Afternoon Update: The end of race-conscious admissions opens up a fraught new era

Four students shot at Morgan State; anthropology’s newfound scientism; colleges snap up unused office space; MacArthur fellows announced; 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](. ADMISSIONS AT A CROSSROADS [The End of Race-Conscious Admissions Opens Up a Fraught New Era]( By Eric Hoover [STORY IMAGE]( The Supreme Court’s ruling demolished a vision of racial equity and diversity. In its wake could come bold new commitments — or deep retrenchment. ADVERTISEMENT CAMPUS SAFETY [After 4 Students Are Shot During Homecoming, Morgan State U. Cancels Classes]( By Calli McMurray [STORY IMAGE]( A police official said it appeared that two groups had been targeting one person and all five victims had been “unintended targets.” No arrests have been made. THE REVIEW | ESSAY [Against Anthropology’s Newfound Scientism]( By Nicolas Langlitz [STORY IMAGE]( Authoritarian decrees on controversial matters like the biology of sex violate the best traditions of the field. LATITUDES [Calls to Boycott Study Abroad to Israel Thrust International Ed Into a Hot-Button Debate]( By Karin Fischer [STORY IMAGE]( Congressional efforts to cancel funding for academic exchanges sputter, and the Supreme Court won’t hear a case on a foreign-student work program. REAL ESTATE [Colleges Snap Up Unused Office Space in a Slumping Market]( As businesses with growing remote work forces reduce the square footage they need, colleges see an opportunity to [buy buildings at bargain prices](. Not all such buildings can be easily adapted for academic use, let alone dormitory space. And any such use would take the buildings off the tax rolls, exacerbating a [problem for towns and cities](. (The New York Times, The Chronicle) HONORS [MacArthur Foundation Announces Its 2023 Fellows, Including Many Academics]( More than half of the 20 no-strings-attached fellowships, often called “genius” awards and each worth $800,000, went to faculty members. (Foundation website) LEADERSHIP [Henry Mack Withdraws as Interim President of Florida’s Broward College]( One day after being named to the post, Mack stepped back after contract negotiations deadlocked, the [latest in a series]( of [troubled searches]( for public-college leaders in the state. Barbara J. Bryan, who was president of Broward’s north campus before retiring, in 2013, was [named acting president](. (South Florida Sun Sentinel, The Chronicle, college statement) SEXUAL MISCONDUCT [College President Accused of Sexting a Former Student at Coast Guard Academy Resigns]( Glenn M. Sulmasy was on leave from Nichols College, in Massachusetts, amid allegations that he was among academy officials who had pushed a sexual-assault victim not to pursue her claims. His lawyer said Sulmasy’s exchange of sexually suggestive messages with a student had been consensual. Sulmasy resigned after the disclosure of “inappropriate” behavior with other Coast Guard cadets. (CNN) STUDENT-LOAN DEBT [Education Dept. Announces $9 Billion More in Relief From Student-Loan Debt]( The department said the cancellation of federal student loans would benefit some 125,000 Americans, including borrowers with total and permanent disabilities. The relief also resulted from fixes in the income-driven repayment and Public Service Loan Forgiveness programs. (Department statement) PUBLISHING [Gettysburg College Shuts Down Its Respected Literary Review]( In a message on The Gettysburg Review’s website, its editor assailed the decision, apparently made to cut costs at the liberal-arts college in Pennsylvania, to close the 35-year-old journal. The Review will publish one more issue. (Editor’s 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. Upcoming Workshop [The Chronicle's Strategic Leadership Program for Department Chairs] [Join us this October]( for a virtual professional development program on overcoming the challenges and seizing the opportunities of the department chair role while creating a strategic vision for your department. 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