Academe Today

In the States

How Maine Became a Laboratory for the Future of Public Higher Ed

Many states face a drop in the number of high-school graduates, but Maine’s will be especially steep. University leaders there have had to get creative.

From the Archives

Public Colleges Were Crowded Out, Beaten Up, and Failed to Fight Back

A tale of erosion, seen through six people in the trenches.

Admissions

Why Admissions Leaders Have — or Haven’t — Spoken Up for Prospective Protesters

With emotions running high since shootings at a Florida high school, many colleges have assured gun-control advocates that punishments would not hurt their applications. But some colleges have feared to speak out on the matter.

Leadership & Governance

Michigan State’s Ex-President Now Holds a Prestigious Professorship. Some of Her Colleagues Aren’t Happy About It.

Faculty members say Lou Anna K. Simon’s scholarly credentials don’t make the cut for the elite award.

Students

Colleges Can’t Completely Shield Undocumented Students if DACA Lapses. Here’s What They Can Do.

Anxiety and frustration hang above undocumented students and the faculty and staff members who are trying to support them.

The Daily Briefing

The Daily Briefing tells individual subscribers everything they need to know about higher ed. Here’s a sample.

Commentary

China’s Pernicious Presence on American Campuses

Confucius Institutes, which have bought their way into colleges across the United States, are coming under serious scrutiny.

Advice

‘What Is Your Position on Citation?’

Just follow the writing rules, kid, and there won’t be any trouble.

Lingua Franca

Speech Events at a Bribery Trial

Police officers are permitted to deceive suspects during undercover conversations about drug deals, bribery, or solicitation to murder, says the linguist Roger Shuy. But they must be very careful to introduce the topic in the right way.