Afternoon Update: Higher ed’s ruinous resistance to change (opinion)

Elite-college admissions and social mobility; N.C. bill would strip away governor’s board appointments; Art Institutes close suddenly; and more. ADVERTISEMENT [Afternoon Update Logo]( You can also [read this newsletter on the web](. Or, if you no longer want to receive this newsletter, [unsubscribe](. THE REVIEW | ESSAY [Higher Ed’s Ruinous Resistance to Change]( By Brian Rosenberg [STORY IMAGE]( The academy excels at preserving the status quo. It’s time to evolve. ADVERTISEMENT THE REVIEW | OPINION [Want Social Mobility? Reforming Elite College Admissions Won’t Get Us There.]( By Alison Badgett [STORY IMAGE]( A few hundred more spots for the non-ultra-rich won’t transform society. Here’s what will. THE REVIEW [Hamline’s Leadership Triples Down Against Academic Freedom]( By Len Gutkin [STORY IMAGE]( On the corruption of the secular ideals of the academy by religious orthodoxy. [“I Knew the Repercussions of Leaving”]( [STORY IMAGE]( A student gave up one life to pursue another GOVERNANCE [N.C. Bill Would Give Governor’s Community-College Board Appointments to Legislature]( The state budget that North Carolina’s Republican-dominated legislature passed on Friday would strip Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, of the power to appoint members to the statewide community-college board as well as to the boards of the 58 community colleges. The move follows [similar steps]( to [reduce or eliminate]( the [governor’s appointive power](. (The News & Observer, The Chronicle) STATE SUPPORT [Miss. Proposal to Defund Majors Catches Fire Online, but Lawmakers Seem Uninterested]( Mississippi’s Republican auditor, Shad White, said in a report last week that several social-science and humanities fields are “indoctrination factories,” don’t contribute to the economy, and so should not get state support. But on Friday he said no legislators had endorsed his central recommendation, to set up a committee on revamping higher-ed funding. (Mississippi Today/Open Campus) COMPETITION [2 Private Colleges in Md. Are Denied New Programs Deemed Duplicates of One at HBCU]( Maryland’s Higher Education Commission rejected plans by the Johns Hopkins and Stevenson Universities to start Ph.D. programs in physical therapy. Advocates for historically Black colleges said the plans would damage a program at the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore, defying the settlement of a lawsuit over [equity in state support of colleges](. (The Baltimore Banner, The Chronicle) ACADEMIC MANAGEMENT [Ibram X. Kendi Addresses Allegations About Boston U.’s Antiracist Center]( The scholar and activist said he welcomed the university’s inquiry into alleged mismanagement of the Center for Antiracist Research, which he leads, and defended his decision to restructure it, including laying off half its 36 staff members. (The Boston Globe) 'DUMBFOUNDED' [Art Institute Campuses Across the Country Close Suddenly]( The institutes, with locations in Florida, Georgia, Texas, and Virginia, were once part of the for-profit Dream Center Education Holdings, which [collapsed]( in 2019. Art Institute students said the closings had surprised them and left them without options to complete their programs. Their experiences [echo]( those of students [devastated]( by the 2019 crisis. (KHOU, The Chronicle) CAMPUS SPEECH [Federal Judge Sides With West Texas A&M U. President Who Canceled Campus Drag Show]( The judge ruled that a student fund-raising event that intended to [feature drag performers]( was not protected by the First Amendment, contradicting rulings issued by federal judges in three other Republican-led states. Students [sued the university’s president]( Walter Wendler, alleging he had violated their free-speech rights. (The Texas Tribune, The Chronicle) ATHLETICS [Boston College’s Swimmers Were Forced to Binge-Drink, Among Other Hazing Allegations]( Attendees at a freshman event for the Division I men’s and women’s swimming and diving program were also said to have been ordered to consume their own vomit, according to a letter from an official in the dean of students’ office. The letter also cited underage drinking at other events. The college [suspended the program]( last week. (The Heights, college statement) 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. REGISTER NOW [The Chronicle's Women Leading Change Program] [Join us in September]( for a groundbreaking virtual leadership series that will provide critical context, creative strategies, and guided exercises for women in leadership roles across higher ed. 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