Weekly Briefing

After a merger, what happens?

• When a merger changes a college’s identity. In 2021, Mills College, a small institution for women, said that after years of financial problems the Oakland, Calif., campus would close. Soon, Northeastern University, the research institution in Boston, absorbed Mills, saving it from closure. The transformation of what is now called Mills College at Northeastern University hasn’t been easy. Though Northeastern’s acquisition prevented closure, some students are mourning the loss of the weird and quirky college experience that existed before the merger. Sonel Cutler reports.
• Two academic publishers will partner with AI Companies. Professors aren’t happy. Wiley and Taylor & Francis recently announced partnerships that will give tech companies content and other data to train artificial-intelligence models. Microsoft paid Informa, the parent company of Taylor & Francis, a $10 million initial fee. Wiley similarly agreed to sell content to an undisclosed “large tech company.” Scholars raised red flags at these deals, stating fears that their work may not be cited properly or be taken of context. Our Christa Dutton has the story.
• Howard University has said little about Kamala Harris’s presumed nomination. Why? In the two weeks since Harris’s announcement to run for president, Ben Vinson III, Howard’s president, has been noticeably quiet on the institution’s famous alumna. By contrast, in 2019 Harris held a news conference on Howard’s campus the same day she announced her first presidential run. The pressure to stay politically neutral may be the reason that Howard is staying silent. Our Jasper Smith explores.
• ✉️ What will instructors do next about AI? Last week, our Beth McMurtrie attended a conference centered on teaching and learning with AI, where many conversations centered around the question: What’s next? She found that students can be as skeptical as anyone about AI. Read more takeaways here.

Lagniappe

• Read. Inspired by The New York Times’s list of the 100 best books of the 21st century, I’m digging into The Years by Annie Ernaux. The book is about Ernaux’s life starting in 1940 in France. It’s a lyrical story — the author shifts between third and first person. Along the way, you may become more familiar with French history and pop culture. (The Guardian)
• Listen. This podcast episode narrates the latest succession drama for Rupert Murdoch’s media empire. Murdoch, the 93-year-old media tycoon, wants to change the trust that dictates the future of his business. (The New York Times)

—Fernanda