At the start of the spring semester, some faculty and staff members were surprised to learn that the university had implemented a spending freeze, placing an immediate hold on funding for hiring, travel and research. The sudden discontinuation of previously anticipated funding left many professors in a state of distress and confusion. While the spending freeze’s full effects on teaching are yet to be seen, Sarah Wasserman, an associate English professor, stated that the additional workload is already impacting the quality of education professors can offer. https://udreview.com/university-facul ..read more

Critically important democratic institutions across the country, ones you might not have known even existed, are under threat. As the higher education crisis deepens, university administrators and state legislatures are increasingly looking to undermine potential critics and eliminate challenges to their authority. A bill seeking to limit the power of shared governance organizations at public universities, including the University of Arizona’s faculty senate, is moving through the Arizona legislature. The bill went through the Arizona House of Representatives in late February, passed the Senat ..read more

So when questions about regulating artificial intelligence emerged, the 73-year-old Beyer took what for him seemed like an obvious step, enrolling at George Mason University to get a master’s degree in machine learning. In an era when lawmakers and Supreme Court justices sometimes concede they don’t understand emerging technology, Beyer’s journey is an outlier, but it highlights a broader effort by members of Congress to educate themselves about artificial intelligence as they consider laws that would shape its development. https://apnews.com/article/ai-congress-artificial-intelligence-tiktok ..read more

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a powerful official who oversees the state’s Senate, is calling for lawmakers to increase oversight and scrutiny of colleges’ tenure policies and faculty governance groups. In preparation of the state’s next Senate session, Patrick released directives Thursday offering insight into his legislative priorities. He charged the Senate’s higher education committee with reporting on how the state’s public colleges are complying with SB 18, a law giving governing boards the sole power to grant tenure and codifying the post-tenure review process. The lieutenant governor fur ..read more

The Universities of Wisconsin system is facing major projected budget shortfalls in the coming years as financial reserves dwindle and retention rates fall. These are the main themes the system’s president, Jay Rothman, pointed to in recently released third-party reports on the state’s universities.  The system’s trustees charged Rothman with eliminating structural shortfalls a year ago, with 10 of the system’s 13 universities running budget deficits at the time. Rothman’s office hired consulting firm Deloitte to analyze the finances of Wisconsin’s colleges. https://www.highereddive.com ..read more

While 17.4% of respondents plan to decrease hires, nearly 83% of employers anticipate increasing (24.9%) or maintaining (57.7%) hiring for the college Class of 2024, according to research conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). Planned cuts mean overall hiring projections are down 5.8% from last year, NACE’s Job Outlook 2024 Spring Update survey found.  https://www.diverseeducation.com/student-issues/article/15668399/college-hiring-dips-but-most-employers-will-maintain-or-increase-hiring ..read more

Sinclair Community College in Ohio plans to close two of its locations at the end of the spring semester, according to Catherine Peterson, the institution’s chief of public information.  The college said its learning centers in Englewood and Huber Heights will shutter as enrollment declines and more students as more students look to online programs or dual enrollment programs in their high schools, Peterson said. Sinclair will continue to have locations in Dayton, Centerville, Mason and the Wright-Patt Air Force Base. Opened in the mid-aughts, the two locations collectively enrolled 5,500 ..read more

As the Hilltop goes through major changes such as budget cuts and potential curriculum change, personnel changes are also rocking the Anselmian community. However, none may be more impactful than the incoming of a new abbot following Abbot Mark Cooper’s resignation. As he approaches the age of 75, Abbot Mark is required to submit his resignation as abbot, to which position he was elected in 2012. In a roundtable discussion with Crier staff, he shared his perspective on key issues that will impact the future of Saint Anselm College. In recent years, there has been a greater emphasis on diversit ..read more

Various advocacy groups continue pushing for additional funding as lawmakers try to figure out how much extra money they have to spend next year. The legislature’s Appropriations Committee decided last Thursday not to revisit the current two-year, $51 billion budget. That means no changes in spending for the second fiscal year of the budget. Lawmakers are confident they’ll be able to address various needs in other ways, including unspent American Rescue Plan Act funding and surpluses within the budget. They’re just not sure how much money that is. “Well that’s one of the big unanswered questio ..read more

UC Berkeley, which faces a massive budget gap, is getting a new chancellor with economic chops. The University of California announced Wednesday that it has chosen Richard Lyons, its chief innovation officer and former dean of the Haas School of Business, as the 12th chancellor of UC Berkeley, following a six-month search.  Lyons, 63, an economist who has been a professor of economics and finance at the Haas School since 1993, will take over the top job from Chancellor Carol Christ on July 1, UC President Michael Drake said at UCLA, where regents met in committees. https://www.sfchronicl ..read more