And darn proud of it.

It must be like stepping outside after wrestling practice.

grateful that the biggest technical blip after the splashdown is that somebody can’t figure out how to unmute the Zoom

#integrity #artemisII #safeandsound

I love baseball

The Knoxville Sunsphere.

It's a beautiful day in Knoxville, and the Wigsphere is still standing.

The combination of higher prices and slower wage growth is hitting workers' wallets. Average hourly earnings, adjusted for inflation, are barely up over the past year, especially for rank-and-file workers.

I want to be a fly on the wall in Costa Rica. My goodness!

The Fifteen is out! Even if you don't need the latest on US scientific decline, Australia R&D policy or on higher education election promises in Hungary and Peru, you will deffo want to know about the absolutely bananapants way that Costa Rica divides public $ for universities. Read it here!

This column by @deandad.bsky.social matches my experience at the graduate level...many students now prefer a majority of classes being online in a traditionally in-person evening program. But students still want (and international ones need) some on-campus classes, creating scheduling dilemmas.

Well this is interesting

It's peppermint from the UT Creamery. It gives me some Babcock vibes.

A very happy midlevel campus administrator enjoying peppermint ice cream.

I have an event tonight with heavy appetizers, so I'm pregaming, land-grant university style.

The Trump administration is not appealing a loss in court that stopped its ability to lower indirect cost rates on grants to 15%. But there is still language working its way into proposals incentivizing institutions to offer lower rates.

www.chronicle.com/blogs/the-tr...

"[Admissions officers at university in the study] noted that the policy was only reversed due to pressure from the institution’s board, who wanted to follow the Ivy League’s lead."

Article on a new test optional report I co-authored

www.insidehighered.com/news/admissi...

This is a thoughtful piece (gift link) on how one small private college is trying to navigate through enrollment declines and budget deficits. It's tough, but more colleges being proactive about challenges is why I think fewer institutions will close than many expect.

Opinion | Hate Your Job? You’re Probably Stuck With It. The Great Resignation has become the Great Hunkering.

I have a new @chronicle.com essay thinking about what it means for employees and administrators during the Great Hunkering, where new jobs are hard to find and employee mobility is limited.

Fiscal Year 2025 saw increases in state funding well above inflation, but not enough to keep up with enrollment growth for the first time since 2012.

FY26 funding is likely to be below inflation as states begin tightening budgets, with FY27 looking even gloomier for public higher ed.

Rothman Firing Divides Wisconsin Lawmakers Former Universities of Wisconsin system president alleged he was fired for no reason. Others indicate he had previously threatened to quit over tensions with the board.

Former Wisconsin system president Jay Rothman said he was blindsided by the board's efforts to push him out. Sources tell me that's "bullshit" — that Rothman had lost the confidence of campus chancellors and threatened to quit multiple times.
www.insidehighered.com/news/governa...

Opinion | Hate Your Job? You’re Probably Stuck With It. The Great Resignation has become the Great Hunkering.

I have a new @chronicle.com essay thinking about what it means for employees and administrators during the Great Hunkering, where new jobs are hard to find and employee mobility is limited.

Faculty members working on 9- or 10-month contracts: Do you work over the summer? What are the spoken or unspoken expectations? I want to hear from you #academicsky #highered

NCAA proposing major changes to eligibility rules, including age limits The proposal eliminates the ability for athletes to regain seasons of eligibility through redshirts (even for medical reasons) and waivers.

The NCAA is exploring moving to a five years of eligiblity after an athlete turns 19 (or graduates HS) rule. No more redshirts. No waivers (except for religious missionaries, troops or maternity leave)

sports.yahoo.com/college-foot...

GOP invited to Center for Intellectual Freedom event, Dems weren’t Before an event debuting the Center for Intellectual Freedom at the University of Iowa - promising “greater viewpoint diversity on campus” - organizers sent email invites to about 100 Republican lawma...

The University of Iowa's new Center for Intellectual Freedom appears to be off to a rocky start in terms of enrolling students.

They also went over budget on alcohol and food for their introductory event, which isn't surprising when faculty and legislators get together.

Some Republican lawmakers have promised to take action against board members, 10 of whom have been seated but not yet confirmed by the Legislature. “Make no mistake about it, the firing of UW President Rothman is a blatant partisan hatchet job. Despite his efforts to enact meaningful reforms to move our world-class institutions forward, members of the Board of Regents apparently believe President Rothman should be punished for not being liberal enough,” State Senator Patrick Testin posted on social media Tuesday night. “His only crime was his willingness to work with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to get things done. Because the Board of Regents decided to remove President Rothman without just cause, I am calling on the Senate to reject every single one of their confirmations. As they say, actions have consequences.” Evers, who is not running for re-election, has said little about the decision to fire Rothman. On Monday, asked by the press about the looming termination, he said, “It’s their call.”

Everything about the Universities of Wisconsin firing its system president at this moment is fascinating. The Republican state Senate is threatening not to confirm regents, while the retiring Democratic governor is oddly silent.

www.insidehighered.com/news/governa...

It's so much better being a chair than a dean. You still get to be a faculty member and aren't always on call.

It would take me at least $400k to be a dean, $500k to be a provost, and $800k to be a president.

Trump Agrees to Two-Week Cease-Fire With Iran if Hormuz Re-Opened

That is a load-bearing "if" if I ever saw one.

In other news...

Thankfully, I'm upwind thanks to an unusual east breeze.

Grad Students Face Costly Private Loans After Federal Cuts Many borrowers will pay more to plug a $10 billion gap.

My first piece for Markets Magazine looks at new federal loan limits for grad students, how corporate lenders are gearing up to fill the gap--and the cos impact for low-income students.

One borrower would "rather run into traffic" than turn to the private market.

www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...