Quick hits
- AAUP castigates Florida: Academic freedom, shared governance, and tenure at Florida’s public colleges are under an “unparalleled” ideological assault, the American Association of University Professors said in a new report. The faculty group described complicit administrators, a corrupt patronage system, and self-censorship — even at private institutions — as politicians work to “enforce conformity with a narrow and reactionary political and ideological agenda.” It warned that conservative politicians are using the swift overhaul of New College of Florida as a test case for encroaching on other public institutions across the country. (AAUP)
- ACT plans layoffs: The ACT is seeking to sell a campus and will lay off 106 people from its headquarters in Iowa City in June. The nonprofit testing provider, which has experienced some steep losses in recent years, blamed the cuts on shifting education and work force-development environments. (Iowa City Press-Citizen)
- College-job platform crackdown: The Justice Department reached settlements totaling more than $460,000 with 10 companies that used a Georgia Institute of Technology job-recruitment platform to post advertisements that excluded candidates who were not U.S. citizens. Federal law prohibits limiting jobs on the basis of citizenship or immigration status, except in certain circumstances. (U.S. Department of Justice)
- Florida congressman floats NIL legislation: Draft legislation would create a federal regulatory body to oversee name, image, and likeness deals for college athletes, stop boosters and other third parties from dangling incentives to recruit students to a college, and require agents, boosters, and other collectives to be registered. The draft, from Rep. Gus Bilirakis, a Republican, comes as the National Collegiate Athletic Association has pushed Congress to act in the face of a complicated web of state laws. (CBS)
Public higher-ed funding finally recovered from the Great Recession
More money and fewer students was the story for public higher education in the 2022 fiscal year, according to the State Higher Education Finance report released this morning by the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (Sheeo).
- State and local funding for higher education rose by 7.5 percent from 2021 to 2022, hitting $120.7 billion.
- Full-time equivalent, or FTE, enrollment fell by 2.5 percent to 10.31 million.
- Education appropriations per FTE increased by 4.9 percent to $10,237 — even after accounting for inflation.
It’s the first time per-student funding eclipsed levels seen in 2008, before the Great Recession walloped public spending. Per-student funding in 2022 was 3.1-percent higher than it was back before the financial crisis.
Federal-relief funding tied to the Covid-19 pandemic bolstered the money flowing to higher ed, but the report found that funding per FTE would still have increased, even without the extra federal dollars. Total education revenue, which includes tuition on top of appropriations, hit an all-time high as recorded by Sheeo — $17,393 per FTE.
Still, it’s not all wine and roses.
- Net tuition revenue fell, dropping by 1 percent in 2022, after adjusting for inflation.
- Public colleges collected 5.8-percent less in tuition revenue per student than they did five years prior.
- The report warned of potential cuts when federal-stimulus money runs out.
The situation varies in different parts of the country. Total education revenue was at an all-time high in 11 states, but 28 states were still doling out lower appropriations than they were before the Great Recession. Low and unequal funding disproportionately hurts students of color and low-income students, according to Sheeo.
The bigger picture: Education appropriations have been rising for 10 years, while public FTE enrollment has been falling for 11 years. Whether those trends continue will shape higher ed’s future.
Read more from our Helen Huiskes.
Comings and goings
- Cathy Horn, interim dean of the College of Education at the University of Houston, has been named to the post permanently.
- Ryan F. Morgan, an associate professor and department head for chemistry, geosciences, and physics at Tarleton State University, has been named dean of graduate studies and the School of Business, Math, and Science at Chadron State College.
- Charles A. (Chuck) Wright III, chief development officer for the hunger-relief organization Philabundance, in Philadelphia, has been named vice president for development and vice chancellor for advancement at Rutgers University at Camden.
To submit a new-hire announcement, email people@chronicle.com.
Footnote
The University of Richmond issued a warning about an aggressive peacock roaming campus on Tuesday. The bird reportedly caused minor injuries.
I’m an amateur bird enthusiast, in case the recent Footnotes on Clayton State University’s Swoose Cam and the much-missed celebrity duck Long Boi didn’t tip you off. But this is a good reminder that whether you see a goose, swan, turkey, vulture, or peacock, it’s best to stand back. The bird is less likely to feel threatened.
I think we view birds through binoculars because, like fireworks and, occasionally, family, they are best enjoyed at a safe distance.