In this week's roundup, student loan forgiveness is in the hands of the Supreme Court, faculty diversity does not reflect the U.S. population and the University of Idaho is focused on healing.
December 1-7
- The Supreme Court will decide the fate of President Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan. The Court will hear oral arguments beginning in February.
- The University of Virginia awarded posthumous degrees to the three students who were killed in November after returning from a class trip. Bachelor of Arts degrees were sent to the families of Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr. and D’Sean Perry.
- University of Idaho Provost Torrey Lawrence spoke about how the institution is healing following the deaths of four students in November. “Our focus is just continuing to support our people and help them get through this. And we will get through this”.
- John King has been named chancellor of the State University of New York. King served as education secretary under the Obama administration from 2015-2017.
- A new analysis from Nature Human Behavior covers the topic of faculty diversity in higher education. In order to achieve true faculty diversity by 2050, reflective of the U.S. population, institutions must diversify their faculty by 3.5 times the current rate.
- A new report from the University of New Mexico shows a ripple effect of COVID-19 on faculty morale. While deans and department chairs may feel it’s time to move past the pandemic, many faculty feel burnt out and disconnected from their roles.
- The flu is a growing concern on college campuses. With less COVID-19 restrictions this year, airborne transmission has made it easier for the flu to spread.
- Institutions across the country are opening their doors to Ukrainian refugees with scholarships and free tuition. Bard College is the latest to do so with one year of free tuition to 60 students.
- Edgewood College has stopped using its official Twitter accounts. The institution cited misinformation and hate speech as reasons for suspending the accounts, which have not been active since Nov. 3.
- Computer science students face shrinking opportunities to work in the tech space. Tech giants like Microsoft, Meta and Amazon have gone through layoffs which may discourage current students and recent graduates.
