Total Campus Report - Efficient & valuable curated higher ed developments delivered once per week. |
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SBJ’s Smith reports the NCAA has narrowed its search for a new president with the expectation an offer is made before Christmas. Smith: “...the preferred candidates are a mix of execs from inside and outside college athletics and higher education.” (link); SEC Commissioner Sankey joined D1.ticker/Connect’s Fischer from SBJ IAF to talk, among other topics, the next NCAA president, whom he would encourage to narrow down the job description from six pages to some strategic priorities. “Really what I’m interested in is hearing a vision communicated and then the strategic priorities that inform that vision, and then the ability to draw people in. … I would encourage them to ask a lot of questions, to build relationships, to not just react to pressure points that exist but to identify the real priorities that need to be addressed.” The full interview is now live on Connect. (link)
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Georgia’s accreditation was reaffirmed by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. President Morehead: “The reaffirmation of our accreditation by SACSCOC reflects the University of Georgia’s longstanding commitment to academic excellence and our unwavering focus on student success. I extend my deepest thanks to the many faculty, staff, and students across our campus who worked so hard over the last two years to help our university secure this major accomplishment.” (link)
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Presidents & Chancellors in the News |
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In a letter to the campus community, Arkansas Chancellor Robinson shared details of his “First 100 Days Plan,” which includes the goals of advancing student success, augmenting the research enterprise and establishing the university as an “employer of choice.” Immediate actions include filling interim appointments, commencing a strategic planning process, launching a fundraising campaign for student support efforts and growing tenure-track faculty. Robinson: “I cannot be an effective chancellor sitting in my office all day — nor would I want to do that. I get my energy and inspiration from being engaged with students, faculty and staff, and kicking off a listening town hall series seems like a good way to launch the spring semester.” (link)
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Arkansas Chancellor Robinson discussed his plans to invest in need-based financial aid during a conversation with Roby Brock on “Talk Business & Politics:” “Non-Pell [eligible] students are graduating at 76% over six years, whereas Pell [eligible] students are graduating around 55% over six years. And for most of that difference, you can explain it tied to their ability to manage cost. So, if a student can’t afford college, they go to work. They work 20, 30, and sometimes 40 hours a week while taking classes. If we could build a fund to reduce the cost of those who are Pell-eligible to reduce their costs, we are likely to close that gap in that six-year graduation rate. And I think that that would be a noble endeavor for the land grant institution to be able to close that gap and say to our Pell-eligible students in this state that if you gain acceptance to the University of Arkansas, we will provide you with resources that greatly reduces your debt load, and then allows you to be more of a traditional student, finish up in four years [or] five years so that you’re not incurring greater debt.” (link)
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Auburn President Roberts addressed concerns related to the hiring of FB HC Freeze, vowing to take “swift action” in the case of any power-based personal violence or abuse. In emails to supporters and alumni, Roberts shared safeguards currently in place, including a 24/7 crisis line, a bystander training program and free “Auburn Safety” app. Roberts: “It is never permissible to ignore instances of power-based personal violence or abuse. By every measurement, practice, and action Auburn University takes this very seriously and with our multi-level approach of education, prevention, policing, security and support, we keep Auburn safe. Our record is clear on that point.” (link)
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Arkansas elevated Graduate School and International Education (GSIE) Assistant Director of CRM Administration and Special Projects Poellot to GSIE director of admissions and enrollment. (link) |
Kansas State named University of Missouri System Chief Engagement Officer Stewart as its first senior vice president for executive affairs, university engagement and partnerships and chief of staff, effective January 23, 2023. (link) |
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Alabama’s $4M fundraising campaign to renovate Mary Hewell Alston Hall, home to the Culverhouse College of Business, kicked off with a $1.1M gift from alumnus Deshe, who also contributed $400K to scholarships for first-generation business students and $500K to the Bloom Hillel Student Center, for a total commitment of $2M. (link) |
S&P Global Ratings increased its long-term rating on Vanderbilt’s bonds to AAA, making it one of 10 other universities to achieve S&P's highest rating. The increase is attributed to the strength of university leadership, endowment growth, quality of student profile and history of fundraising success. (link) |
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A report by academics at Cornell and NC State published in Nature Human Behavior indicates that the racial diversity of tenured and tenure-track faculty in the U.S. is not increasing faster than the diversity of the American public at large and predicts that “higher education will never achieve demographic parity among tenure-track faculty.” As a solution, the report notes: “We estimate the sector could reach demographic parity by 2050 by collectively increasing underrepresented faculty by one percentage point per year—an increase of 0.78 percentage points on the current rate of change.” More. (link)
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Georgia received a record 26K applications for early action admission, representing a 21% YoY increase. (link) |
Tennessee will commit $50M over five years to recruit 44 research faculty members across seven clusters, representing the largest faculty hiring initiative in recent UT history. The clusters include food and nutrition security, foundational AI and precision health and environment. (link) |
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The New York Times released a list of the top 25 “Low-Cost College Towns,” based on categories of affordability, demographics, and “fun and opportunity,” including Gainesville, FL (Florida) and College Station, TX (Texas A&M). Full list. (link) |
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The National Labor Relations Board is shifting its focus on college athletics from the NCAA at large to USC FB and basketball student-athletes, per College Basketball Players Association Co-Founder Hsu, who told Sportico the NLRB has communicated it will focus on the NCPA’s charge while the NCAA charge is “in abeyance.” Sportico’s Libit adds context: “The NCPA’s charge included USC and the Pac-12 Conference, and specifically addressed the employee status of football and men’s and women’s basketball players. The charge alleged that by misclassifying them as ‘student-athletes,’ the school, conference and NCAA had ‘interfered with, restrained and coerced’ the exercise of those athletes’ collective bargaining rights. As a private university, USC falls within the purview of the NLRB, which oversees only private sector employees. The NCPA also filed an unfair labor practices charge on behalf of athletes at UCLA, a public university. However, that proceeding would rely on the joint employment doctrine, in which an individual is deemed to be employed by a secondary employer—in this case, the NCAA or Pac-12—if that entity wields significant power over the terms and conditions of the individual’s employment.” (link)
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Deals, Partnerships & Collaborations |
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Auburn and the Korea Institute of Technology signed a memorandum of understanding to expand their partnership to include the establishment of automotive technology support offices and laboratories, the creation of joint research projects and the exchange of technical information and consulting. (link) |
The Texas A&M University System will continue to manage and operate Los Alamos National Laboratory after the National Nuclear Security Administration extended its contract with the system by five years. (link) |
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