Straws in the Wind - Part 250

From Inside Higher Ed: Faculty members at regional public and community colleges in Oklahoma can no longer be granted tenure. Oklahoma governor Kevin Stitt decreed the end of tenure in an executive order, effective Thursday. The state has a “constitutional and statutory responsibility to steward taxpayer dollars wisely and ensure public institutions of higher education operate with accountability, transparency, and measurable outcomes,” the order states.

Public regional universities, which educate more than 54,000 students in the state combined, “shall not grant new lifetime tenure appointments,” the order states. Instead, they may hire faculty under fixed-term, renewable contracts, and the renewals are dependent on professors’ performance, student outcomes, “alignment with workforce and Oklahoma economic needs” and “institutional service.” Faculty members at these institutions who already have tenure may retain it. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 761 faculty members at Oklahoma regional colleges had tenure in 2024, and 412 faculty members were on the tenure track.

Faculty at public research universities—which includes the University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State University and their health sciences institutions—may still receive tenure or tenure-track appointments, but will be subject to post-tenure review every five years or fewer and may be fired for “sustained failure to meet established performance standards.” ...

Full story at https://www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty-issues/tenure/2026/02/05/tenure-eliminated-oklahoma-colleges.

What could possibly go wrong?

Inside Higher Ed presents a catalog of things already going wrong at universities planning some kind of in-person reopening: [excerpt]

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill over the weekend reported a cluster of COVID-19 cases linked to a fraternity and another cluster linked to a residence hall, the third and fourth such clusters announced by the university since it restarted classes last Monday. A cluster is defined as five or more cases located in close proximity. The Faculty Executive Committee at Chapel Hill is set to hold a special meeting today to discuss the clusters, according to the Raleigh News & Observer. The chair of the faculty, Mimi V. Chapman, wrote to the UNC System's Board of Governors asking it to give authority to Chapel Hill's chancellor to make decisions about the campus's operating status.

"The presence of clusters should be triggering reconsideration of residential, in-person learning," Chapman wrote. "However, moving to remote instruction cannot be done without your approval."

At Oklahoma State University, a sorority house is under quarantine after 23 members tested positive for COVID, according to The Oklahoman.

Elsewhere in the state, nine football players at the University of Oklahoma tested positive after returning from a break, ESPN reported.

The president of Villanova University, in Pennsylvania, warned students they will be sent home if they do not abide by COVID-related guidelines after hundreds of freshmen gathered for a large outdoor group gathering, Philly Voice reported. Videos showed students failing to abide by social distancing requirements; many were not wearing masks.

Meanwhile, Columbia University and Barnard College both retreated from plans to invite undergraduates back to campus in favor of an all-virtual fall...

Full story at https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/08/17/covid-19-roundup-rubber-hits-road-some-campuses-fall-plans-continue-diverge