Straws in the Wind - Part 278

From the Daily Princetonian: University faculty and administrators will consider a proposal to require proctoring for all in-person examinations, which would mark a departure from the traditionally unproctored exam format under the Honor Code. If passed, the policy could take effect as early as next fall, according to Honor Committee members. The proposal was discussed in a meeting between Honor Committee leadership and Dean of the College Michael Gordin on Wednesday, Feb. 25. Although conversations about proctored examinations have been ongoing in recent years, the new policy is now set to enter a multi-stage faculty and administrative review before it can come to a vote by the faculty. Currently, only individual and small group examinations are proctored.

The tradition of not proctoring has existed since the introduction of Princeton’s honor system in 1893. The system has relied on student self-governance and mutual accountability. Students pledge both to refrain from infractions of academic dishonesty and to report any breaches of the Constitution they witness. 

“The prohibition on proctoring is formalized in ‘Rules and Procedures of the Faculty.’ Any change to that policy would have to pass through the relevant committees and be voted on by the full faculty,” Gordin wrote in a statement to The Daily Princetonian. “Since that process has not begun, I cannot predict when it would conclude.”

...An expansion of proctoring already occurred earlier this academic year, according to Makuc. In November, faculty were instructed to proctor all individual and small-group exams, including make-up exams, exams taken by student-athletes while traveling, and exams taken with disability accommodations. The University’s consideration of the new policy stems from broader concerns about academic integrity and enforcement...

Full story at https://www.dailyprincetonian.com/article/2026/03/princeton-news-adpol-proctoring-honor-code-in-person-exams.

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From Inside Higher Ed: Indiana’s governor has signed into law a bill that aims to eliminate all academic programs at the state’s public universities and at Ivy Tech Community College that fail a new federal earnings test. Congress created the Do No Harm test when it passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act last summer. The test, which hasn’t yet taken effect, will generally require programs to show their graduates earn more on average than high school diploma earners (just over $35,000 in Indiana), or else students in those programs will no longer be able to receive federal student loans. Graduate and professional program earnings would further have to exceed bachelor's degree earnings.

But Indiana’s Senate Bill 199 will make failing that test even more punitive in the Hoosier State. It adopts the federal test into state law and says programs that fail it must close entirely—unless the state Commission for Higher Education, a group of gubernatorial appointees, grants an exemption...

Full story at https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2026/03/10/indiana-governor-signs-bill-end-low-earning-degrees.

Straws in the Wind - Part 176

From WFIU: Before creating new degrees, Indiana’s public colleges and universities will have to explain to the state how they will promote American values. The new degree proposal form issued by the Indiana Commission for Higher Education asks: “How does the proposed program cultivate civic responsibility and commitment to the core values of American society? For example, how does the curriculum include components that emphasize civic engagement and the duties of citizenship in a free society?”

...It is especially important because the government recently eliminated hundreds of degrees with low numbers of graduates, forcing the creation of many new consolidated programs that will need the Commission’s approval. This announcement also follows President Trump’s “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education,” which says universities that sign a compact agreeing to certain policy priorities will get preferential treatment for federal funding. The administration has not sent the compact to any Indiana schools...

Full story at https://www.ipm.org/news/2025-11-21/universities-must-explain-how-new-degrees-promote-american-values.

From the NY Times: Northwestern University and the White House are finalizing a deal that would end the Trump administration’s monthslong pressure campaign against the school, restore hundreds of millions in federal funding and close a potentially onerous federal antisemitism investigation, according to three people briefed on the matter. The terms of the deal have not been publicly announced. But two of the people briefed on the talks said that Northwestern would be assessed a $75 million fine to the federal government as part of the deal. That would be the second highest amount a school facing a pressure campaign from the administration had agreed to pay.

...Northwestern has endured months of pressure from the White House and fellow Republicans in Congress. In the face of that pressure, the university’s president, Michael H. Schill, abruptly announced on Sept. 4 that he would resign after three years in office. Republicans have accused Northwestern of not doing enough to address antisemitism during campus protests over the war in Gaza, and Mr. Schill faced a difficult hearing on Capitol Hill last year over whether the school had adequately protected Jewish students. In April, the Trump administration froze at least $790 million in federal research funding planned for Northwestern. In July, the university announced plans to eliminate about 425 jobs. University officials said nearly half of those jobs were vacant and described the layoffs as “a drastic step” and “the most painful measure we have had to take.”

Mr. Schill was replaced on an interim basis by Henry Bienen, who served in the role from 1995-2009. In October, Mr. Bienen told faculty members that he wanted to strike a deal to restore research funding but would not sign an agreement that “hinders the autonomy of the university.” ...

Full story at https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/us/politics/northwestern-university-trump-deal.html.

Straws in the Wind - Part 88

From the Austin American-Statesman: Faculty senates — a long-standing advisory body of elected members that helps university leadership on curriculum, policy and programs — will no longer exist at University of Texas institutions starting Sept. 1, after the UT System Board of Regents on Thursday approved compliance with Senate Bill 37. Chairman Kevin Eltife said the board will "take their time" deciding if faculty senates compliant with the law will be reinstated to university campuses, and may not be needed at all 14 campuses. "The Legislature spoke very clear through the legislation that governing boards are responsible for deciding if and when faculty senates will be established on campuses," he told regents... "That is a responsibility that this board takes very seriously."

...Lawmakers had cast faculty senates as powerful voices that should be curbed last legislative session. Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, authored SB 37 to give regents more control following complaints from conservatives that the institution's faculty have become too liberal or "woke."

...Faculty advocates warned during the legislative session that shared governance is a hallmark of university operations, and weakening faculty senates jeopardizes that work...

Full story at https://www.statesman.com/news/education/article/university-texas-system-faculty-senate-abolish-20822502.php.

From Higher Ed Dive: ...With the passage of the new legislation, also known as SB 1, Ohio lawmakers made deep inroads into the academic operations of public colleges, asserting new state controls over decisions historically left to faculty and administrators. The law bans diversity, equity and inclusion training, requires post-tenure review, prohibits full-time faculty from striking and even requires certain questions in student evaluations of professors. SB 1 also created a policy that could wipe out dozens or even hundreds of academic programs if the experience of Ohio’s neighboring state is any gauge. 

In Indiana, a similar policy with programmatic graduation thresholds — inserted into the most recent state budget bill — has already put 75 degree programs on the chopping block. The state’s public colleges also moved to suspend another 101 programs and consolidate 232. As in Ohio, Indiana state colleges only had months to review their portfolios for cuts. That created uncertainty for many. “Even tenured faculty are wondering, am I going to have a job in two months?” one faculty governance leader in Indiana told local media, describing “chaos and confusion” on campus...

Full story at https://www.highereddive.com/news/ohio-university-program-cuts-comply-SB1/758788/.

Straws in the Wind - Part 4

From Indiana Public Media: Indiana University has received almost 50 complaints since the state enacted Senate Enrolled Act 202, an “intellectual diversity” law that allows community members to report faculty conduct. SEA 202 requires faculty to teach “intellectually diverse” ideas in the classroom. If they don't, their tenure could be in jeopardy. The law went into effect ahead of the 2024 fall semester. Colleges were required to summarize their procedures to comply with the law and report the number of complaints to the Commission for Higher Education. IU reported receiving legitimate complaints over political speech as well as complaints filed in protest against SEA 202, according to a document obtained by WFIU/WTIU News.   

At least one professor was investigated for claims he violated the intellectual diversity law in the spring semester. By Dec. 31, IU handled nine complaints that claimed faculty violated SEA 202, according to its report to the commission.   

“The nine complaints were about eight different situations (i.e., two of the complaints  described the same situation), and involved four different IU campuses,” the university reported. “Eight were about political speech in classroom settings and one was about a failure to consider alternate viewpoints on a non-political matter.” ...

Full story at https://indianapublicmedia.org/news/iu-had-almost-50-intellectual-diversity-complaints-against-faculty.php.

Summary of SEA 202:

Amends the duties of state educational institutions' diversity committees. Provides that certain offices or individuals established or employed by a state educational institution (institution) regarding diversity programming must include within the mission of the office or position programming that substantially promotes both cultural and intellectual diversity. Establishes various requirements and restrictions for institutions regarding free inquiry, free expression, and intellectual diversity that does the following: (1) Requires the establishment of certain policies regarding: (A) disciplinary actions for certain persons that materially and substantially disrupt protected expressive activity; (B) limiting or restricting the granting of tenure or a promotion if certain conditions related to free inquiry, free expression, and intellectual diversity are not met; and (C) disciplinary actions that will be taken if, after a review, a determination has been made that a tenured faculty member has failed to meet certain criteria related to free inquiry, free expression, and intellectual diversity. (2) Requires the review and consideration, at least every five years, of certain criteria related to free inquiry, free expression, and intellectual diversity. (3) Requires the establishment of a procedure that allows students and employees to submit complaints that a faculty member or contractor is not meeting certain criteria related to free inquiry, free expression, and intellectual diversity and establishes requirements regarding the procedure and submitted complaints. (4) Establishes consideration requirements before an institution renews an employment agreement or other contract with, makes a bonus decision regarding, or completes a review or performance assessment of a faculty member or contractor. (5) Prohibits requiring an applicant, employee, or contractor to pledge allegiance to or make a statement of personal support for: (A) certain policies or actions; or (B) political or ideological movements. (6) Establishes restrictions regarding awarding admission, enrollment, employment, benefits, hiring, reappointment, promotion, or granting tenure to an applicant, employee, or contractor on the basis of the viewpoints expressed in a submitted pledge or statement. (7) Requires certain information be included in an institution's programming for new students. (8) Requires the adoption of a statement on neutrality that makes a distinction between the official positions of an institution from the individual viewpoints of the institution's employees, contractors, students, and alumni. (9) Allows the commission for higher education (commission) to establish a survey that attempts to collect information from students regarding the current perceptions of whether free speech and academic freedom are recognized and fostered by an institution in a manner that welcomes expression of different opinions and ideologies and requires an institution to promote and provide the survey to students. (10) Establishes various reporting requirements by institutions or the commission concerning complaints submitted regarding faculty members or contractors who are not meeting certain criteria related to free inquiry, free expression, and intellectual diversity. (11) Provides that certain individuals may request the commission to review a final decision by an institution concerning a violation of these provisions. Provides that the commission may enter into an agreement with the office of administrative law proceedings to review violations of certain provisions and issue an opinion on behalf of the commission. Requires each institution to submit certain information by September 1, 2024, and on September 1 of each year thereafter. 

Source: https://iga.in.gov/legislative/2024/bills/senate/202/details.

According to the actual bill, the new law covers:

(1) Ball State University. (2) Indiana State University. (3) Indiana University. (4) Ivy Tech Community College. (5) Purdue University. (6) University of Southern Indiana. (7) Vincennes University.

Source: https://iga.in.gov/pdf-documents/123/2024/senate/bills/SB0202/SB0202.06.ENRH.pdf.