Academe Today

Commentary

Teaching the Students We Have, Not the Students We Wish We Had

A recent essay that was critical of student evaluations was also unfairly critical of today’s students.

Admissions

How U. of Michigan Reeled In Low-Income Students With a Colorful Invitation

In an experiment described in a new working paper, the university made a letter promising financial aid seem like a golden ticket.

Special Reports

They Crave Value, Relevance, and Instagram. Meet the New Generation of Students.

To compete for a shrinking pool of high-school graduates, colleges now must adapt to the interests and needs of Gen Z. Our new report will help you recruit, teach, and serve this diverse cohort. Get your copy in the Chronicle Store.

Leadership & Governance

U. of Minnesota’s Presidential Search Provokes Key Question: What’s Behind Door No. 2?

The search is down to a sole finalist after two contenders declined to be publicly named, and one regent says the imperfect process may also have violated open-meetings laws.

From the Archives

Rethinking the Presidential Search

Why some colleges skip hiring consultants and a national search to focus on internal candidates.

Executive Pay

2 Wisconsin Chancellors, Tainted by Controversies, Are Denied Raises

Joe Gow brought an adult-film star to the La Crosse campus for free-speech week; Beverly Kopper’s husband was found responsible for sexually harassing employees at UW-Whitewater.

People

Bridging the Gap Between Science and Government

Administrators in new roles work to shape federal science policy and help university researchers communicate the value of their efforts.

The Daily Briefing

The Daily Briefing tells individual subscribers everything they need to know about higher ed. Here’s a sample.

Advice

Scholars Talk Writing: Hyphens, Oxford Commas, and Pronoun Preferences

On the use of “they” as a singular pronoun: “It helps me to think of ‘they’ not as genderless but as genderful.”

Lingua Franca

Farewell to a Blog That Encouraged Thinking Aloud

“Research is not just done in the lab,” a physics professor once told Rose Jacobs, but on paper, during the writing process. Lingua Franca, which culminates next week, has been a look over the shoulders of scholars as they do just that — put ideas on paper, arrange them, see what they connect to, and explore the context.