Leadership & Governance

Harvard Picks Former Tufts President as Its New Leader

Lawrence S. Bacow, a former president of Tufts University, will succeed Drew Gilpin Faust in July, the university announced on Sunday.

Faculty

Journalism Professor at Northwestern, Accused of Harassment, Takes Leave of Absence

Alec Klein, who directs the acclaimed Medill Justice Project, was the subject of a letter of complaint from 10 former students and employees of the university.

Leadership

Michigan State Moves to Fire Medical Dean in Wake of Nassar Scandal

“I sincerely hope the courageous survivors of Larry Nassar will see this as an unmistakable indication that things are changing quickly at Michigan State,” its interim leader said.

Money for Colleges

Here’s What the $400-Billion Federal Spending Deal Means for Higher Ed

The two-year, bipartisan budget deal not only keeps the the government running until late March but also provides more funding for higher-education programs.

Degree Goals

Degrees and Certificates Rise in U.S., but Not Fast Enough

The pace of the increase, according to new data from the Lumina Foundation, is not fast enough to meet the goal of having 60 percent of adults with a degree or credential of value by 2025.

Students

The Adult Student: The Population Colleges — and the Nation — Can’t Afford to Ignore

America’s adult students have long been an afterthought in higher education. But demographic changes and economic pressures will soon require institutions to expand their horizons to survive or thrive. This Chronicle report explores the growing imperative for colleges to support the adult-student movement.

Distance Education

Southern New Hampshire U. Apologizes for Professor Who Said Australia Is ‘Not a Country’

The university acknowledged that an online student had failed an assignment because her instructor insisted Australia was only a continent.

The Must Reads for 2018

Want to get a jump-start on the year ahead? Here’s a collection of Chronicle articles and essays picked by the editors to help college leaders gain insight into the trends and controversies likely to affect campuses in 2018. Purchase a copy here.

The Chronicle Review

How Academe Breeds Resentment

The feeling is endemic to academic life. How can we overcome it?

Advice

The Incredible Shrinking Book Exhibit

Time for the MLA and other scholarly societies to confront the open-access elephant in the room.

Lingua Franca

Baked, Not Fried

Baked into; baked (as in high); and now the noun, a bake: Bill Germano examines these usages. With recipes.