Faculty at Colorado State University formally rebuked the system’s decision to run an internal‑only search for the next chancellor, citing conflict‑of‑interest concerns and a compressed timetable. The CSU Faculty Council and the AAUP chapter argue the process limits access to external talent and appears to cede control to the outgoing chancellor. Meanwhile, an independent audit commissioned by Duke’s AAUP chapter concluded the university lacked sufficient justification for recent budget cuts and warned that financial reserves were ample—raising questions about the rationale and transparency of administrative retrenchment. Both episodes underscore growing tensions between campus governing bodies and administrations over search processes, fiscal strategy and shared governance.