On the campaign trail, Donald Trump promised to deport student protesters. In recent weeks, the president has delivered on that pledge. The Trump administration has revoked hundreds of international students' visas across the country, spreading fear on college campuses and inviting constitutional challenges from lawyers and activists. Eric Lee, an immigration lawyer, says the administration’s actions are unconstitutional. One of his clients, Momodou Taal, a Cornell University graduate student and pro-Palestinian activist, recently decided to leave the United States rather than face detention and deportation. What’s happening, Lee says, is a threat to the free speech rights of citizens and noncitizens alike.
Related Reading:
Tracking Trump’s Actions on Student Visas
Pro-Palestinian Activists Shut Down a Job Fair. One Student’s Punishment Could Get Him Deported.
Trump has Revoked Student Visas at Dozens of Colleges. Here’s What That Means.
Guest:
Eric Lee, immigration lawyer
For more on today’s episode, visit chronicle.com/collegematters. We aim to make transcripts available within a day of an episode’s publication.
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45:50
The GOP Loves Western Civ
Over the past decade, centers and institutes devoted to the study of Western civilization and American civics have popped up on numerous public university campuses. Typically backed by conservative lawmakers, versions of this concept have taken root at universities in Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, Ohio, and Tennessee. In Texas, an entirely new private university, the University of Austin, now offers students a curriculum steeped in the study of Western thought.
At a recent live taping at SXSW EDU, Jack Stripling, host of College Matters, talked with Jacob Howland, the University of Austin’s provost, and Pauline Strong, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin, about what this growing trend says about the politics of higher education.
Related Reading:
How a Center for Civic Education Became a Political Provocation (The Chronicle)
We Can’t Wait for Universities to Fix Themselves. So We’re Starting a New One. (Free Press)
Billionaires Back New ‘Anti-Woke’ University (The Wall Street Journal)
A New Birth of Freedom in Higher Education: Civics Institutes at Public Universities (AEI)
Guests:
Jacob Howland, provost and dean of intellectual foundations at the University of Austin
Pauline Strong, director of the Program in Native American and Indigenous Studies and a professor of anthropology at the University of Texas at Austin. Strong is president of the American Association of University Professors' chapter at UT Austin.
For more on today’s episode, visit chronicle.com/collegematters. We aim to make transcripts available within a day of an episode’s publication.
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58:07
Why Parking Drives Us Mad
Buckle up, and get ready to lay on your horn. We’re taking a drive through the enraging, labyrinthine, and often misunderstood world of college-campus parking. Along the way, we’ll meet a college instructor who complained about parking fees, only to pay more than he’d ever imagined; a parking administrator who promises she’s not evil; and a writer who may have unmasked the real villain in higher ed’s tortured parking story.
Related Reading:
A History Instructor Complained About Parking Fees. It Cost Him His Job.
He lost His Job After Complaining About Parking. Now He’s Been Reinstated.
Paved Paradise: How Parking Explains the World
Guests:
Nell Gluckman, senior reporter at The Chronicle of Higher Education
Adrienne Tucker, director of parking and transportation at Kansas State University
Henry Grabar, staff writer at Slate and author
For more on today’s episode, visit chronicle.com/collegematters. We aim to make transcripts available within a day of an episode’s publication.
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46:17
Faculty vs. Administration
We’re hearing a lot lately about a war on higher education, as the Trump administration targets colleges on multiple fronts. On a lot of campuses, though, the biggest battle is an endless feud between faculty and administrators. Professors and presidents seem to be at loggerheads over everything, including curriculum debates, online education, and academic freedom. How did we get here? And is it really as bad as it looks?
Related Reading:
The Campus Cold War: Faculty vs. Administrators
What’s Behind the Surge in No-Confidence Votes?
Bluefield State President Bashes Faculty on His Blog
How the U. of Arizona Found Itself in a ‘Financial Crisis’ of Its Own Making
Guest:
Lee Gardner, senior writer at The Chronicle of Higher Education
For more on today’s episode, visit chronicle.com/collegematters. We aim to make transcripts available within a day of an episode’s publication.
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40:58
Higher Ed Controversy Draft
If you follow higher education like we do, you know that the sector is ripe for controversy. From misused money, to smoking-gun emails, to the occasional sex scandal, colleges and universities routinely make news for all the wrong reasons. But what makes for a delicious higher-ed controversy? And what can be learned from the embarrassing failures of otherwise respectable institutions? To dig into those questions, Chronicle staffers gathered recently for a first-of-its-kind higher-education controversy draft. Who built the best roster? That’s for you to decide.
Related Reading:
Uproar at Mount St. Mary’s (Chronicle)
Is That Our Chancellor in the Porno (College Matters podcast)
Discredited: The UNC Scandal and College Athletics’ Amatuer Ideal (Andy Thomason)
Auburn President’s Permanent No Comment (Inside Higher Ed)
Guests:
Sarah Brown, senior editor at The Chronicle of Higher Education
Andy Thomason, assistant managing editor at The Chronicle of Higher Education
For more on today’s episode, visit chronicle.com/collegematters. We aim to make transcripts available within a day of an episode’s publication.
Everything happening in the world converges in one place: higher education. Political unrest, the future of AI, the dizzying cost of everything — all of it is playing out on college campuses. On College Matters, a podcast from The Chronicle of Higher Education, we explore the world through the prism of the nation’s colleges and universities.
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