In this week's Teaching newsletter: Grading is one of the hardest parts of teaching. One Purdue educator says collaborative grading has made the process more transparent for students and more rewarding for him. Have you tried an alternative to points-based grading? https://chroni.cl/4hPI6yo

How Collaborative Grading Is Designed to Motivate Students

One instructor found a different approach that puts the emphasis on setting goals students want to achieve.

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The Education Department's approval allows low-income students to use Pell Grants for Iowa Central Community College's emergency medical technician program. https://chroni.cl/4btkWKp

Iowa Community College Is First to Secure Workforce Pell

The Education Department’s approval allows low-income students to use Pell Grants for Iowa Central Community College’s emergency medical technician program.

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From the Archives: Knausgaard’s My Struggle gave MLA scholars a live case study in canon-making: Is he a literary fad, or too massive to disappear? The debate says as much about literary studies as it does about one novelist. https://chroni.cl/3SipZa5

A Norse God Among the Lit-Critters

The MLA set ponders Karl Ove Knausgaard.

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After its first higher-ed compact failed to gain broad support, the Trump administration is trying a softer approach: questions instead of mandates, and no explicit funding threat. Our reporting looks at what changed, what AAU was told, and why some still see a warning. https://chroni.cl/4wDMoxH

For Higher Ed, Trump’s Compact 2.0 Is Either an Olive Branch or a Gloved Fist

The White House has promised there will be no direct penalties — or rewards — for making the statements asked for, but some are skeptical.

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In a Chronicle Q&A, Mitch Daniels backs some calls for higher-ed reform but rejects tying research support to compliance with government demands. He also points to AI as a threat that may force “enormous changes” in how colleges teach. Read the interview. https://chroni.cl/4xi7m4U

Purdue’s Mitch Daniels on Trump Pressure: ‘We Need to Be Careful’

Daniels, who is back at the university as its interim leader, believes higher ed should change but says conditioning government funding on reform risks harming the sector.

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A lawsuit against the Texas A&M system about its policies regarding classes on race and gender raises a consequential question for academic leaders: Who decides what can be taught in college classrooms? https://chroni.cl/4pSaamQ

‘What Are We Even Doing Here?': New Lawsuit Challenges Ban on Race and Gender Topics at Texas A&M

Plaintiffs included four faculty members whose courses were canceled or not offered.

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Vassar’s proposed $5-million settlement goes beyond back pay. If approved, it would require annual independent pay-equity audits, clearer compensation criteria, and compliance reporting — changes that could resonate across faculty governance and HR offices. https://chroni.cl/4xhPSFR

Vassar Agrees to $5-Million Fund to Settle Suit Claiming Women Were Paid Less

Five female professors sued the college in 2023 alleging systemic gender-based discrimination. Under a proposed agreement, the money would be used to compensate 84 full professors.

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Accreditor warns Saint Michael's, Illinois Tech's layoffs come into focus, and U. of Valley Forge to close. https://chroni.cl/4xpdjNL

Enrollment Pressures Squeeze Iowa’s Public Universities

Accreditor warns Saint Michael’s, Illinois Tech’s layoffs come into focus, and U. of Valley Forge to close.

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From the Archives: Many professors say they’re caught in a hard place: Students are less prepared than before, but failing more of them doesn’t feel like a solution. Some have lowered expectations. Others are trying new grading systems. Is there a solution? https://chroni.cl/4fY9bNE

Grade Inflation Is Called a Crisis. The Real Problem Is Deeper Than That.

Students are showing up to college with weaker skills. Colleges need them to succeed. Professors are stuck in the middle.

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At a South Carolina college, at least 86 grades were raised without faculty knowledge, according to interviews, internal documents and a system report. The case raises questions about faculty authority, student records, and retention pressures. Read the full investigation. https://chroni.cl/4xi6g9w

This College Changed Grades Behind Professors’ Backs. Then Things Got Weirder.

The fallout at a South Carolina technical college has laid tensions bare.

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Opinion | As colleges are pressed to justify their work in economic and civic terms, Nir Evron argues for autonomy where universities protect inquiry whose usefulness cannot be specified in advance, and they teach students to see complexity where they once saw certainty. https://chroni.cl/4550YC3

Opinion | The University Is an Asylum for Troublemakers. That’s a Good Thing.

Society needs a place for the contained risks of the life of the mind.

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Our reporter spent time at Sacramento State’s Combat U — at cage fights, boxing nights, and in conversations with students, faculty, coaches, and President J. Luke Wood — to understand why a public university is investing in combat sports. https://chroni.cl/4xexRbr

When College Gets Gory

On the campy, violent, inspiring, dismaying, downright-confusing world of Sacramento State’s Combat U.

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New: Christina H. Paxson said she will step down as the leader of Brown University. Paxson is the longest-serving sitting president at an Ivy League institution. She said she stayed past the original end of her term to help Brown navigate a federal-funding freeze. https://chroni.cl/4qdUdI5

Brown University’s President Will Step Down Next Year

Christina H. Paxson, the longest-serving president in the Ivy League, will leave next year; the University of South Florida’s president earns a bonus after six months on the job; and New Hampshire’s u...

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Opinion | A proposed OMB rule would require senior political officials to review and approve scientific grants — a shift the authors say would upend the postwar model behind U.S. research dominance. https://chroni.cl/4bnhyRh

Opinion | Trump’s Proposed Rules for Funding Would Destroy American Science

Political appointees, not scientists, may soon determine who gets grants.

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Kwame Anthony Appiah’s supplement to the Vanderbilt/WashU report takes up literary studies. Len Gutkin reads it — alongside Gabriel Hankins’s sharper critique. Also in The Review: Alex Byrne on Carole Hooven, legacy admissions in California, and college finances. https://chroni.cl/4qd9HvX

Is Appiah’s Report Apt or Annoying?

Plus: A controversial philosopher; legacy admissions; running out of cash.

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Breaking: The Trump administration asked colleges on Monday to commit to a list of reforms by the end of 2026. Among the changes: cracking down on protests, hiring conservative faculty members, reforming admissions, and more. https://chroni.cl/3RwdVBT

Trump Has Released a New ‘Call to Action' for Universities. 4 College Presidents Helped Draft It.

Education Secretary Linda McMahon sent a letter Monday imploring colleges to adopt a series of familiar-sounding reforms -- this time, in partnership with leaders in the Association of American Universities.

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Lecture-heavy courses are not going away. So, how to make them less passive without redesigning the course? One small midclass interaction — a poll, notes comparison, or revised “Any questions?” strategy — can create roughly 45 engagement points per student over a semester. https://chroni.cl/4xneXzr

Advice | 3 Ways to Liven Up Your Lectures

Small changes that can make a lecture-heavy course more engaging.

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At Sacramento State, more than 600 students take part in Combat U, a campus program built around boxing, wrestling, and mixed martial arts. Its leaders see opportunity, community, and a path into a booming industry. Others ask, "how much violence should a college sponsor?" https://chroni.cl/4pMkEUG

The University Where Students Beat Each Other Up, for Scholarships

On the campy, violent, inspiring, dismaying, downright-confusing world of Sacramento State’s Combat U.

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Southern Oregon University has cut about a third of its faculty and staff positions in three years. Leaders say shrinking further could become “a death spiral.” Their new plan tries a different path: change how a regional public university works. https://chroni.cl/4bpnkSt

What Can a Struggling University Do if It Can’t Cut Any More? Change.

Instead of continuing to shrink, Southern Oregon U. is trying to shift how it functions.

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In a lengthy missive to Congress, Education Secretary Linda McMahon implored lawmakers to support her efforts to wind down her own agency. https://chroni.cl/3TPUEMl

Officials Defend Dismantling of Education Dept. as Senate Advances Bill to Block It

In a lengthy missive to Congress, Education Secretary Linda McMahon implored lawmakers to support her efforts to wind down her own agency.

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CU Boulder draws 70 percent of its research dollars from government. After federal cuts, the Boulder campus expects more than $60 million less for research — and is trying to build private-sector ties fast. Read what the pivot could mean. https://chroni.cl/4pOqrct

CU Boulder’s $60-Million Pivot

Federal money built this research powerhouse. Can private industry sustain it?

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This week in Jagged Intelligence: AI grading is no longer theoretical. Professors and administrators are testing whether the tools can save time, improve feedback, and help instructors adjust their teaching. But many are raising hard questions about bias, privacy, and more. https://chroni.cl/4vZvxnK

Does AI Grading Make the Grade?

Plus, the continuing debate over AI detectors.

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The first day of class shapes how students see you, the course, and the work ahead. Read this practical guide for starting with curiosity, community, learning, and clear expectations: https://chroni.cl/4hIuxkh

How to Teach a Good First Day of Class

The first day of class is crucial both for your students and for you. This guide will help you make opening day as effective as possible.

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Michael Inzlicht built a career studying prejudice. Then the replication crisis led him to distrust some of his own work. In this essay, he argues that scholars and institutions should draw a sharper line between pursuing justice and determining what evidence shows. https://chroni.cl/3RkSTWP

Opinion | When Bad Research Feels Good

My work advanced social-justice causes I believed in. There was just one problem.

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In 2017, Rebecca Tuvel was an untenured philosopher facing calls for an article of hers to be retracted — and for her to lose her job. Now tenured, she reflects on public shaming, what she regrets, and why she believes the experience made her a better philosopher. https://chroni.cl/4w0zloP

Rebecca Tuvel Was Canceled. It Was the Best Thing to Ever Happen to Her.

Almost a decade after the “Hypatia Affair” nearly ended her career, the philosopher reflects on public shaming and being a cautionary tale.

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Texas community colleges feel the effects of performance funding, Clemson to refocus spending rather than cut it, and Boston U. to pay $100 million in PILOT money. https://chroni.cl/4yPRZ5n

‘Targeted Reductions’ Coming to Illinois Tech

Texas community colleges feel the effects of performance funding, Clemson to refocus spending rather than cut it, and Boston U. to pay $100 million in PILOT money.

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In this week's Latitudes newsletter, American consular officers have reportedly refused student-visa applicants because they do not have paperwork that complies with new regulations — even though the rules do not take effect for seven weeks. https://chroni.cl/4fvdGjI

Visa Changes Are Coming, but the Headaches Are Here

A mix-up involving student applicants raises questions about how government employees charged with implementation will be trained.

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“What AI actually does is accelerate access to the common answer, which means the students who’ve been trained to go past the common answer are the ones with the real advantage.” (I wish @chronicle.com had gift links!) www.chronicle.com/special-proj...

Arts Grads Are Doing Just Fine, Actually

With AI driving algorithmic sameness, these students often have skills and creative perspectives that set them apart.

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The Trump administration wants to impose fixed deadlines for international students to leave the United States. Colleges worry it could discourage students from coming in the first place. https://chroni.cl/4pVlv5O

The Obscure Rules Change That Could Drive More Foreign Students Away

International enrollments at U.S. colleges were already hurting. Now for the next blow.

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Randall Kennedy’s warning for higher-ed leaders is blunt: Litigation may vindicate universities’ rights, but it will be slow, expensive, and chilling. The Harvard Law professor discusses federal pressure, DEI overreach, and why academic freedom depends on more than courts. https://chroni.cl/4pK8Q5k

Randall Kennedy Is Afraid. He Thinks You Should Be Too.

The Harvard law professor on federal extortion, DEI overreach, and why defeating Trump in court won’t be enough.

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