Matt Hartman

The Duke Researcher Who Thought He Could Reform Jeffrey Epstein Wealthy sex offender Jeffrey Epstein gave former Duke researcher and current right-wing influencer Jean-François Gariépy money for a YouTube show.

also i think this story is really good and interesting but it's absolutely gonna get overshadowed by this incredible @emilyvespa.bsky.social story that you should read immediately

www.theassemblync.com/news/educati...

How Phil Berger Shaped North Carolina’s Universities With controversial funding decisions and emboldened governing boards, the powerful state senator has transformed North Carolina’s public colleges and universities.

for 15 years, phil berger has tightened control over nc colleges. he's also spent widely to channel economic development projects through them.

if he actually loses, the control probably isn't going anywhere. will the spending?

www.theassemblync.com/news/educati...

A line graph showing NSF grant awards made through 2/27/26 for fiscal year 2026 compared with grant awards for fiscal years 2021-2025.

NSF Update (Awards through 2/27/26)

Directorates to follow

1/10

Duke Union Risk Memo Warned of Kara Lawson, Lacrosse Players A confidential report prepared for Duke University in March 2022 outlined the potential risks the school faced when it came to athletes unionizing.

well this is interesting

www.sportico.com/leagues/coll...

How Bennett College Is Navigating Financial Uncertainty Bennett College in Greensboro is heavily dependent on federal grants that the Trump administration has threatened.

Tuition and fees make up just 1% of Bennett college's revenue. Nearly half comes from federal grants that may be under threat.

I spoke with their president about what that means

www.theassemblync.com/news/educati...

Council leaders, Provost acknowledge shared governance flaws but defend current process Faculty leaders and senior administrators acknowledged widespread concerns about transparency, strategic input and trust in Duke’s decision-making process at Thursday’s Academic Council meeting.

i've been really, really impressed with @dukechronicle.bsky.social's coverage this year

www.dukechronicle.com/article/duke...

it involves land deals between the scotland development corporation and the scotland county economic development corporation, so if labyrinthine legal proceedings are your thing, come on by

Owner of St. Andrews University Campus Files for Bankruptcy The move stopped a pending foreclosure and land auction filed by one of the creditors of the now-closed St. Andrews University in Scotland County.

there have been more twists in the story of what happens to st andrews university's campus, which heidi perez-moreno and i tried to unravel

www.theassemblync.com/news/educati...

It’s ruining my LIFE

thanks, kevin!

5 Takeaways From Our Analysis of Trump’s Higher Ed Cuts The potential changes are substantial, and they go beyond the most prestigious schools. But the enduring uncertainty may be the biggest impact.

@theassemblync.bsky.social did an impressive analysis of the potential impacts of Trump-era cuts on the finances of NC colleges and universities.

One interesting take-away is how institutions reliant on expensive grad programs (e.g., Campbell) have fared.
www.theassemblync.com/news/educati...

Armed With a Professor’s Critical Audit, Activist Groups Again Push Duke to Stop Cost-Cutting Student, community, and faculty groups are renewing their calls for Duke University to stand up to the Trump administration.

i've got a bonus @indyweek.bsky.social piece this week about organizing efforts at duke

indyweek.com/news/audit-p...

Administrators, faculty, staff, and students at the nation’s colleges and universities spent the first year of Donald Trump’s second term careening from one headline-making announcement to another. The sheer quantity of changes, updates, and reversals was hard to follow. 🧵

5 Takeaways From Our Analysis of Trump’s Higher Ed Cuts The potential changes are substantial, and they go beyond the most prestigious schools. But the enduring uncertainty may be the biggest impact.

if you don't want to dive into the data yourself, here are my five big takeaways

www.theassemblync.com/news/educati...

How Much Could Trump’s Cuts Cost Your College? We crunched the numbers on five significant higher ed cuts from the Trump administration’s first year to find out how they affect every college in North Carolina.

i spent too much time in spreadsheets and mildly ruining my coworkers' lives so i could estimate how much every school in nc might lose from the first year of trump's higher ed policies

www.theassemblync.com/news/educati...

The final version reads like the faculty chair is not consulted if a secret recording happens because of an investigation, only if it's for "any other lawful purpose." I'm still trying to confirm that though

The policy is now final: policies.unc.edu/TDClient/283...

UNC-Chapel Hill Preps Policy on Recording Professors The school aims to clarify guidelines after a secret recording controversy and growing fear of surveillance.

unc is finalizing a classroom recording policy that would allow administrators to secretly record faculty in some cases

www.theassemblync.com/news/educati...

this is very helpful article, but mostly i'm stuck on the fact that iran's revolutionary guard has a sketchy conglomerate called ghorb www.phenomenalworld.org/analysis/ira...

a wedding for a cousin i like a lot!

The School of Civic Life and Leadership Has Friends in High Places School faculty have close ties to the National Endowment for the Humanities, which just awarded it $10.1 million.

on that note, you may be interested in this: www.theassemblync.com/news/educati...

i once sat next to delroy lindo on a flight to kearney, nebraska

there isn't a specific list, just a directive to find the cuts

The School of Civic Life and Leadership Has Friends in High Places School faculty have close ties to the National Endowment for the Humanities, which just awarded it $10.1 million.

the school of civic life and leadership just got $10.1 million from the neh.

the neh board currently only has 4 members. one is college friends with the school's dean and has been involved with it since the beginning. another is a professor's brother

www.theassemblync.com/news/educati...

the resolution just passed the full board on the consent agenda

UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Trustees Considers Surprise $16.5 Million Cut A committee advanced a resolution directing university leaders to propose a plan to cut more administrative spending.

I'm back from parental leave to help @koriedean.bsky.social unravel higher ed happenings, like today's surprise resolution to cut an additional $16.5 million from UNC's budget

www.theassemblync.com/news/educati...

not looking great for english departments

A 34-year-old as a politician: My god he's like a baby. It's like they just elected an infant to be their mayor.

A 34-year-old as an athlete: You have to admire the bravery of him attempting that dunk, knowing full well the grim reaper is right behind him.

I actually do want a data center in my backyard so bad I want to grow numb to the endless drone of a million electronic beehives I want to get testicular cancer from people I’ll never meet generating shrek porn in their basements

What's the worst university slogan you've ever heard?

Asking on behalf of an unnamed uni that coined "Work. With Flexibility" for a major internal reorg, & has now spent many millions on consultants who--after polling such finalists as "Vital We Are"--has settled on "Next, Forward to Our Future"