Administration

Enemies, Emails, Whistle-Blowers: Why Did Texas A&M Fire Its Provost?

Karan Watson was fired just weeks before she was scheduled to step down, after an audit found an appearance of a conflict of interest. She says there’s reason to believe other factors were at work.

Government

Trump Struggles to Find a Leader for White House Initiative on Black Colleges

In February, President Trump signed an order to move the initiative into the West Wing. Since then, his administration has had more difficulty than others in filling the effort’s top leadership post.

Students

Wake Forest Freshmen Get an ‘Irreverent’ Take on Orientation

The college’s hardcover guidebook ditches the usual dry, institutional tone and plays up campus quirks. Toilet-paper tossing, anyone?

In Case You Missed It

In Higher Ed, Adjuncts May Have Most to Lose if Obamacare Is Repealed

The U.S. Senate voted on Tuesday to proceed with debate on legislation to replace the current law. If it is enacted, many adjuncts dread a return to the days when individual health plans were unaffordable. Here’s a reminder, from a May article, on what’s at stake.

Chronicle Focus

In a new feature, available to individual subscribers only, The Chronicle offers carefully curated collections of articles on important issues in higher education. So far, there are more than 25. Here are a couple of examples:

Dealing With Controversial Speakers on Campus

Presentations of provocative ideas have led to debates over free speech and have sometimes even sparked violence on campuses. This 32-page collection gives an overview of how college leaders have responded.

What’s Happening in Remedial Education

Concerns about remedial courses have led to new strategies for preparing students for college-level coursework. The 10 articles in this collection examine how some of those ideas are working.

Lingua Franca

Why I Don’t Ask Students to Write the Thesis Statement First

Anne Curzan explains how she changed her writing pedagogy to highlight the role of good questions in driving successful essays.

Vitae

The Professor Is In: Should I Mention I Can Teach Their Electives?

How to present yourself as a pedagogical asset in your cover letter and avoid stepping on toes.