Afternoon Update: Texas A&M’s president resigns in fallout from failed hiring

How dropping legacy preferences is good PR; post-dissertation depression; research-integrity questions; ugly words, online and in voicemail; and more. [Afternoon Update Logo]( You can also [read this newsletter on the web](. Or, if you no longer want to receive this newsletter, [unsubscribe](. LEADERSHIP UPHEAVAL [Texas A&M’s President Resigns in Fallout From Failed Hiring]( By Erin Gretzinger [STORY IMAGE]( Texas A&M University’s president is the second person to resign following the botched hiring of Kathleen O. McElroy, a prominent Black journalist. MAKING THE NEWS [For One College, Dropping Legacy Admissions Is Good PR — Among Other Things]( By Nell Gluckman [STORY IMAGE]( A handful of colleges that don’t admit many legacy students have recently said goodbye to the practice. For Wesleyan, the chance to make headlines was a factor. ADVICE [How to Move Past Post-Dissertation Depression]( By Christina Katopodis [STORY IMAGE]( Some people experience a mourning period after earning their doctorates. What to expect and how to cope. RESEARCH INTEGRITY I [A Scientist Said Her Research Could Help Repatriate Native Remains. It Destroyed Them.]( Federal agencies have awarded millions of dollars in research grants for scientific studies of Native American remains, undermining the goals of a 1990 federal law that requires the return to tribes of such remains and related cultural artifacts. [Many of those items are still held]( in dozens of [college and university museums]( and other collections. (ProPublica) RESEARCH INTEGRITY II [Florida State U. Fires Professor for ‘Extreme Negligence’ After Research Is Retracted]( The criminology professor, Eric Stewart, said that the university’s investigation and termination process had been “arbitrary, capricious, and discriminatory.” FSU said that his “extreme negligence” had caused nearly “catastrophic” damage to his program. In a letter of termination, the provost noted years of suspicion that Stewart had been publishing studies with spurious data. (Tallahassee Democrat) TOXIC ECONOMICS [Economics Website Is Filled With Racist and Sexist Speech Linked to Top Universities]( Racist, sexist, and abusive messages that were posted anonymously for years on Economics Job Market Rumors, a website not affiliated with an academic organization, originated from people using computers at Chicago, Harvard, Stanford, and other leading American universities, according to [research described]( on Thursday by scholars at Boston and Yale Universities. (Associated Press) CAMPUS CUTS [Facing Financial Woes, Lasell U. Plans to Cut Humanities Majors and Lay Off Professors]( The small university in Massachusetts cited low enrollment and fiscal stress in its decision. Among the majors to be dropped are English, history, and sociology. All students currently in the majors will be able to complete their degrees. Four faculty members’ contracts were not renewed, several open positions will not be filled, and 12 staff posts have been eliminated. (The Boston Globe) ATHLETICS [U. of Connecticut Settles Lawsuit With Soccer Player Who Flipped Off Camera]( UConn revoked the athlete’s scholarship after she flashed a middle finger at a TV camera as the Huskies celebrated a title in 2014. The player called the gesture an exercise of free speech and said she’d been punished more harshly than male peers. She will get $46,000 for her student debt at Hofstra University, where she transferred, and her lawyers will get $162,500. (Associated Press) UGLY WORDS I [LSU Fires Graduate Assistant Who Left Vulgar Voicemail for State Senator]( Louisiana State University at Baton Rouge allowed the student to continue his studies but relieved him of his teaching duties. The message, which drew a storm of protests from conservative commentators and their followers, condemned the Republican legislator for a speech on Tuesday in support of a ban on gender-affirming health care for transgender youth. (Louisiana Illuminator) UGLY WORDS II [New Band Director at Delta State Mocked Trans People, Women, and Others on Podcast]( The Mississippi university declined to comment on its hiring of Steven Hugley, the new interim band director, who has used his conservative-commentary podcast to make fun of childless people, assert that pro-LGBTQ religious leaders should be stoned, and misgender notable transgender people. (Mississippi Today) DEMOGRAPHIC DESTINY [How College Towns Are Decimating the GOP]( Growing population in America’s highly educated enclaves has led to huge gains for the Democratic Party. And Republicans are scrambling for answers. (Politico) 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 Bootcamp for Future Faculty Leaders] [Join us in September]( for a professional development program tailored to the needs of midcareer faculty. 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