Afternoon Update: Student success is simple — that doesn’t mean it’s easy (opinion)

Governor asks Michigan State to investigate board-chair allegations; presidents' pulpits; new SAT data show wealth-based opportunity; 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 | OPINION [Student Success Is Simple — That Doesn’t Mean It’s Easy]( By Aaron Basko [STORY IMAGE]( College students need a few key experiences to stay enrolled. Delivering them is hard. ADVERTISEMENT ADVICE [Nobody Likes Writing Tenure Letters]( By Jane S. Halonen and Dana S. Dunn [STORY IMAGE]( How can we make this form of external review less onerous for faculty members? THE REVIEW [Are Presidents Finally Quitting the Pulpit?]( By Len Gutkin [STORY IMAGE]( Plus: On the university as a quasi-religious institution. GOVERNANCE [Governor Asks Michigan State to Investigate and Act on Board-Chair Allegations]( Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, was reacting to [a letter]( in which a trustee, Brianna Scott, called for Rema Vassar’s ouster for bullying, [interfering]( in [disputes]( and trying to keep her meddling out of a report on [February’s]( [campus]( [shootings](. Scott also said Vassar had made decisions without the elected board’s knowledge, causing [legal problems]( and [controversy](. (The State News, The Chronicle) EQUITY AND MOBILITY [New SAT Data Highlights the Deep Inequality at the Heart of American Education]( New prepandemic data shows how much students’ test scores rise with their parents’ incomes. One-third of the children of the richest families scored a 1300 or higher, while less than 5 percent of middle-class students did, according to the data, from Harvard economists. Relatively few students in the poorest families scored that high; just one in five took the test at all. (The New York Times) FREE SPEECH [Republican Presidential Candidates Target Visas of Student Protesters]( Some candidates have called for the visas to be revoked and for the foreign nationals to be deported if they express support for Palestinians or criticize Israel’s military response to Hamas’s attack this month. That violates free speech, experts say. (The Washington Post) MONEY AND SPORTS [How Rich Donors and Loose Rules Are Transforming College Sports]( A shift that allows booster groups, known as donor collectives, to employ athletes has upended the economics of college football and other sports while giving many donors a tax break. The IRS is looking into the issue. (The New York Times) CAMPUS IMAGERY [Michigan State Apologizes for Adolf Hitler Photo on Football Stadium’s Scoreboard]( The image appeared on the scoreboard on Saturday as part of a pregame trivia question about the Nazi leader’s birthplace. The university said the questions had come from an outside source that would no longer be used. An [employee has been suspended](. The episode occurred at a time of heightened antisemitism on campus. (MLive, University statement) ATHLETICS [Wrestling Coach Draws Fire for Highlighting ‘Attractive’ Women at Chapel Hill]( Rob Koll, who in August was named head coach, said on a podcast in September that the University of North Carolina flagship was “a really neat little campus for young 18- to 22-year-old men” — his recruiting targets — because “it’s 60 percent women for God’s sakes, and 95 percent of them are attractive.” Koll later said he was embarrassed and sorry about his comments. (WRAL) OBITUARY [Charles E. Young, UCLA’s Longest-Serving Chancellor, Dies at 91]( During his 29 years in office, from 1968 to 1997, the outspoken chancellor was credited with turning the University of California at Los Angeles into an academic powerhouse. (Los Angeles Times) 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. SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHRONICLE Enjoying the newsletter? [Subscribe today]( for unlimited access to essential news, analysis, and advice. Virtual Events: Tune In Live ENROLLMENT [Outlook on Enrollment Trends]( [STORY IMAGE]( UPCOMING: October 24, 2023 | 2 p.m. ET: Enrollment data can help colleges tell how to support students in the process. Join us for insights on learning from those challenging dynamics.With Support From MARKETview. [Register here.]( STUDENT SUCCESS [Student Success: the New Year Ahead]( [STORY IMAGE]( UPCOMING: November 7, 2023 | 2 p.m. ET: As colleges try to improve post-pandemic student retention and graduation rates, join us to discuss what students need on campus. With Support From University of South Florida. 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