Open letter to the Utrecht University Executive Board: Calling for a transformation to digital autonomy.

We, the undersigned, express our concern about Utrecht University’s increasing reliance on services from Big Tech companies (particularly Microsoft, Google, Amazon) for our research, teaching and administrative activities. https://www.uu.nl/en/opinion/open-letter-to-the-executive-university-board-calling-for-a-transformation-to-digital-autonomy

#HigherEd #BigTech #DigitalAutonomy

"A Yale professor who studies fascism is leaving the US to work at a Canadian university because of the current US political climate, which he worries is putting the US at risk of becoming a “fascist dictatorship”.

Jason Stanley, who wrote the 2018 book How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them, has accepted a position at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy.

Stanley told the Daily Nous, a philosophy profession website, that he made the decision “to raise my kids in a country that is not tilting towards a fascist dictatorship”.

He said in an interview that Columbia University’s recent actions moved him to accept the offer. Last Friday, Columbia gave in to the Trump administration by agreeing to a series of demands in order to restore $400m in federal funding. These changes include crackdowns on protests, increased security power and “internal reviews” of some academic programs, like the Middle Eastern studies department."

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/26/yale-professor-fascism-canada

#USA #Trump #Fascism #Canada #Universities #HigherEd

"Beyond cracking down on protest on campus, Columbia has essentially ended its status as an independent intellectual institution."

- Grant Miner, Ph.D. student in Jewish studies expelled for Palestinian activism.

https://www.thenation.com/article/activism/grant-miner-columbia-expelled-palestine/

#palestine #gaza #FreeSpeech #HigherEd #USPol

#JewishCurrents | #ColumbiaU's surrender

"#PeterBeinart and #Columbia professor #NadiaAbuElHaj, who also serves as the co-director of the Center for Palestine Studies, spoke just hours before this shocking development, but their conversation probes what’s been happening at Columbia and #Barnard, and what’s at stake—both for the study of #Israel / #Palestine and for the future of #higherEd."

https://jewishcurrents.org/higher-ed-under-attack

#USpol #PalestineSolidarity #StateRepression #StudentProtests @palestine

More capitulation.

/1 of 5
(article screenshots follow)

#USA #trump #ColumbiaUniversity #education #HigherEd

What could this look like?

The most direct way for #highered and #academia to hit back is through military contracts and biotech.

Basically, R1 schools would need to halt all cooperation with the government and starve them of tech transfer and technical competencies they need to maintain national security and compete with rivals.

Ask Americans, would they like to see China vault head ahead of them and assume the mantle of global hegemon because Trump wanted to own the libs?

I am saying it once more.

If #academia and #highered do not QUICKLY develop a coordinated strategy of resistance, then MAGA will pick them off one by one.

“Half of this stuff you can’t just do and the other half is insane,” said Joseph Howley, a professor of classics at Columbia. “If the federal government can show up and demand a university department be shut down or restructured, then we don’t have universities in this country.”

#uspol #democracy

https://apnews.com/article/columbia-university-mahmoud-khalil-ice-arrests-1921e26f6b5a8585ad5cbda790846324

"Mahmoud Khalil, the green card holding legal permanent resident arrested by ICE on Saturday, and a group of other students are suing Columbia University, the university’s trustees, and a number of other officials, according to newly filed court records.

The move is the latest episode in one of the most high profile immigration cases in the country, which could set a precedent for under what grounds the U.S. can deport legal residents who have not been charged with a crime. Authorities have previously said that Khalil was arrested because he “led activities aligned to Hamas,” without providing evidence for how Khalil was aligned with the terrorist organization, and he has not been charged with a crime.

Specifically, the group is suing to stop Columbia University and Barnard College from producing “all student or student-worker disciplinary records” to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and the Workforce."

https://www.404media.co/detained-protester-mahmoud-khalil-sues-columbia-university/

#USA #Trump #ColumbiaUniversity #HigherEd #Universities #Israel #Palestine #Gaza

Faculty life: I pose questions

https://silencesandsounds.blogspot.com/2025/03/50-questions-adulting-as-faculty.html

#humor #AcademicChatter #blog #research #HigherEd

Meanwhile, in #BadEconomy #fuckery

> Google Cofounder Exhorts Employees to Work 60-Hour Weeks to Create AI Designed to Replace Them https://futurism.com/google-sergey-brin-60-hour-week-ai

But yea, the #tech #HigherEd and #academia are rushing to embrace, including certain small campuses with #librarians who should know better.

#AI #Internet #assholes #BringBackGuillotines #jobs #work #labor #exploitation

This is what fascism looks like.

As someone arrested at a campus protest last spring, I have major qualms with how the Biden administration handled campus dissent. But it was nothing compared to what we are in for now.

Our reaction to this statement will help decide if Trump's regeime is able to consolidate power to form the strong-man dictatorship he envisions. Our reaction should be to protest in force across every campus while wearing MASKS.

#politics @academicchatter #HigherEd

Since I learned about it in the late 90s I've been kind of in love with #Antioch College. However, like several of the people I loved in high school, I still don't know much about it. I've been reminded of it now, and am greedily devouring the wikipedia page. I was under a few misconceptions, including the idea that it was dead. It's not dead! I think!?

I'm very interested in learning what it's like to be a #student or #professor there. I am fascinated by #AlternativeCollege situations in #highered.

If, by any chance, anyone who sees this is or was any of the following:

• A prof
• A student
• An administratorI'd love to exchange some messages.

And if you know of any #documentary or #longform #journalism about Antioch (I'm searching...), especially in the past 20 years, please let me know. I'm super interested.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antioch_College

The Trump administration's "Dear Colleague" letter on #DEI threatens to withhold federal funding from schools that don't abandon diversity, equity and inclusion programs. A legal analysis finds the letter misinterprets law and tramples on free speech:
https://theconversation.com/anti-dei-guidance-from-trump-administration-misinterprets-the-law-and-guts-educators-free-speech-rights-250574
#HigherEd #AcademicChatter

Fellow comrades in #academia - there’s a very cool project launching called Science Homecoming, that allows you to find local papers from your hometown and encourages you to pitch them an opinion piece about the current attacks on #science and #highered.

I pitched a piece to my hometown paper and they got back to me in about 10 minutes saying they definitely wanted to see it. So think this is a simple thing to do with high impact potential

More info here 👇
https://sciencehomecoming.com/

United against the attack on research and higher ed.

“These cuts should be a rallying cry for higher education to come together to make the case for the American system of research and teaching. Leaders have an opportunity to step forward and marshal their campuses”

#research #science #highered

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adw6467

I'm not shocked, just disappointed. When I asked my local #faculty union president how the #union would respond if I was fired etc. for speaking up about the Palestinian #genocide, I got a response significantly different from the Union's "we protect academic freedom" line.

I think I'm being told I'm on my own if I say anything publicly about #Gaza.

#ethniccleansing #palestine #professor #highered

"A central part of the student’s lawsuit is that the university violated its own rules by handling the students’ disciplinary process through the Center for Student Success and Intervention (CSSI) rather than the University Judicial Board (UJB), which is composed of and accountable to a democratically elected body in the university senate whose members include a mixture of administrative staff, faculty and students. The UJB administers the Rules of University Conduct, which were set up specifically to deal with student protests following the university’s handling of anti-war protests in 1968. Under the CSSI process, students do not have the right to an attorney and are unable to bring witnesses to speak on the record. According to the congressional report investigating antisemitism on campuses, “moving the cases to the UJB would almost certainly result in significantly weaker punishments than CSSI.” The University Senate also raised concerns in the spring about CSSI handling disciplinary actions over student protests.

In addition to barring the students from campus and classes during the interim suspension, the order also said they had 24 hours to vacate their housing which was leased to them by the university. The complaint states that the university violated New York state law by not giving the students a 30-day notice of their eviction.

“I was worried about where I was going to live, how I was going to sustain myself. I was worried about losing access to my healthcare, which I rely on for doctor visits and medication that are very essential to living,” Parisi said. “I was overwhelmed with emotions. And quite frankly, I was experiencing a lot of fear of the uncertainty of what's going to happen to my life.”"

https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/columbia-students-sue-university-palestine-activism

#USA #Universities #HigherEd #ColumbiaUniversity #Palestine #StudentActivism

Katherine Francke of #Columbia Law School on how her defense of #student #protests against Israel's killing in #Gaza has led to the end of her teaching and faculty roles.

Harassment by colleagues, students trying to trick her into social-media-ready misstatements, the university president's abandoning her to the Congressional wolves to save her own skin...

"Rather than defend the role of a university in a democracy, in
fostering critical debate, research, and learning around matters of vital public concern, and in educating the next generation with the tools to become engaged citizens, Columbia University’s leadership has demonstrated a willingness to collaborate with the very enemies of our academic mission."

And the slaughter in Gaza continues.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1i4cOWRtsVB_NDCm0kNQTq6y3dM2o51fa/view

#HigherEd

NEW!!! I was honored to be @NadineSmith guest on Wide Awake America talking about Big Tech's silent relentless coup and resisting #propaganda that threatens to conquer our democracies. Listen and read here 👇✊ https://open.substack.com/pub/1nadinesmith/p/big-techs-silent-relentless-coup?r=97fyx&utm_medium=ios #disinformation #bigtech #socialmedia #education #media #highered #influenceoperations

Noted professor resigns from Brtitain’s ‘Royal Society’ over #ElonMusk involvement. Writes historic and well documented blog post announcing her reasons. #RoyalSociety #Academia #Fascism #Billionaires #HigherEd #NazisShouldNotBeHonored

http://deevybee.blogspot.com/2024/11/why-i-have-resigned-from-royal-society.html

Now is a really good time to start researching how #media #technology & #democracy intersect, and what it means for our shared future.

Thankfully, we have an amazing 1-year MA program on just this subject in Washington #DC. Check it out:

https://www.american.edu/soc/communication-studies/ma/ma-mtd.cfm #academia #academicchatter #highered #commodon @academicchatter @commodon

I am hiring right now! Two university librarian positions and three staff positions (one entry level and two big positions for exceptional library folks). I am amazing! The rest of our team is amazing! Plymouth State is persisting! New Hampshire is doing its very best! The mountains are lovely! Check out the gigs: https://library.plymouth.edu/blogs/jobs. Apply by 11/22. Questions? Let me know!

#library #jobs #libraryjobs #NewHampshire #HigherEd

PLEASE SHARE! COME WORK WITH ME! LIBRARIES ARE OUR BEST HOPE!