Quick hits
- Publisher to sell OPM: Wiley will sell several “non-core” education businesses, including its online-program management and talent-development arms, it said last week. Wiley wrote down the book value of the businesses by $100 million in 2023. (Wiley)
- MOVEit hack hits colleges: U.S. institutions including the University System of Georgia, the Johns Hopkins University, and the University of Rochester were likely among those compromised when criminals took advantage of a vulnerability in MOVEit file-transfer software. Government agencies and the National Student Clearinghouse were also among the organizations the ransomware gang Clop said it hacked. (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, WJZ, University of Rochester, TechCrunch)
- Tennessee college-going rate rises: The share of the Class of 2022 that immediately enrolled in college after graduating from high school jumped by 1.5-percentage points to 54.3 percent, according to new data. It’s the first time the rate rose since 2017, when it was 63.8 percent. (Tennessee Higher Education Commission)
Mailbag: Enrollment concerns and emergency preparedness?
Here’s a sample of reader responses to stories featured in the Daily Briefing over the last few weeks. Have more to say? Email me: rick.seltzer@chronicle.com.
Colleges can do better during disasters.
Disaster-recovery plans can be the difference between an institution keeping everyone safe and bungling its response to an emergency.
Antonio Passaro Jr., a professor and department chair at Tidewater Community College, wrote a book on operational safety plans for institutions in crisis.
- “Colleges, universities, businesses, churches, etc. are not prepared for any manmade, natural, or technological disasters before, during, and after a tragic event.”
Dennis E. Gregory, a professor at Old Dominion University, was Passaro’s adviser.
- “We are seeing these concerns around the world.”
Undergraduate Enrollment Stayed Steady This Spring. It’s Still 1 Million Students Below Pre-Pandemic Levels.
After our Audrey Williams June explored the latest spring enrollment data, we asked how declines have played out on readers’ campuses.
Glen E. Duncan, professor and chair of the department of nutrition and exercise physiology at Washington State University, cited several years of recent enrollment declines at his own institution.
- “The quick and dirty answer is not well!”
What leads faculty to stay or go?
Survey data shows salary is a top reason that faculty leave jobs. Their co-workers are a main reason they stay.
Laurel Van Dromme, chair of the University Staff Advisory Committee at Ohio State University, wondered how much faculty and staff members share reasons for their job decisions.
- “I expect the latter have fewer opportunities to move, but I don’t want to presume anything. Given how many more staff work at any institution of higher education, I think these stats will be helpful to senior administrators and to those of us who work with staff at our own institutions to improve retention and enhance morale and well-being.”
Comings and goings
- Julie Kornfeld, vice provost for academic programs at Columbia University, will become president of Kenyon College, in Ohio, in October.
- Mary Evans Sias, a member of the Board of Regents for Texas Southern University, has been named interim president of the university.
- Carol Christ, chancellor of the University of California at Berkeley since 2017, plans to retire next year.
- Heather Woofter, director of the College of Architecture and the Graduate School of Architecture and Urban Design at Washington University in St. Louis, has been named dean of the School of Architecture at the University of Texas at Austin.
To submit a new-hire announcement, email people@chronicle.com.
Footnote
Are you a sneakerhead with an extra $150, a soft spot for students, and strong arches? Then the iamkeithcurry Compton College Chuck Taylor high tops are for you.
Keith Curry, the California community college’s president, says profits from selling the shoes will go to scholarships at the institution. Each pair is emblazoned with scenes of the college’s campus, and they also fit with the president’s image. He makes a point of wearing Chuck Taylors as a way to be himself and connect with students.
The timeless Chucks are a great shoe for this kind of thing, but their design is about a century old, making it a suboptimal fit for those of us with foot, ankle, knee, and back pain.
How about some Compton College dad shoes next?