December 2021

Dr. Leslie Gonzales, associate professor in the higher, adult, and lifelong learning unit at Michigan State UniversityWith the Omicron variant spreading rapidly and the fall semester now over, many faculty are reflecting on the ongoing, disparate impact of the pandemic on their careers while bracing themselves for what comes next. The pandemic already compounded inequalities […]

A former University of South Florida (USF) football player has filed a discrimination suit against USF, saying the university “rushed to judgment” after he was accused of rape in November 2017, reports the Tampa Bay Times. Football logo of the University of South Florida BullsWhile criminal charges against the student, Kevaughn Dingle, 22, were eventually

Emory University in Atlanta will begin its spring semester online amid rising COVID-19 cases due to the Omicron variant, announced the university’s president Dr. Gregory L. Fenves in a letter to the community. Residence halls will open as planned, but all undergraduate, graduate and professional courses will begin remotely, excluding clinical and research activities, School

The global pandemic and racial reckoning that shook the entire country also had a major impact on the higher ed sector in 2020 — much of that impact has continued through 2021. COVID-19 vaccines have become available, and many higher ed institutions played critical roles as vaccine distribution sites for their communities and key sources

When The College Board, the company who administers Advanced Placement (AP) courses and the SAT test to thousands of future college applicants each year, began developing the AP Computer Science Principles (AP CSP) course, they hoped to not only meet the growing need for computer scientists in the workforce but also address the systemic inequities

Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Anglican cleric who emerged as a fierce champion for education in the rebuilding of South Africa post-apartheid, died over the weekend. He was 90. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa called Tutu “a patriot without equal.”  ”A man of extraordinary intellect, integrity and invincibility against the forces of apartheid,

Systemic racism and its role in the financial strangulation of many HBCUs has finally been exposed as a prominent thorn of injustice in America’s higher education system. Due to long-standing inequities and discriminatory funding practices, HBCUs have been left far behind in securing sustainable resources when compared with Predominately White Institutions (PWIs).  Ironically, the survival

Molloy College, a private Catholic university in Rockville Centre, New York, has appointed its first vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). Dr. Donald “DJ” Mitchell, Jr.Dr. Donald “DJ” Mitchell, Jr., currently chief DEI officer at Bellarmine University in Louisville, Kentucky, will assume the role on Feb. 1, becoming the key adviser to the

President Biden has extended the pause on student loan payments and interest — which was set to end on Feb. 1 — for an extra 90 days through May 1, 2022, pointing to continuing financial uncertainty as the Omicron variant spreads throughout the U.S. “The extension will allow the Administration to assess the impacts of