AKA Weekly Rundown– October 1, 2021

From The New York Times:
The Fight Over Tenure Is Not Really About Tenure
By Molly Worthen
The number of American faculty members with tenure and in tenure track positions has been falling since the 1970s, a trend that is likely to continue in view of growing criticism about the rationale, nature, and character of tenure. Increasing scrutiny of and attacks on tenure are often a proxy for a larger debate about the meaning of academic freedom and the priorities of higher education, fueled in part by the impact of cancel culture and social media. Read this article

From EdSurge:
What Will Online Learning Look Like in 10 Years? Zoom Has Some Ideas
By Stephen Noonoo
While most universities are returning to in-person teaching, the video conferencing company Zoom continues to flourish. It expects to continue its growth as higher education embraces hybrid learning and the work force in general moves to new patterns of employment. Zoom is actively hiring academics, educators, and those with experience in EdTech. New classroom management tools and continuing innovation of personalized learning are leading to increased versatility and value of remote pedagogy. Read this article

From CNBC :
From Amazon to Walmart, here’s how college tuition became the hot corporate benefit
By Abigail Johnson Hess
To address hiring and retention challenges, many companies are improving employee benefits, including free college tuition. Beyond offering tuition waivers to employees looking to develop skills applicable to their field, companies are expanding tuition benefits to entry level employees. This move helps companies with employee recruitment and retention, while providing employees significant educational opportunities at no or low cost. Read this article

From Diverse Issues in Higher Education:
What Climate Resilience Can Mean on Campuses
By Rebecca Kelliher
The increasing severity and frequency of weather events caused by climate change has led some higher education institutions to start climate resilience workshops and implement campus-wide resilience plans. These plans include training local citizens as first responders about how to act in climate emergencies and updating landscaping and tree cover in anticipation of higher storm severity. While not all mitigating efforts are the same because of differing geographic locations and campus configurations, the importance of climate resilience is increasingly evident. Read this article

From Association of American Colleges & Universities:

Campus Challenges and Strategic Priorities in a Time of Change

By Ashley Finley
This report summarizes a survey of AAC&U member institutions to understand how they define and articulate learning outcomes, provide access to engaging learning experiences, and assess student success. Top concerns are improving campus diversity, equity, and inclusion (57% of respondents); the continuing impact of the pandemic (60%); and future financial stability . Read this article