Skip to content
ADVERTISEMENT
Sign In
  • Sections
    • News
    • Advice
    • The Review
  • Topics
    • Data
    • Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
    • Finance & Operations
    • International
    • Leadership & Governance
    • Teaching & Learning
    • Scholarship & Research
    • Student Success
    • Technology
    • Transitions
    • The Workplace
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Special Issues
    • Podcast: College Matters from The Chronicle
  • Newsletters
  • Virtual Events
  • Ask Chron
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Professional Development
    • Career Resources
    • Virtual Career Fair
  • More
  • Sections
    • News
    • Advice
    • The Review
  • Topics
    • Data
    • Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
    • Finance & Operations
    • International
    • Leadership & Governance
    • Teaching & Learning
    • Scholarship & Research
    • Student Success
    • Technology
    • Transitions
    • The Workplace
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Special Issues
    • Podcast: College Matters from The Chronicle
  • Newsletters
  • Virtual Events
  • Ask Chron
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Professional Development
    • Career Resources
    • Virtual Career Fair
    Upcoming Events:
    An AI-Driven Work Force
    University Transformation
Sign In
Academic Newsmakers

The People Who Influenced Higher Education This Year

December 15, 2014
2014-Influence List
#logo { color: white; background-color: #555; font-size: 2em; height: 275px; text-align: center; width: 220px; width: 220px; float: left; height: 220px; margin-right: 1em; } .influencer { border-top: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 1em 0; overflow: hidden; } .influencer:last-of-type { border-bottom: 1px solid #ccc; } .influencerPhoto { margin-right: 2em; background-color: #eee; float: left; height: 200px; width: 140px; } .influencerText { float: left; } .influencerText p { font-family: ‘Source Sans Pro’, sans-serif; } p.influencerLabel { color: black; font-weight: bold; font-size: 1.7em; margin: 0; margin-bottom: 0.3em; } p.influencerDeck { color: rgb(150, 150, 150); margin-bottom: 0.6em; } p.influencerName { color: black; font-size: 1.4em; } .influencerText button { float:left; vertical-align: bottom; font-family: “Source Sans Pro”,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; padding: 5px 10px; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5; border-radius: 3px; color: #fff; background-color: #313a44; border-color: #262d35; display: inline-block; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; cursor: pointer; border: 1px solid transparent; margin: 0px; }

To continue reading for FREE, please sign in.

Sign In

Or subscribe now to read with unlimited access for as low as $10/month.

Don’t have an account? Sign up now.

A free account provides you access to a limited number of free articles each month, plus newsletters, job postings, salary data, and exclusive store discounts.

Sign Up

#logo { color: white; background-color: #555; font-size: 2em; height: 275px; text-align: center; width: 220px; width: 220px; float: left; height: 220px; margin-right: 1em; } .influencer { border-top: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 1em 0; overflow: hidden; } .influencer:last-of-type { border-bottom: 1px solid #ccc; } .influencerPhoto { margin-right: 2em; background-color: #eee; float: left; height: 200px; width: 140px; } .influencerText { float: left; } .influencerText p { font-family: ‘Source Sans Pro’, sans-serif; } p.influencerLabel { color: black; font-weight: bold; font-size: 1.7em; margin: 0; margin-bottom: 0.3em; } p.influencerDeck { color: rgb(150, 150, 150); margin-bottom: 0.6em; } p.influencerName { color: black; font-size: 1.4em; } .influencerText button { float:left; vertical-align: bottom; font-family: “Source Sans Pro”,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; padding: 5px 10px; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5; border-radius: 3px; color: #fff; background-color: #313a44; border-color: #262d35; display: inline-block; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; cursor: pointer; border: 1px solid transparent; margin: 0px; }

This year’s academic newsmakers shook up higher education by organizing, by speaking out, by pushing limits, and sometimes just by doing their jobs. Here are nine who made a mark—for better or worse—in 2014.

Lhamon

ENFORCER

She made it clear colleges would pay a price
for sexual assault on campus

Catherine E. Lhamon

Colter

ATHLETES’ ADVOCATE

He sparked a movement to recognize college
players as employees

Kain Colter

Boycotters

BOYCOTTERS

They changed the debate about sanctions against Israel

American Studies Association

Kane

MUCKRAKER

He put higher education on notice
about athletics programs run amok

Dan Kane

Hall

ZEALOUS REGENT

In a year when trustees were pressed to get tough,
he was the toughest

Wallace L. Hall Jr.

Hurd

MESSENGER

She showed thousands of students
college is a possibility

Nicole Hurd

Salaita

TWITTER CASUALTY

He raised new questions
about the limits of academic freedom

Steven G. Salaita

Haslam

TENNESSEE’S PITCHMAN

His offer to pay community-college tuition
got policymakers talking nationwide

Gov. William E. Haslam

Consultants

HIRED GUNS

They came to whip colleges into shape

The Consultants

We welcome your thoughts and questions about this article. Please email the editors or submit a letter for publication.
Share
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Email
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

More News

Black and white photo of the Morrill Hall building on the University of Minnesota campus with red covering one side.
Finance & operations
U. of Minnesota Tries to Soften the Blow of Tuition Hikes, Budget Cuts With Faculty Benefits
Photo illustration showing a figurine of a football player with a large price tag on it.
Athletics
Loans, Fees, and TV Money: Where Colleges Are Finding the Funds to Pay Athletes
Photo illustration of a donation jar turned on it's side, with coins spilling out.
Access & Affordability
Congressional Republicans Want to End Grad PLUS Loans. How Might It Affect Your Campus?
Florida Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz, Jr. delivers remarks during the State Board of Education meeting at Winter Park High School, Wednesday, March 27, 2024.
Executive Privilege
In Florida, University Presidents’ Pay Goes Up. Is Politics to Blame?

From The Review

Photo-based illustration of a tentacle holding a microscope
The Review | Essay
In Defense of ‘Silly’ Science
By Carly Anne York
Illustration showing a graduate's hand holding a college diploma and another hand but a vote into a ballot box
The Review | Essay
Civics Education Is Back. It Shouldn’t Belong to Conservatives.
By Timothy Messer-Kruse
Photo-based illustration of a hedges shaped like dollar signs in various degrees of having been over-trimmed by a shadowed Donald Trump figure carrying hedge trimmers.
The Review | Essay
What Will Be Left of Higher Ed in Four Years?
By Brendan Cantwell

Upcoming Events

Plain_Acuity_DurableSkills_VF.png
Why Employers Value ‘Durable’ Skills
Warwick_Leadership_Javi.png
University Transformation: A Global Leadership Perspective
Lead With Insight
  • Explore Content
    • Latest News
    • Newsletters
    • Letters
    • Free Reports and Guides
    • Professional Development
    • Virtual Events
    • Chronicle Store
    • Chronicle Intelligence
    • Jobs in Higher Education
    • Post a Job
  • Know The Chronicle
    • About Us
    • Vision, Mission, Values
    • DEI at The Chronicle
    • Write for Us
    • Work at The Chronicle
    • Our Reporting Process
    • Advertise With Us
    • Brand Studio
    • Accessibility Statement
  • Account and Access
    • Manage Your Account
    • Manage Newsletters
    • Individual Subscriptions
    • Group and Institutional Access
    • Subscription & Account FAQ
  • Get Support
    • Contact Us
    • Reprints & Permissions
    • User Agreement
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • California Privacy Policy
    • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037
© 2025 The Chronicle of Higher Education
The Chronicle of Higher Education is academe’s most trusted resource for independent journalism, career development, and forward-looking intelligence. Our readers lead, teach, learn, and innovate with insights from The Chronicle.
Follow Us
  • twitter
  • instagram
  • youtube
  • facebook
  • linkedin