Afternoon Update: The disposable, indispensable faculty member (opinion)

Taylor Swift at Harvard; House GOP widens higher-ed inquiry; besieged colleges get PR aid; Texas A&M rebuts Qatari national-security rumors; 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 [The Disposable, Indispensable Faculty Member]( By Rebecca Schuman [STORY IMAGE]( If teaching is so easy, why do so many tenured professors take such great pains to avoid it? ADVERTISEMENT THE REVIEW | ESSAY [About That Taylor Swift Class at Harvard …]( By Ben Parker [STORY IMAGE]( Should college courses really be resorting to clickbait? HIGHER ED ON THE HOT SEAT [House Republicans to Broaden Higher-Education Inquiry Beyond Antisemitism]( [Emboldened]( by the resignations of the presidents of [Harvard]( and [Penn]( the leaders of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce [are planning]( an [aggressive investigation]( into academe, with a focus on diversity and similar [hot-button issues]( at other Ivy League colleges and some public universities. (The New York Times, The Chronicle) THE WAR ON CAMPUS [Colleges, Besieged Over Israel, Hamas, and Antisemitism, Look to PR Giants for Help]( Top institutions — including Columbia, Harvard, and New York Universities, the Cooper Union, and the University of California — are hiring heavyweight communications firms to navigate student protests, donor unrest, and government inquiries as their campuses are consumed by cultural and political proxy fights stemming from the Israel-Hamas war. (Politico) SEXUAL ASSAULT [University Had No Duty to Protect Student From Off-Campus Sexual Assault, Court Says]( In a [5-to-4 decision]( the Washington Supreme Court ruled last week that Washington State University did not have protective custody over its students, could not control their actions away from the campus, and could not predict the convicted assailant’s behavior, even though it was aware of prior sexual-harassment complaints against him. (The Spokesman-Review) SENSITIVE RESEARCH [Texas A&M President Responds to National-Security Allegations About Qatar Campus]( The flagship university’s leader, Mark A. Welsh III, described as “false and irresponsible” accusations circulating online about “Qatar’s unreported and unregulated funding to Texas A&M,” in particular the [assertion]( that the Persian Gulf nation exerts “covert control over nuclear and weapons-development research” at the university. (KBTX, X) LEADERSHIP [Norwich U. President Is Out in ‘Mutual’ Decision]( Mark Anarumo, who has led the private military college in Vermont since 2020, declined to specify why he was leaving, and the university did not clarify the reason either. (VTDigger) 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 LEADERSHIP AND AI [Loughborough U. Vice Chancellor Speaks on AI]( [STORY IMAGE]( UPCOMING: January 23, 2024 | 2 p.m. ET. With AI on the rise, how can universities harness its advantages and navigate its drawbacks? Join us to discuss how AI is used in teaching and learning. With Support From Loughborough University. [Register here.]( ADVERTISEMENT 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. © 2024 [The Chronicle of Higher Education]( 1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037