Afternoon Update: After rocky summer, Texas A&M System picks interim president as flagship's permanent leader

College-access challenges for rural Black students; humanities majors in work force; Columbia's $100 million for sexual predator's victims; 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](. LEADERSHIP & GOVERNANCE [After Rocky Summer, Texas A&M System Picks Interim President as Flagship’s Permanent Leader]( By Erin Gretzinger [STORY IMAGE]( Mark A. Welsh III, who was passed over during the previous search, was recommended on Monday as the sole finalist for the job. ADVERTISEMENT SOCIAL MOBILITY [Why College Access Is a Challenge for Rural Black Students]( By J. Brian Charles [STORY IMAGE]( Organizations like the College Advising Corps seek to create pathways from underserved high schools to college. It isn’t easy. DATA [How Do Humanities Majors Fare in the Work Force?]( By Audrey Williams June [STORY IMAGE]( While the worth of a humanities degree has been called into question in recent years, a new state-by-state analysis shows its earning power is stronger than what many people think, with an unemployment rate similar to graduates in other fields. SEXUAL ABUSE [Columbia U. to Set Up $100-Million Fund for Patients of Predator OB-GYN]( The university apologized and announced [sweeping changes]( to address its failure to heed warnings and protect hundreds of patients who were sexually assaulted by Robert Hadden during his 25-year career at Columbia, as detailed in an [investigation]( by ProPublica and New York Magazine. Hadden was permitted to continue seeing patients even after he was arrested for assaulting one of them. FACULTY RIGHTS [Jury Rules Against Texas Professor Who Said College Retaliated Over Political Speech]( Michael Phillips, who had taught at Collin College for 14 years, [was terminated last year]( he said, because of his advocacy for the removal of Confederate statues and criticism of the public college’s [Covid-19 policies](. The college, led by [its controversial president]( has been [repeatedly accused]( of [purging]( its [faculty critics]( in violation of the First Amendment. (The Texas Tribune, The Chronicle) CAMPUS VIOLENCE I [Former Worker at Prairie View A&M Shoots Employee to Death at University Farm]( The alleged assailant was arrested shortly after the incident on Monday on the Texas campus. The authorities did not release information about either the shooter or the victim, and were investigating whether the attack had stemmed from a previous workplace dispute. (KTRK) CAMPUS VIOLENCE II [Student at Victoria College, in Texas, Is Shot on Campus]( The victim, a 30-year-old male student, suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the incident, on Monday night. The authorities said they had no suspects or motive in the attack. Classes were canceled on Tuesday. (Victoria Advocate) INTERNATIONAL [New Video Suggests Israeli-Russian Academic Kidnapped in Iraq Is Alive]( Elizabeth Tsurkov, a graduate student at Princeton University who is believed to be held by a pro-Iranian Shiite militia, was shown in an unauthenticated video speaking about the Israeli hostages held in Gaza. (The New York Times) CAMPUS CUTS [Shepherd U. Board Votes to Drop 5 Degree Programs to Close Budget Gap]( Discontinuing the programs, part of efforts to cut spending by $6 million at the public university in West Virginia, is expected to lead to the elimination of 13 faculty positions. Teach-out plans for the programs will be set up. (Metro News) BUDGET COMPROMISES [Connecticut Spent $8.4 Million on a Former Factory for a College. Now It’s Empty.]( The funds were used to purchase and renovate a manufacturing center so Tunxis Community College could offer machine-technology classes. But money to actually run the program isn’t in the budget for the state’s [financially strapped]( higher-education system. (The Connecticut Mirror, The Chronicle) 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. 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