Afternoon Update: Why are there so few conservative professors? (opinion)

Walking away from a dream job as a professor; going on the faculty job market after your college closes; adapting to AI's challenges; and more. ADVERTISEMENT [Afternoon Update Logo]( You can also [read this newsletter on the web](. Or, if you no longer want to receive this newsletter, [unsubscribe](. THE REVIEW | ESSAY [Why Are There So Few Conservative Professors?]( By Steven M. Teles [STORY IMAGE]( The facts are beyond dispute. The causes and solutions are not. ADVERTISEMENT [Why Are There So Few Conservative Professors?]( ‘TORCHED WITH BURNOUT’ [He Got His Dream Job as a Professor. Then He Walked Away.]( By Beckie Supiano [STORY IMAGE]( Michael Chen thought he’d stay at Nazareth University for the rest of his career. But, like other professors in recent years, he found that the job’s demands became too much. ADVICE [My University Closed. Now What?]( By Brittany Carlson [STORY IMAGE]( What it’s like to go back on the faculty job market when financial troubles shutter your institution. THE REVIEW | ESSAY [How Higher Ed Can Adapt to the Challenges of AI]( By Joseph E. Aoun [STORY IMAGE]( The future is here. Now is the time to make sense of it. THE REVIEW [Is This the End of Feelings-Based Censorship?]( By Len Gutkin [STORY IMAGE]( What a pair of linked law-review controversies tells us about academic culture now. JUST UPDATED [Tracking Higher Ed’s Dismantling of DEI]( By Erin Gretzinger and Maggie Hicks [STORY IMAGE]( We have updated our database of ways colleges are dropping their diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts to include changes at the University of Utah and the University of Wyoming. IN THE STATEHOUSE [Ohio’s Colleges Would Have to Track Hate Incidents Under Bill Headed to Governor]( The bill, which passed the legislature last week during a marathon end-of-session meeting, would also, among other things, require colleges to adopt and enforce policies against ethnic, racial, and religious harassment. Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, is expected to sign the measure. A bill to outlaw diversity, equity, and inclusion training on campus failed to pass. (The Center Square) CLOSING TIME [Clarks Summit U. Announces Closure]( The Pennsylvania university, formerly Baptist Bible College and Seminary, temporarily furloughed all employees last month to close a budget gap. [Today it said]( it had teach-out agreements with two other colleges where its students could complete their degrees. (WVIA, university statement) PRIORITIES [West Virginia U. Spends $1 Million on Gun Bill but Says Only 5 Students Have Applied]( Among other steps to comply with the legislation, which takes effect today and allows concealed handguns to be carried in many parts of public campuses, the university built 60 gun lockers in a bulletproof room, but few students wanted a locker. [WVU bore the cost]( at the same time it is [slashing academic programs]( to [close a huge budget deficit](. (West Virginia Watch, The Chronicle) CAMPUS SAFETY [Former Employee of Northeastern U. Is Convicted of Staging Hoax Explosion in 2022]( Jason Duhaime, 46, was convicted on Friday of concocting a bomb threat at the university’s Immersive Media Lab, which he directed at the time. Investigators found no evidence of an explosive device but did find a “word for word” copy of a threatening letter on Duhaime’s laptop, prosecutors said. He faces prison time and a fine at sentencing. His lawyer declined to comment. (The Washington Post) RESEARCH INTEGRITY [Embattled Alzheimer’s Researcher Is Charged With Fraud]( A grand jury last week indicted Hoau-Yan Wang, a professor at City College of the City University of New York, on charges of faking data to get $16 million in National Institutes of Health grants. His work is the basis of a diagnostic test for Alzheimer’s disease and a drug in trials to treat it. CUNY said it was cooperating with investigators. Wang didn’t respond to requests for comment. (The New York Times) UPCOMING PROGRAM [The Chronicle's Library and Institutional Success Program | July 2024] The Chronicle is partnering with Ithaka S+R to host a brand new [professional development program for librarians]( in July. This innovative two-week program will help library leaders understand the many roles they might take on, boost the success of the campus library, and better align with their institution’s goals. 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