Afternoon Update: How to align your leadership team in troubled times

Fewer young men go to college, Census says; college-sponsored bank products levy high fees; the House GOP's plan to "defund" elite colleges; 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](. ADVICE [How to Align Your Leadership Team in Troubled Times]( By Susan M. Snyder and Melody Rose [STORY IMAGE]( Having good people in charge isn’t enough. They need to actually be acting as a team. RACE ON CAMPUS [Putting a Price Tag on DEI]( By Daarel Burnette II [STORY IMAGE]( In Wisconsin, legislators and practitioners decided last week how much it’ll cost to get rid of campus diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. STUDENTS [Fewer Young Men Are in College, Especially at 4-Year Institutions]( College enrollment among young Americans has been falling for a decade, from a peak in 2011. Most of the drop is due to fewer young men going to college: About a million fewer young men are in college, but only 200,000 fewer young women, according to new U.S. Census Bureau data. The shift is driven entirely by the falling share of men who are students at four-year colleges. (Pew Research Center) STUDENT FINANCES [Many College-Sponsored Financial Products Charge High, Unusual Fees, U.S. Agency Says]( In its annual report on student banking, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau highlights the steep costs and unfavorable terms of credit cards, deposit accounts, and other financial products that are sponsored by or co-branded with colleges. Deals with banks can be lucrative for colleges, possibly in violation of rules designed to protect students. (CFPB) ATTACKS ON COLLEGES [Inside House Republicans’ Long-Term Plan to ‘Defund’ Elite Universities]( Rep. Jim Banks of Indiana, a member of the House education committee who is running for a Senate seat, said on Friday that the goal was to strip Ivy League and other top universities of government funding, including federal student loans, and tax their endowments. This month’s [hearing]( was a first step, he said, and [coming investigations]( will lay the groundwork for more. (CNBC, The Chronicle) ACADEMIC FREEDOM [AAUP Condemns ‘Escalating Assault on Academic Freedom’ at U. of Pennsylvania]( Academic freedom and the autonomy of colleges and universities across the country are being undermined by an opportunistic governmental interest in “antidiscrimination” and “campus safety” deployed to restrict what can be said or expressed on campuses, according to a statement by Irene Mulvey, president of the American Association of University Professors. (AAUP) CAMPUS SPEECH [Small Maine College Stands by Posting of Photo Despite Republican Criticism]( The ecology-focused College of the Atlantic last week posted photos of its delegation to the recent United Nations climate summit. One showed students with a banner endorsing a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war. Some state lawmakers accused the college of antisemitism. The college said it does not tolerate any kind of hate speech, but calling for peace is not hate speech. (Bangor Daily News) STUDENT-LOAN DEBT [U.S. Puts Former For-Profit Operator on the Hook for $23 Million in Loan Discharges]( The U.S. Education Department is demanding the money to cover loans taken out by students at campuses shut down by the Center for Excellence in Higher Education, a onetime [operator of for-profit colleges]( that faced [accrediting, financial, and other trouble]( and [largely closed]( in 2021. This is the latest development in a legal battle between the agency and CEHE. (Higher Ed Dive, The Chronicle) CAMPUS CUTS [U. of Nebraska at Omaha Will Eliminate Vacant Positions to Close $2.7-Million Deficit]( The budget gap, which is separate from a [$58-million deficit for the university system]( will be closed by eliminating an unspecified number of academic and nonacademic posts that are currently unfilled. (Omaha World-Herald, 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. FROM THE CHRONICLE STORE [The Unionized Campus - The Chronicle Store]( [The Unionized Campus]( The number of graduate-student unions has increased more than four-fold since 2019. [Order your copy]( to learn what’s at stake as union membership grows, and explore effective strategies for colleges to build relationships with new and existing unions. NEWSLETTER FEEDBACK [Please let us know what you thought of today's newsletter in this three-question survey](. This newsletter was sent to {EMAIL}. [Read this newsletter on the web](. [Manage]( your newsletter preferences, [stop receiving]( this email, or [view]( our privacy policy. © 2023 [The Chronicle of Higher Education]( 1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037