James S. Murphy

Asian American Students Increase at Harvard, as Black Students Decline

I appreciate the opportunity to talk with Stephanie Saul about this year's enrollment outcomes. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/23/u...

At Harvard this year, fewer Black, Latino, and international students, more Asian Americans - The Boston Globe Harvard University enrolled fewer Black and Latino freshmen — and more Asian American students — in its incoming class this fall, a sign of a growing demographic shift.

I appreciate the opportunity to talk with @ditikohli.bsky.social and Neena Hagen at @bostonglobe.com about this year's enrollment outcomes. www.bostonglobe.com/2025/10/23/b...

Black enrollment is waning at many elite colleges after affirmative action ban, AP analysis finds An Associated Press analysis finds that the number of Black students enrolling at many elite colleges has dropped in the two years since the Supreme Court banned affirmative action in admissions.

I appreciate the chance to talk with Collin Binkley at @apnews.com about this year's results. apnews.com/article/affi...

The post-SFFA admissions tracker is now up to 22 schools with the addition of MIT, Williams, Bates, and Harvard. The last one there once again chose to publish numbers in the least clear fashion possible.

At this point last year, I had 35 schools.

I hadn't seen this when it was announced. The Department of Agriculture has conducted this survey on food insecurity for 30 years. No more. So miserable. www.reuters.com/world/us/tru...

I added Amherst to the tracker. We're still at less than half the institutions I had by this point last year, but thinking we might see at least one more tomorrow.

WashU Won’t Endorse Compact, Chancellor Says Faculty leaders had worried Martin’s engagement with the Trump administration in recent days could set a dangerous precedent.

Breaking from me: WashU will continue to engage with the White House on "potentially consequential conversations" for #HigherEd but will not endorse the Trump administration's compact. #AcademicSky

Fewer Colleges Publicized Racial Demographic Data This Year According to one researcher, far fewer selective colleges have posted the racial makeup of their incoming classes as compared to this time last year.

Thanks to @insidehighered.com for publishing this story, which links to the post-SFFA tracker for 2025. And thanks to @j-alonso.bsky.social for letting me share some thoughts. www.insidehighered.com/news/admissi...

Yeah, it doesn't look like they're available. The ACTS ones are accessible, so this is weird.

As this thread also points out, this is both a bad sign and also acting responsibly in the face of a cratering academic market -- it is unethical IMHO to admit large PhD cohorts when the jobs for them simply no longer exist

Trump Gutted IES. Skepticism of Its Renewal Abounds. The Education Department recently requested ideas on how to “modernize” the data collection and education research funding agency, and it sought to hire for a few positions.

Trump Gutted the Institute of Education Sciences. Its Renewal Is in Doubt.
www.insidehighered.com/news/governm...

I think they're still not going to sign.

University of Arizona declines to sign onto Trump administration 'compact' The University of Arizona on Monday cited academic freedom as it became the seventh elite college to decline to sign onto a Trump administration proposal that offered nine of them preferential consideration for federal funding in exchange for agreeing to a set of policies.

University of Arizona declines to sign onto Trump administration 'compact' reut.rs/4nfM3f6

You must give someone a wave when they let you cut in front of them in traffic.

Now in a position of power at the network, Ms. Weiss is the one concerned about leaks. She has complained that her comments at private CBS meetings keep turning up in media reports, asking if the company can identify the leakers, according to three people familiar with her remarks.

exhibit a of “has never been a reporter” www.nytimes.com/2025/10/19/b...

Do they have a real website now?

Second "No Kings Day" protests likely the largest single-day political demonstration since 1970, with 4.2-7.6 million participants Here are the initial results from our crowdsourced crowd-counting estimates

Good evening. We estimate that between 4.2 and 7.6 million people turned out for the No Kings Day demonstrations held around the country on Saturday. This makes Oct 18 very likely the biggest single-day U.S. protest event since 1970. www.gelliottmorris.com/p/second-no-...

Sara Whitmer • • • 1h • 8 I'm sure many of you have heard by now that earlier this week, IU k*lled the print edition of its student paper, the IDS. The issue that was supposed to print this week contained criticism of the Whitten regime and IUs further slide into scist control, and they couldn't allow that to happen during Homecoming, when all the rich alumni are in town. Enter Purdue! The Purdue student paper, The Exponent, owns its own presses. Yesterday, in an act of tremendous solidarity with their biggest rival school, they printed the forbidden issue of the IDS. They then drove it to Bloomington overnight and stocked all of the IDS boxes on campus, just in time for Homecoming. Solidarity is what makes us stronger, and solidarity will be what ultimately allows us to triumph, if we can ever truly get it together. I hope everyone has a fun, safe day if they're going out today, and I hope we can think about what acts of solidarity we can begin taking to really make this movement MOVE - beyond a permitted expression of upset into more active resistance. 75 12 comments

Purdue to the rescue of IU student newspaper, whose institution was attempting censorship. Details in alt!

Some of us can read between the lines.

report.lsac.org/TestTakers.a...

Except that's not what LSAC is showing

I was right. But you're accustomed to that. bsky.app/profile/jame...

I’ve seen just one counter-protester at No Kings San Diego. He’s got a Trump 2024 flag and this guy has been following him around for probably an hour playing Benny Hill and circus music.

Dartmouth's Feedback on the Compact | Office of the President

Dartmouth rejected the White House’s funding compact this morning, a day after meeting with administration officials to discuss the deal.

They’re the sixth college to decline in the past week.

president.dartmouth.edu/news/2025/10...

UVA, Dartmouth Reject Trump Compact The University of Virginia is the first public, and Southern, institution to publicly turn down the administration's “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education.”

In the past 24 hours, two more colleges have rejceted the compact. That leaves Arizona, UT Austin & Vanderbilt of the original 9 who haven’t responded. Monday is the deadline. @ryanequinn.bsky.social reports www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty...

The DHS Twitter has been tagging and calling out a local journalist writing on immigration in Chicago. Local journalists covering what’s happening need continual support especially as they write these important stories.

Great news that UVa makes the fifth university to reject Trump's surrender agreement. It's incredibly important that higher ed is united in rejecting what might be the most audacious plan ever to destroy American higher education.

UVA the 5th University to Reject Trump Higher Ed Compact The university is the first public, and Southern, institution to publicly turn down the administration's “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education."

The University of Virginia has become the first public, and Southern, institution to publicly turn down Trump's “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education."

Four of the original nine universities presented the deal are still mum:
www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty...

Rachel Borra, the department's chief human capital officer, said in the Friday filing that the department has stopped work on reductions in force. "Interior had intended on imminently abolishing positions in 68 competitive areas that include plaintiff bargaining unit employees," she said. "Among those streamlining efforts, Interior has been working on potential RIF plans since early this year," Borra wrote. "These planning efforts were begun long before the current lapse in appropriations and had nothing to do with the lapse in appropriations."

As is so often the case, Trump admin statements in court are the polar opposite of what they say publicly.

PUBLICLY, Trump & Vought say they’re firing federal workers because of the shutdown.

IN COURT, they said the firings have nothing to do with the shutdown.

It's hard to see Alexander publishing that piece if the board wasn't already aligned on saying no. It would be a real diss to him if they sign it.