Latitudes: Russia cracked down on a prominent university. Here’s what you need to know.

The blacklisting of Central European University reflects the polarization and politicalization of higher ed around the globe. ADVERTISEMENT [Latitudes Logo]( You can also [read this newsletter on the web](. Or, if you no longer want to receive this newsletter, [unsubscribe](. Russia’s sanctions on Central European U. put Russian students and staff there at risk Last fall, the Russian government designated Central European University an “undesirable” organization, accusing it of promoting an “anti-Russian agenda” and working to “discredit” the Russian government and its military operations in Ukraine. The Vienna-based liberal-arts university joins some 116 human-rights groups, nongovernmental organizations, think tanks, and educational institutions on Russia’s blacklist, including the Wilson Center, in Washington, D.C., and [Bard College]( in New York. The designation means that the university, also known as CEU, has had to shut down all operations and activity in Russia. It also makes associating with the institution illegal, exposing Russian citizens who study and work at CEU — who number about 100 — to penalties or even prosecution if they return to their home country. “It’s the criminalization of studying at Central European University,” one doctoral student told me. She and other Russian students and staff members are disappointed that CEU, which has a [reputation]( for standing up to authoritarian governments, has not done more to support or advocate for them. You can [read my story in full](. ([Registering]( for a free Chronicle account allows nonsubscribers to read two free articles a month, and your readership supports our journalism.) But here are a few key points: The designation is a reminder of the Russian government’s political squeeze on higher education — including institutions outside its borders. President Vladimir Putin has sought to quiet dissent on college campuses, limiting academic freedom and [restricting international scholarly outreach](. The crackdown, which has accelerated since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine nearly two years ago, is an about-face from an earlier period of academic openness and exchange. Not long ago, the western degrees that could now put them at risk would have been a plus factor for CEU graduates looking for jobs in Russian academe. Observers worry that Russia’s growing academic isolation could damage its higher-education system, as foreign partnerships vanish and professors and scientists leave the country because of political repression and the war with Ukraine. Russia’s sanctioning of a college outside its borders may be brazen. But around the globe, higher education has increasingly become polarized and politicized. I don’t need to remind American readers about the ways in which conservative lawmakers here have cast colleges in an adversarial light, criticizing campus leaders for their [diversity efforts]( positions on social issues, and, most recently, [statements on the war in the Middle East](. Neither Russia nor the United States is an outlier. A [recent book]( Neo-nationalism and Universities: Populists, Autocrats, and the Future of Higher Education, catalogs how governments around the world have attacked higher education and sought to rein in institutional autonomy. “In a number of important national examples, the contemporary political environment poses a major challenge to the societal role of universities,” the book’s editor, John Aubrey Douglass, of the University of California at Berkeley, writes in the preface, concluding, “Something’s going on.” (Full disclosure, I contributed a chapter to the book, on China.) A staff member at CEU, which draws students and professors from more than 100 countries, told me that one of her fears was that other authoritarian governments could adopt the Russian playbook and similarly blacklist the university, putting more students at risk. In this political environment, college leaders face new pressures. This isn’t CEU’s first run-in with government leaders — the university was forced to relocate to Vienna after Hungarian lawmakers, displeased with its efforts to promote academic freedom and critical thinking, passed legislation that would have forced it to [shut down](. But it’s that very track record that has left Russian students and staff members dismayed that CEU hasn’t more forcefully advocated for them. They would like the university to use its connections to help them get humanitarian visas to allow them to stay in Europe. Amid the politics, people are affected. Those who associate with an undesirable organization — the term is vaguely defined — could face fines or imprisonment under Russian law. As a result, Russian citizens at CEU are avoiding returning to their home country. Many of those interviewed said they feared that repression in Russia could worsen after the presidential election in March. “Just because nothing has happened as of now doesn’t mean it isn’t dangerous,” one undergraduate said. Her fellow students, she said, are scared. ADVERTISEMENT 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. Open-access index removes international-ed journal A prominent international-education journal has been taken off of a global index of open-access academic publications. The Directory of Open Access Journals said last week that it removed the Journal of International Students from its listings after the publication’s sudden shift to charging article-processing fees to the authors of scholarly articles. The directory had earlier said that it would review whether the journal continues to meet open-access best practices. The editor in chief and three quarters of the editors at the publication [resigned]( in November amid an abrupt transfer of its management to an unknown third party and questions about its continued commitment to open-access academic publishing. The journal’s founding editor said the move to charge author fees was a difficult but necessary decision in order to keep it free for readers. FROM THE CHRONICLE STORE [Surviving as a Small College - The Chronicle Store]( [The Future of Campus Safety]( Colleges can’t foresee and avoid every possible safety concern. Yet students, parents, and others are demanding that colleges do more to keep campuses safe. [Order this report]( to explore strategies colleges are employing to counter threats to their communities’ well-being. Join a Chronicle forum on international recruitment Students from overseas are often focused on prestige and global rankings. So how do smaller colleges or those in particular niches stand out? I’m hosting a Chronicle [virtual forum]( on Thursday, January 25, at 2 p.m. ET, looking at ways specialty or lesser-known institutions, including women’s, rural, and two-year colleges and arts institutes, can raise their institutional profile. I’ll be joined by experts to share ways they leverage their distinctive attributes to attract international students. The session is free, but registration is required. [Sign up here]( Around the globe A Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor falsely accused of spying for China [warned]( against legislative efforts to [revive the China Initiative]( which he said could harm American science and higher education. A judge has denied a request by a Chinese student at the Berklee College of Music to throw out statements he made to investigators who charged him with [stalking and threatening]( an activist who posted fliers in support of democracy in China. The judge [ruled]( that Xiaolei Wu had understood his legal rights despite cultural and linguistic differences. A legislator in Louisiana asked for a list of faculty members at state colleges who are citizens of “[places some call enemies]( including China, Iran, and Russia, citing a “national-security concern.” The Canadian government will deny [federal grants]( to researchers with links to universities connected to defense and security agencies in high-risk countries like China. A federal judge in Canada has upheld the decision to [deny a visa]( on espionage grounds to a Chinese doctoral student who wanted to study in a field key to China’s strategic interests. Several prominent Canadian universities are facing [lawsuits]( by Jewish students who say they feel unsafe on campus. China’s Ministry of Education asked universities to look into [retractions of research papers]( and more forcefully punish academic misconduct amid a flurry of retractions by Chinese scientists. A Hong Kong college leader frequently criticized by pro-Beijing officials has [resigned]( just a year after he renewed his contract. Taiwan wants to double its enrollment of [overseas students]( and increase the number who stay after graduation. College enrollment in Myanmar has declined 90 percent since a [coup]( three years ago, with many prospective students instead joining groups opposing the military junta. Some Russian universities have posted [statements]( supporting Putin’s re-election on their websites or on social media. Estonian police have arrested a professor at the country’s most prestigious university on charges that he [spied]( for Russia. Greek students are protesting a government plan to allow [private universities]( to operate in the country. Argentina’s new president has proposed charging international students [tuition]( in what some fear is an opening salvo in efforts to dismantle the country’s free-college system. ADVERTISEMENT And finally … Brittle youth. That’s the [label]( Chinese state media has coined to describe young people suffering from mental and physical problems such as memory loss, poor moods, and decreased immunity. Experts attributed these maladies to late nights, unbalanced diets, and too much time spent indoors. Thanks for reading. I always welcome your feedback and ideas for future reporting, so drop me a line at karin.fischer@chronicle.com. 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