Even before the appalling Trump re-election, there have been deep problems in the post-secondary and university space. COVID was obviously a disruption to everyone, but there are also deeper and longer-term forces changing how universities operate and how students interact with them.
Sadly, the near-to-medium future seems certain to be characterized by further resource conflicts, tough decisions by schools, and continued political contention about higher education. It is particularly worrisome to see cost-saving measures eroding things which likely can never be replaced: when you get rid of the specialist ancient language training that makes history possible, you effectively close down those historical fields by ending the pipeline of new experts. More broadly, universities are full of important fields of work which nonetheless have trouble defending their value to legislators and an angry public.
Ironies abound in a world where knowledge is more important than ever yet education is suffering – where technical knowledge is more indispensable than ever for being politically informed, yet dominant political movements sideline and disparage expertise. Collectively, we have a lot to survive and overcome in the decades ahead and in order to have a fighting chance we need trained and informed minds.
Mohawk College set to axe hundreds of employees starting in early December
Layoffs come as college faces plummeting international enrollment
https://www.thespec.com/news/hamilton-region/mohawk-college-set-to-axe-hundreds-of-employees-starting-in-early-december/article_71e01a43-041d-58a0-bbce-48e7e03fe533.html
Republicans Are Targeting Social Sciences to Curb Ideas They Don’t Like
Conservatives in Florida have moved to uproot liberal “indoctrination” in higher education by removing classes like Sociology from core requirements.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/21/us/florida-social-sciences-progressive-ideas.html
BU suspends admissions to humanities, other Ph.D. programs
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/admissions/graduate/2024/11/19/bu-suspends-admissions-humanities-other-phd-programs
Colleges and universities face job cuts, deficits amid international student cap
https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/colleges-and-universities-face-job-cuts-deficits-amid-international-student-cap-1.7120944
Canada’s post-secondary industry predicts a storm ahead, as budget cuts shrink courses, staff
Institutions, students, faculty call for sustained boost to provincial funding
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/post-secondary-cuts-1.7387175
Rural students’ options shrink as colleges slash majors
An estimated 13 million people live in higher education “deserts,” where the nearest university is beyond a reasonable commute away.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2024/11/26/rural-colleges-cut-majors-degree-programs/
Amid cuts to basic research, New Zealand scraps all support for social sciences
Scientists shocked as “blue-sky” Marsden Fund has half its budget shifted to research focused on helping economy
https://www.science.org/content/article/amid-cuts-basic-research-new-zealand-scraps-all-support-social-sciences
This week, in an announcement that stunned New Zealand’s research community, the country’s center-right coalition government said it would divert half of the NZ$75 million Marsden Fund, the nation’s sole funding source for fundamental science, to “research with economic benefits.” Moreover, the fund would no longer support any social sciences and humanities research, and the expert panels considering these proposals would be disbanded.
Universities New Zealand, which represents the nation’s eight universities, called the planned disinvestment in social science and humanities “astonishing.” It was among several academic groups and many scientists calling for the government to reverse the unexpected decision.
In announcing the change, Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins said the fund should focus on “core science” that supports economic growth and “a science sector that drives high-tech, high-productivity, high-value businesses and jobs.”