David Jesse

We’ve been vacationing at this same spot on Lake Huron for the last dozen years or so, just outside Mackinac city at the top of Michigan’s lower peninsula. If you’ve never been up here before, you should put it on your list — it’s the perfect spot.

Keeping Your Institution Moving Forward in Turbulent Times UPCOMING: July 31, 2025 | 2 p.m. ET In a year marked by political volatility and financial uncertainty, the pressure on higher-education leaders has never been greater. Discover how leaders continue t...

You've still got time to get signed up for tomorrow's panel I'm hosting, featuring University of Michigan Regent Jordan Acker, Washington State University CFO Leslie Brunelli and Weber State University President Brad Mortensen www.chronicle.com/events/virtu...

UF keeps interim president for another month President Kent Fuchs has agreed to a one-month contract extension ending Sept. 1.

U. of Florida is extending interim President Kent Fuchs’ contract through Sept. 1 as it continues to find a temporary successor after Santa J. Ono’s failed bid. A new search will launch early 2026. www.wuft.org/fresh-take-f...

Keeping Your Institution Moving Forward in Turbulent Times UPCOMING: July 31, 2025 | 2 p.m. ET In a year marked by political volatility and financial uncertainty, the pressure on higher-education leaders has never been greater. Discover how leaders continue t...

Excited to host this virtual conversation on Thursday with University of Michigan Regent Jordan Acker; Weber State University President Brad Mortensen and Washington State University CFO Leslie Brunelli. Join us by signing up below.

www.chronicle.com/events/virtu...

The Chronicle of Higher Education Names Brad Wolverton as Editor He becomes the 10th person to lead the nation’s largest independent newsroom focused on colleges and universities.

A new leader for the Chron: www.chronicle.com/article/the-...

My late-afternoon office. Days like these are why we put up with Michigan winters.

Apparent Paperwork Error Threatens Bob Jones U.'s Legal Standing in South Carolina The prominent Christian university’s nonprofit arm was dissolved by the state earlier this year, but it has continued to operate, raising questions about the law and its accreditation.

Despite being dissolved as an official entity in early May by the state of South Carolina, Bob Jones University has continued to operate as normal – including graduating students and running summer orientation – despite state law saying it should cease operations. www.chronicle.com/article/appa...

Looking for someone with expertise in required legal corporation filings universities have to make. Who should I reach out to? DM me or email me: david.jesse@chronicle.com

Are you currently, or have you been, an appointed board member at a public university? If so, I'd like to talk to you for a story. Please DM me or email me at david.jesse@chronicle.com

Under Trump, Colleges Wonder How to Do Without Federal Money. These Campuses Already Know. A small number of colleges have long refused federal funds due to their religious identities or a desire to stay lean. Here’s how they balance their budgets.

If a college flipped to not accepting federal funds to get away from government control, they would see a fund-raising boom, one president of a college that doesn't take federal funds said. “I think they would see a financial uplift from their supporters rallying around them,” he said.

Looking for studies on the process used to set indirect cost allocations on academic research. Point me to what I should be reading, please.

Santa Ono Wanted a Presidency. He Became a Pariah. The former University of Michigan leader’s failed move to Florida has taken on unmistakable political significance for higher education.

The story of Santa Ono, who foreswore DEI and walked away with nothing, has taken on an allegorical quality. His experience strikes at the heart of the most pressing questions confronting higher education today: What do we stand for? What are we willing to abandon? And how much will ever be enough?

Multiple board members came prepared to put Ono in the hot seat, citing documents, speeches, and emails to ask about past beliefs. Ono didn’t directly answer many of the questions, at one point saying, “My name is on a lot of things at institutions that I didn’t write.”

Vying for U. of Florida Presidency, Santa Ono Embraced Conservative Positions. It Didn’t Work. The former University of Michigan president’s bid to take over the top job in Gainesville ended in dramatic fashion at a contentious meeting of the State University System of Florida’s Board of Govern...

UPDATED: Ono spent much of the meeting dodging direct answers. When pressed on Covid mandates — with the questioner pointing out that as an immunologist, he must have an opinion — he answered: “I’m a mouse doctor. I’m a test tube kind of guy.” www.chronicle.com/article/stat...

no. UMICH has moved on

Statewide Board Rejects Santa Ono’s Bid to Become U. of Florida President The State University System of Florida’s Board of Governors voted down the former University of Michigan president’s appointment Tuesday, ending a bid that came to resemble a political campaign.

BREAKING: Statewide Board Rejects Santa Ono's Bid to Become U. of Florida President. More to come shortly. www.chronicle.com/article/stat...

basically

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.

For the College Presidency, It’s Officially Campaign Season Santa Ono’s quest to lead the U. of Florida has looked an awful lot like a national political run.

By inserting himself so deliberately into a single public university’s presidential search, Rufo has signaled what he says will be a new normal in higher education. Future university leaders, he said, should be vetted like political candidates...." www.chronicle.com/article/for-...

A Major College-President Transition Is Defined by an About-Face on DEI Santa J. Ono says he changed his mind about the benefits of diversity programs at the University of Michigan. Now he hopes to go to Florida.

My article is paired with this one from my colleague Alissa Gary, which touches on some of the same themes and is built on faculty voices. www.chronicle.com/article/is-t...

Ono was also disengaged in some conversations around antisemitism and diversity, equity, and inclusion, five people said, complicating his recent claims in an op-ed published through multiple news organizations as he vies to become the next president of the University of Florida.

At U. of Michigan, Frustrations Grew Over a President Who Couldn’t Be Pinned Down Santa Ono, now the sole finalist for the University of Florida presidency, could be hard to find in Ann Arbor, several sources said. The university called the idea that its former president was diseng...

Throughout his historically short tenure in charge of one of the premier public universities in the nation, Santa Ono often would disappear, leaving staff, including the university’s top administrators, looking for direction, sources told me. www.chronicle.com/article/at-u...

A President, a Politician, and the 774 Words That Came Between Them How a former congressman’s donation helped torpedo a presidency — and sparked a legal battle that continues today.

www.chronicle.com/article/the-...

Fire spreads so fast and so hot -- without these, you have no chance, especially in the night/early morning. (My family and I are OK and have the support of a wonderful family, church and community rallying around us).

We interrupt the normal postings here for an important PSA: Having survived a house fire earlier this week solely due to smoke detectors waking us up, I can't urge you strongly enough to stop surfing the Internet and go and make sure: 1. You have smoke alarms all over your house. 2. They are working

St. Andrew's Unversity in N.C. to Close Amid Financial Struggles Following decades of struggles for the small private school in Laurinburg, officials said it will cease operations in less than two weeks.

BREAKING: St. Andrews University will close May 5. @brappaport.bsky.social and I have the story for
@theassemblync.bsky.social and Border Belt Independent, including details about what President Tarun Malik told faculty in a meeting this morning.

www.theassemblync.com/education/hi...

slight correction - Umich wants $325, not $367. they still are the only ones to charge me

On the other end of the spectrum was the University of North Carolina system, which was the first to send me detailed records, a few days after the request and free of charge.

This isn't a surprise -- I've covered them for more than 15 years and they've always been the worst university I've dealt with in terms of getting records, both in how much they charge and how long it takes to get them to me.

Last week, I sent an open records request for some pretty basic and targeted records to 20 major public universities across the country. Records have begun to flow in, none with a charge, except for one: @umich.edu wants $367 and will do their best to get it to me within 60 days.