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What’s in Today’s Brief? (February 3rd Preview)
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Audit flags Duke’s reserves — cuts face pushback
An independent audit commissioned by Duke University’s AAUP chapter concluded Duke is in “very strong financial condition” and questioned recent employee buyouts and planned layoffs. Howard Bunsis, the accounting professor who conducted the analysis, cited rising net assets, strong cash flows and roughly $14 billion in unrestricted reserves. Faculty and unions plan rallies, arguing administration cut jobs despite ample discretionary resources and robust credit ratings. The audit spotlights a growing national debate over university austerity moves versus available institutional liquidity; Bunsis based his findings on Duke’s audited financial statements through fiscal 2025.
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ODU’s eight‑week pivot sparks faculty revolt
Old Dominion University announced an operational shift to compress all online undergraduate and master’s courses into an eight‑week asynchronous model, part of a president-led plan to expand online enrollment. Faculty leaders say administrators rolled out the timetable without consulting Faculty Senate or the broader Faculty Forum and warn the move forces rapid course redesigns and threatens instructional quality. University leaders defend the decision as urgent and operational, citing existential enrollment and budget pressures; faculty counter that the pace undermines faculty governance and academic control. The dispute has become highly public, illustrating tensions between revenue-driven online strategies and shared governance.
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Oxford safeguarding lapse... Saïd dean ousted
A report from the Good Law Project links a mishandled safeguarding complaint and an alleged rape allegation against an emeritus professor to the broader inquiry that led to the ouster of Saïd Business School Dean Soumitra Dutta. The nonprofit says a junior academic sought protection over complaints involving Professor Bent Flyvbjerg; police arrested him on suspicion of rape in early 2024, then released him. Oxford allowed the professor campus access and delayed internal investigations despite requests for safeguards, the report alleges. The cascade of cases has prompted criticism that the university failed to protect staff and confront senior figures, exposing governance and reputational risk.
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FAFSA simplification adds 1.7M Pell max recipients
Data from the National College Attainment Network shows FAFSA simplification led to about 1.7 million additional students qualifying for the maximum Pell Grant in 2025–26, a 27% increase over pre‑simplification levels. NCAN’s analysis, based on Office of Federal Student Aid figures, also found growth in total applicants and increases in minimum Pell eligibility. The findings suggest the bipartisan FAFSA Simplification Act materially expanded need‑based aid access, though NCAN warns static Pell funding and rising college costs could erode gains without congressional action. The report is already influencing enrollment and access conversations on campuses and in state capitals.
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Indiana Senate quietly moves to scrap ‘low‑earning’ degrees
Indiana’s Senate passed Senate Bill 199 with near‑unanimous support after legislators inserted a provision that would eliminate public college degrees classified as “low‑earning” — measured by post‑graduation earnings relative to high‑school peers. The provision, buried in a broader technical education bill and not highlighted in the bill digest, could force campuses to cut degree programs and reshape program portfolios statewide. Lawmakers and higher‑education leaders warn the measure risks narrowing curricular diversity, disadvantaging fields with public‑service value, and repeating last session’s abrupt program cuts that prompted significant campus disruption.
...and 5 more selected Higher Education stories in today’s full edition — or archive.
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