Emma Pettit

Months ago, I started reading a newsletter about the dysfunctions of Pomona's English department. I wondered if things were as bad as the author made them seem and why he was doing something few would - writing about his colleagues, while he works there: chronicle.com/article/when-a…

An interesting new paper examines course syllabi related to three contentious topics (Israel-Palestine, racial bias in criminal justice, and abortion) and found "a strong asymmetry." Profs, the paper argues, generally shield their students from complexity. chronicle.com/article/these-…

Florida’s higher-ed leaders are fast-tracking an ambitious plan to establish an “ideology-free” college accreditor. State lawmakers are pouring $4 million into the venture. @MiamiHerald amp.miamiherald.com/news/local/edu…

Some on campus understood why Ryan stepped down — viewing the move as self-sacrifice. Others think he, and the board, should have shown more backbone. Said one professor: “Bullies cannot be placated.” New, from me and @EmmaJanePettit: chronicle.com/article/the-un…

University of Virginia President Resigns Under Pressure From Trump Administration. From yesterday, by me and @KatherineMangan: chronicle.com/article/univer…

Black colleges are pausing research, losing scholarships, and rethinking how they define their mission as federal agencies cut Black-focused grants More than $140 million in grants at HBCUs have been terminated due to Trump's policies targeting DEI shorturl.at/JEZpI

Of Santa Ono's pummeling by Florida's Board of Governors, one former UF administrator tells @jackstripling and @reporterdavidj: “They did a remarkable job, if you like executions.” Their must-read story on what Ono's denial means for the sector: chronicle.com/article/he-wan…

A Congressional committee has asked Harvard for "an explanation of whether and how" the university considers race and other characteristics in hiring, by June 25: edworkforce.house.gov/uploadedfiles/…

.@UCBerkeley Faculty Ask: Do Trump And His Allies Have A Point About Higher Education?, by @EmmaJanePettit @chronicle and @GutkinLen @ChronicleReview bit.ly/4n1K8Mg

For my first byline, I looked into a debate over nighttime protests that's deepening a rift between faculty and administrators at Indiana University. chronicle.com/article/at-ind…

More New College news - two former finance officers with the foundation tell @SunSearchlight they were fired in 2023 after raising concerns about how to cover @richardcorcoran's salary. New College has pushed back, saying donations "have surged." suncoastsearchlight.org/new-college-un…

The long-awaited New York Times six-part podcast series on pediatric gender medicine, The Protocol, is up.

Here's a particularly wild exchange from yesterday's era-defining Board of Governors meeting in Florida, in which a bunch of political appointees rejected the appointment of former University of Michigan President Santa Ono as the new president at the University of Florida...

The UNC Chapel Hill board voted over email to approve tenure decisions for 33 faculty. And @RyanEQuinn got some of emails showing the board's discussion. (Link below)

BREAKING: The Florida higher education system Board of Governors rejects the hiring of Santa Ono as University of Florida president. Vote was 6 yes, 10 no.

Today's Board of Governors meeting over the potential hiring of UF's next president has exposed fault lines of Florida's power structure as conservative politicians vs. high-powered donors/business leaders. Lots of complaints that this isn't supposed to be a trial ...

Speaking personally, I have never seen a Board of Governors meeting this contentious in my two years as a Florida higher-ed reporter. The business-world members are visibly at odds with the former GOP politicians serving on the board.

Fyi that I've joined Bluesky, so you call follow me there at @emmajanepettit.bsky.social! Similar to Twitter, I will occasionally share my work and probably never post

Not close to finishing this new profile but “Oh, you mean helmet-head?” is an all-timer newyorker.com/magazine/2025/…

Great (at times tense!) debate in the @ChronicleReview about whether higher ed is teeming with antisemitism and, if so, what to do about it chronicle.com/article/the-gr…

Student journalists, early-career reporters, you have ONE WEEK to apply for The Chronicle's fall reporting internship. 💰$800/week before taxes 🧑‍💼Work at DC office or from VA, MD, MI, WA, TX, FL, NC, or NY 🍂Internship generally runs September to December jobs.dayforcehcm.com/en-US/thechron…