-Irvine's living lab; a NAFSA preview; Max Weber in a nihilistic age; Michigan fabricates grades in strike; Tex. House rejects tenure ban; 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](. FACULTY [Florida Higher Ed Faces Ideologically Driven Assault Unparalleled in History, AAUP Says]( Saying that such [attacks on public colleges]( “threaten the very survival” of meaningful higher ed, the American Association of University Professors singled out in a [preliminary report]( the “[hostile takeover]( of [New College]( as a [model]( for “future encroachments” elsewhere; the [failure]( of [college leaders]( to challenge the attacks; and legislation undermining academic freedom, tenure, shared governance, and [service to minority groups](. (AAUP, The Chronicle) ADVERTISEMENT THE EDGE [How to Make a Campus a Living Laboratory to Study Learning]( By Goldie Blumenstyk [STORY IMAGE]( Researchers at the University of California at Irvine are mining several sources of data to better understand student experiences — and improve them. LATITUDES [As International Educators Meet Next Week, These Are the Issues Worth Watching]( By Karin Fischer [STORY IMAGE]( What a longtime reporter is looking out for at the coming NAFSA conference. THE REVIEW | ESSAY [Max Weber’s Ethical Pedagogy for a Nihilistic Age]( By Wendy Brown [STORY IMAGE]( On the enduring relevance of a great social theorist. ADVICE [How to Be Yourself on the Page]( By Rachel Toor [STORY IMAGE]( You may understand the power of first-person writing, but can you wield it gracefully? ACADEMIC LABOR [U. of Michigan Is Fabricating Grades for Students of Striking Instructors, Emails Show]( Nearly two months into a walkout by graduate-student employees, the Ann Arbor campus is [pressuring departments]( to issue grades withheld by the strikers. Some students are getting straight A’s, regardless of their work, according to department chairs who say they have no basis for assigning “real” grades. The university has denied the allegation of spurious grades. (Detroit Metro Times, The Chronicle) TENURE AS TARGET [Texas House Rejects Tenure Ban but Puts Guardrails Around Indefinite Appointments]( An initial proposal passed by the Senate last month would [terminate tenure offers]( at public colleges across the state, heightening concerns that talented faculty members would [steer clear of the state](. But the version approved on Monday by the House [would not impose such a ban]( and would codify tenure in state law. (Houston Public Media, The Chronicle) ACCREDITATION [North Carolina Bill Would Force Accreditation Changes for Public Colleges]( The proposal, [similar]( to [legislation]( enacted in [Florida]( [stems from politicians’]( recent [attacks on accrediting bodies]( in particular the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools’ Commission on Colleges, the regional accreditor, which criticized the [creation of a new school]( at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill without faculty input. Under the bill, colleges would need to switch accreditors every cycle. (Higher Ed Dive, The Chronicle) CAMPUS THREATS [CUNY’S Hunter College Fires Adjunct After Confrontation With Abortion Opponents]( The City University of New York instructor this month was recorded on campus berating anti-abortion students and on Tuesday was accused of threatening a reporter with a machete. (Associated Press) GOVERNANCE [Their College Laid Them Off. Now They Could Be Elected Board Members.]( Two former instructors at Oregon’s Blue Mountain Community College are leading in results of last week’s elections to its board. Final results are expected next month. (Oregon Public Broadcasting) 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. [Register today!]( SPONSOR CONTENT | The University at Buffalo [The University at Buffalo launches historic faculty-hiring initiative]( ADVERTISEMENT FROM THE CHRONICLE STORE [Reimagining the Student Experience - The Chronicle Store]( [Trouble at the Top]( Many leaders and industry observers say it has been decades since the heat on presidents has been this intense. [Order your copy today]( to explore what today’s presidents are up against, how things are changing, and how to navigate new challenges. 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](. 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