Marjorie Valbrun
Inside Higher Ed
Contact Marjorie
Discover and connect with journalists and influencers around the world, save time on email research, monitor the news, and more.
| Recent: |
|
| Past: |
|
Past articles by Marjorie:
Univ. of Utah to Pay $5 Million to Parents of Slain Student
The University of Utah will pay the parents of a murdered international student from China a $5 million settlement for the university’s failure to protect their daughter, the university announced Tuesday. The student, Zhifan Dong, was killed last February, allegedly by an abusive boyfriend with whom she’d broken up and against whom she had gotten a restraining order. Dong and → Read More
Bristol Community College’s Computer Systems Hacked
Bristol Community College’s computer systems were recently hacked in a ransomware incident, The Sun Chronicle reported. Officials of the Massachusetts college said in a statement posted on the institution’s website Dec. 30 that the computer network was hacked by a “criminal cyberattack” and “this incident involved ransomware encryption,” according to The Sun Chronicle. → Read More
University Rebrands Law School Named for Late Slaveholder
The University of Richmond has removed the name of T. C. Williams from its law school, The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported. The T. C. Williams School of Law is now called the University of Richmond School of Law. Williams, who attended the institution from 1846 to 1849 when it was Richmond College, was a trustee and a benefactor whose gift helped establish the law school. He → Read More
ABA Approves First Fully Online Law School
The American Bar Association has approved the first fully online law school in the country, according to AbovetheLaw.com. The approval was granted to St. Mary’s University School of Law in San Antonio in May, and the institution’s leaders are now working to launch the newly accredited online-only J.D. program, AbovetheLaw.com reported. "We are still working through the → Read More
U of Mich. Launches New Effort to Address Sexual Misconduct
The University of Michigan is creating a new department to investigate sexual assault and harassment, the Detroit News reported. The plan for the new department was announced Thursday during a meeting of the university's Board of Regents as "part of what officials said is an effort to change the university's culture following numerous sexual misconduct scandals involving → Read More
UPenn President Nominated for German Ambassadorship
University of Pennsylvania president Amy Gutmann has been nominated by President Biden to serve as U.S. Ambassador to Germany. President Biden made the announcement on Friday, according to APnews.com. Gutmann has been president of the Philadelphia university since 2004. Biden has a long history with the university, where he has taught and which has a foreign policy center → Read More
University of Michigan Doctor Molested Hundreds
Robert Anderson, a former University of Michigan doctor, molested hundreds of students, university athletes, and other patients during the nearly 40 years he worked at the institution despite repeated complaints to university officials about his behavior, according to a report released Tuesday by the university. "Over the course of his thirty-seven years as a University → Read More
State Funding Cuts Restored for Cal State
Leaders of the California State Legislature and Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a budget deal Wednesday that restores $299 million in funding to the California State University System. The funding was cut from CSU's 2020-21 budget, which takes effect on July 1, and was the result of the recession and a state budget deficit. “The bold plan to fully restore the previous cut to the → Read More
Cal State to Stay Virtual in Spring 2021
All 23 campuses of the California State University system will continue to operate primarily with virtual instruction during the spring semester of 2021. System officials announced the plans for the academic term beginning next January in an email to the university Wednesday. → Read More
Radford University budget plan removes job protections and riles faculty members
Is a budget plan adopted under financial duress and threat of layoffs truly collaborative if only one side sets the terms of engagement? At Radford University, it depends on one's perspective. → Read More
Economic fallout of pandemic leads to layoffs at CUNY and union lawsuit
City University of New York laid off 2,800 adjunct professors and part-time staff members last week. The union representing the employees responded by suing the university system. → Read More
CUNY system suffers more coronavirus deaths than any other higher ed system in the U.S.
City University of New York suffered 37 deaths in its system during the pandemic. After experiencing the loss of so many lives, employees of the university system are now worried about losing their livelihoods. → Read More
CUNY system suffers more coronavirus deaths than any other higher ed system in the U.S.
City University of New York suffered 37 deaths in its system during the pandemic. After experiencing the loss of so many lives, employees of the university system are now worried about losing their livelihoods. → Read More
Congress allocates more than $1 billion in stimulus funds for struggling minority-serving institutions
Stimulus funds will help black colleges whose resources were stretched thin responding to the pandemic. → Read More
Academics lost to COVID-19 fondly remembered
The death toll from COVID-19 continues to grow among professors. How will universities cope? → Read More
Scholars remember those lost to COVID-19
Four prominent academics died last month from COVID-19. The toll is likely to grow as the coronavirus spreads and more Americans die, as predicted by public health authorities. → Read More
Black colleges lobby for stimulus funds
Leaders and advocates of these institutions say they badly need more federal funds to manage costs associated with coronavirus. → Read More
University of Michigan Removes Provost
The University of Michigan removed Martin A. Philbert as provost and executive vice president for academic affairs Wednesday. The university's president said he had lost confidence in Philbert's ability to serve in the wake of multiple sexual misconduct allegations against him. Philbert had been placed on administrative leave in January. → Read More
Wesleyan Will Stop Investing in Fossil Fuels
After discussions about aligning its endowment investment practices with its sustainability efforts, Wesleyan University trustees have agreed the institution should stop investing in fossil fuels. → Read More
Berkeley launches ambitious $6 billion fundraising campaign
The university's ambitious $6 billion fundraising campaign is among the largest by a public higher ed institution. → Read More