In brief
Florida governor’s new probe of classroom speech. Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, has asked the University of North Florida to report on the state resources it spends on programs and courses related to critical race theory and diversity, equity, and inclusion, The Chronicle reports. The memo comes at a time when many professors in the state already view the governor as bent on restricting free speech in the classroom.
UC strike ignites unionizing frenzy. The six-week strike of graduate students at the University of California has touched off a cross-country wave of union organizing that could fundamentally reshape how teaching and research is conducted, The Los Angeles Times reports. Graduate-student workers at an increasing number of institutions are demanding higher wages, motivated not only by rising inflation, unaffordable housing, limited access to health care, and mounting student debt, but also by frustrations brought about by the pandemic, like being forced to teach in person.
U.S. News bends to law-school exodus. In response to the recent revolt of elite law schools dropping out of its rankings, U.S. News & World Report has modified its scoring process, The Washington Post reports. The changes, which will give more weight to steps schools take to promote public-service careers and less weight to how judges and lawyers perceive the schools, so far have not convinced top schools to reconsider participation.
Opinion: It’s time to disrupt our approach to advising. The rapid changes to age-old processes that the pandemic forced on the industry should be a wake-up call for those who want to reform student advising, writes Jonikka Charlton, associate provost of student success and dean of University College at the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley, in The Chronicle. The field is ripe for major change, she said, and perfect shouldn’t be the enemy of good.
Opinion: To win back the public, get back to basics. Research universities can help restore faith in higher education by doubling down on quality, equitable undergraduate education, write Barbara Snyder, president of the Association of American Universities, and Holden Thorp, editor in chief of Science and former chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, in The Chronicle. These major institutions often get preoccupied with their many stakeholders and functions in society, but the public primarily expects them to prepare students for jobs, the pair argue.
Motivate top talent when you can’t promote. How do you retain a top employee when you don’t have the capacity to promote them? First deduce the person’s underlying needs, write two workplace experts in the Harvard Business Review. Do they want more responsibility? A chance to manage? Higher pay? Narrow down what they’re looking for, and then see if you can meet their needs with your existing resources.