Update. Yesterday #UPenn filed a 163-page brief in federal court condemning the #Trump admin demand for a list of #Jews at the institution as “extraordinary and unconstitutional".
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/20/us/university-of-pennsylvania-trump-jewish-staff.html

"The #EEOC insists that Penn produce this information without the consent — and indeed, over the objections — of the employees impacted while entirely disregarding the frightening and well-documented history of governmental entities that undertook efforts to identify and assemble information regarding persons of Jewish ancestry. The government’s demand implicates Penn’s substantial interest in protecting its employees’ privacy, safety and First Amendment rights."

#Academia #AcademicMastodon #Antisemitism #Universities #USLaw #USPol #USPolitics

" #NEH Pours Millions Into Conservative-Aligned Projects."
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/government/2026/01/20/neh-pours-millions-fehe-network-unc-civic-school-more

PS: I hate see the press fall for the idea that civics and Western civilization are intrinsically "conservative" subjects. Sure, the conservative takes on civics and Western civ are intrinsically conservative. But that's it. The new NEH grants may be going to conservative approaches, but this article isn't careful about disentangling different approaches.

#Academia #AcademicMastodon #Universities #USPol #USPolitics

Been having a paperwork day. Realised I screwed up some paperwork which will probably cost me another couple of hundred euros in not being able to get reimbursements for doing my job.

It was my mistake, but still, feels like the world shouldn't really work like that. Feels like someone like me having paperwork days to wade through this stuff probably isn't doing anyone much good either really?

Feeling small, sighing big.

#academia #histodons #universities

I see the Office for Students is vexed about 'unexplained' levels of first class degrees being awarded, claiming only a small proportion of the rise can be accounted for by improved teaching.

I mean universities cannot win can they grades go up, its grade inflation... grades go down, their teaching is failing... grades remain stable, there's no dynamic of improvement.

Why doesn't the OfS admit it: they don't like or trust academics....

#universities

h/t FT

I see the Office for Students is vexed about 'unexplained' levels of first class degrees being awarded, claiming only a small proportion of the rise can be accounted for by improved teaching.

I mean universities cannot win can they grades go up, its grade inflation... grades go down, their teaching is failing... grades remain stable, there's no dynamic of improvement.

Why doesn't the OfS admit it: they don't like or trust academics....

#universities

h/t FT

Last year 90 UK Higher Education institutions shed 13,300 posts (academics & professional services staff) & spent £303m on severance pay.

Moreover those yet to publish data include some universities in the worst financial position.

Given that this round of severances follows the post-Covid round for many universities, either, they have become much more efficient or we can safely say the human interactive aspect of the student experience has been badly damaged!

#universities
h/t THES/LinkedIn

Last year 90 UK Higher Education institutions shed 13,300 posts (academics & professional services staff) & spent £303m on severance pay.

Moreover those yet to publish data include some universities in the worst financial position.

Given that this round of severances follows the post-Covid round for many universities, either, they have become much more efficient or we can safely say the human interactive aspect of the student experience has been badly damaged!

#universities
h/t THES/LinkedIn

Update. The Trump admin is demanding a list of Jewish faculty, staff, and students at #UPenn.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/13/upenn-trump-jews-list

Trump's #EEOC asked for the list last July. Penn refused, and the EEOC sued the university in November. What's new is that several groups just filed a motion in federal court to intervene in the lawsuit on the side of the university -- the American Association of University Professors (#AAUP, national and UPenn chapters), the American Academy of Jewish Research, the UPenn Jewish Law Students Association, the UPenn Association of Senior and Emeritus Faculty.

From #StevenWeitzman, UPenn prof of religious studies and past member of its antisemitism taskforce: “Part of what sets off alarm bells for people like me is a history of people using Jewish lists against Jews. The Nazi campaign against Jews depended on institutions like universities handing over information about their Jewish members to the authorities.”

#Academia #AcademicMastodon #Antisemitism #Trump #Universities #USPol #USPolitics

Does any university have good metrics for measuring and rewarding faculty for research impact (not quantity), mentorship of junior colleagues (faculty, grad, and undergrads), and impact of public engagement? We must change the reward system. #academia #academicchatter #universities #PhD

Does any university have good metrics for measuring and rewarding faculty for research impact (not quantity), mentorship of junior colleagues (faculty, grad, and undergrads), and impact of public engagement? We must change the reward system. #academia #academicchatter #universities #PhD

Saga University will launch a new faculty in April to study the science of cosmetics comprehensively, becoming the first such faculty to be operated by a Japanese national or public university. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/13/japan/cosmetics-saga-university/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #sagauniversity #universities #education #cosmetics #beautyservices

New in our electronic collection:

➡️ How to develop free speech on campus: international controversies and communities of inquiry

🔗 https://doi.org/10.4337/9781035342129

#OpenAccess #OpenScience #FreeSpeech #Community #AcademicFreedom #Academic #Bookstodon #Universities #Freedom

The United Nations University in Tokyo is among those the U.S. is withdrawing from, though the institution is unlikely to face any significant impact from the exit. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/09/japan/us-withdraws-from-united-nations-university/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #us #donaldtrump #un #universities #unitednationsuniversity

#Trump cannot slash #NIH #research #funding, court rules

A federal appeals court on Monday ruled Trump's admin cannot carry out steep cuts to federal #grant funding provided by the National Institutes of #Health to #universities engaged in #scientific & #medical research.

#law #judiciary #science #medicine #idiocracy #BrainDrain
https://www.reuters.com/world/trump-administration-cannot-slash-nih-research-funding-court-rules-2026-01-05/?utm_source=braze&utm_medium=notifications&utm_campaign=2025_engagement

Academic freedom is eroding under political pressure and institutional fear, and universities should defend free speech by treating controversy as a teaching opportunity instead of silencing dissent. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2026/01/08/world/college-cancel-culture-gets-worse/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #worldnews #fire #academicfreedom #freespeech #universities #censorship #education

"The #colonisation of #educational institutions and #universities by technology monopolies – evidenced by the collapse in the use of #ChatGPT during the summer months, when students stop passing off a few plausible strings of text as homework – therefore has nothing to do with promoting learning. The aim of #technology companies is to extract value from services and data, replacing the original purpose of public education with corporate objectives."

https://zenodo.org/records/17814687

"Trump Can’t Cap Overhead Rate on #NIH Grants to Research Universities, Appeals Court Rules."
https://www.chronicle.com/blogs/the-trump-agenda/trump-cant-cap-overhead-rate-on-nih-grants-to-research-universities-appeals-court-rules
( #paywalled)

"A federal appeals court on Monday ruled that the National Institutes of Health cannot unilaterally cap the indirect-cost rate on its grants at 15 percent, continuing a freeze on the controversial policy change that would cost universities billions."

#Academia #AcademicMastodon #Funding #Trump #Universities #USLaw #USPol #USPolitics

#Trump cannot slash #NIH #research #funding, court rules

A federal appeals court on Monday ruled Trump's admin cannot carry out steep cuts to federal #grant funding provided by the National Institutes of #Health to #universities engaged in #scientific & #medical research.

#law #judiciary #science #medicine #idiocracy #BrainDrain
https://www.reuters.com/world/trump-administration-cannot-slash-nih-research-funding-court-rules-2026-01-05/?utm_source=braze&utm_medium=notifications&utm_campaign=2025_engagement

"The #colonisation of #educational institutions and #universities by technology monopolies – evidenced by the collapse in the use of #ChatGPT during the summer months, when students stop passing off a few plausible strings of text as homework – therefore has nothing to do with promoting learning. The aim of #technology companies is to extract value from services and data, replacing the original purpose of public education with corporate objectives."

https://zenodo.org/records/17814687

The exploitative character of academic publishing in a single cartoon.

#publishing #universities #research #academics

h/t Alexandra Kupferberg/LinkedIn