Sarah Brown

Sarah Brown

@brownepoints.bsky.social

News editor, The Chronicle of Higher Education. Marathon runner, horse girl, fantasy baseball amateur, UNC alum.

1.9K followers777 following191 posts

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Sarah Brown
@brownepoints.bsky.social

Hey Bluesky! I'm an editor at the Chronicle of Higher Education and have been a journalist there for a decade. I also oversee our internship program and am passionate about uplifting early-career journos. I post about higher ed news, views, and trends. Got a story? newseditor at chronicle dot com

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Francie Diep
@franciediep.bsky.social

My colleague @ngluckman.bsky.social and I wrote a profile of Jennifer Mnookin, the incoming president of Columbia University. Fairly or not, Columbia has become a chaotic poster child for everything wrong with higher ed. Can Mnookin repair the community, and how? www.chronicle.com/article/can-...

chronicle.comCan Jennifer Mnookin Heal Columbia?One of higher ed’s most skilled negotiators arrives at one of its most fractured campuses.

Sarah Brown reposted

Dan Bauman
@danbauman77.bsky.social

SOME PERSONAL NEWS: I’m on the journalism job market again! (More below) From business, ed, legal, breaking & investigative reporting, to data & research skills rooted in Python, R & AI — I can deliver for your newsroom. Email me at danbauman77@gmail.com & I’ll see u @ #NICAR (1/10)

Sarah Brown
@brownepoints.bsky.social

We're following how U.S. college campuses, programs, students, and faculty in the Middle East might be affected by war in Iran👇 www.chronicle.com/article/iran... Let us know what else you're seeing: news editor at @chronicle.com

chronicle.comIran War Live Updates: Satellite Campuses Hunker Down as Conflict ExpandsWe’re tracking the latest developments on the federal government’s attempt to give preferential access to research funding to campuses that agree to policy changes.
Sarah Brown
@brownepoints.bsky.social

The Trump admin withdrew its appeal of a ruling against the Ed Dept's anti-DEI orders. So they're dead. For higher ed, tho, it won't make much difference. -Colleges already acted preemptively to alter/drop DEI efforts. -There's a DOJ memo says virtually the same thing as the Ed Dept guidance did.

Sarah Brown
@brownepoints.bsky.social

Are there legitimate questions about the legality of the DOJ memo on DEI? Probably. But no lawsuit has been filed. Meanwhile, the Trump admin is already using it to pressure colleges to make changes. UVa agreed to abide by the DOJ interpretation of DEI in its October deal with the government.

chronicle.comTrump Is Allowing Some Anti-DEI Directives to Die. That Likely Won’t Matter for Colleges.The administration on Wednesday withdrew its appeal in a lawsuit challenging Education Department guidelines. But a near-identical Justice Department memo remains on the books.
Sarah Brown
@brownepoints.bsky.social

Complaints over what's taught in college classrooms aren’t new. But only in the past decade have professors contended with the possibility that what happens in a class could be easily taped and shared. Now many faculty are walking on eggshells, wondering what that means for the future of learning.

Sarah Brown
@brownepoints.bsky.social

Most colleges ban recording classes without consent. But recent events make clear that the policies are difficult to enforce. And if a video of a professor has gone viral, many faculty point out, the damage has already been done.

Sarah Brown reposted

Eric Kelderman
@erickelderman.bsky.social

First minor drama at #NACIQI: The election for a new chair. Nominees are Zakiya Smith-Ellis, appointed by Congressional Dems and a former Secretary of Higher Ed in NJ; and Jay Greene, a new member and former Heritage Foundation fellow appointed by ED. First round of voting ends in an 8-8 tie...

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Megan Zahneis
@mzahneis.bsky.social

🧵 A dean is abruptly removed. Her account goes viral. At first, it looks like a fight over the humanities. But the more I reported on the University of Tulsa, the clearer it became: this controversy was just the entry point for a far larger institutional unraveling. (1/14)

Sarah Brown
@brownepoints.bsky.social

Before the holiday break, you may have seen that a professor was detained by ICE en route to the Middle East Studies Association's conference. But you may have missed that a second professor was detained. Here's what we know:

chronicle.comThe Trump Administration Detained a Longtime Faculty Member, Saying He’s an Undocumented ImmigrantThe government says Sumith Gunasekera of Ferris State University was ineligible for legal status in the United States due to 1998 criminal charges in Canada, including a sex offense.

Sarah Brown reposted

Adam Harris
@adamhsays.com

UVA "would be required to continue to take steps to come into compliance with the administration’s expansive interpretation of a 2023 Supreme Court decision that ended explicit consideration of race in admissions to higher education, according to three people briefed on negotiations."

Larry Ferlazzo@larryferlazzo.bsky.social

White House Moves Toward Settlement With First Public University www.nytimes.com/2025/10/21/u...

nytimes.comWhite House Moves Toward Settlement With First Public University

Sarah Brown reposted

Sarah Brown
@brownepoints.bsky.social

Ok here's a new one: Vanderbilt's chancellor does NOT explicitly decline Trump's compact. He says, we interpreted the outreach as a chance to provide feedback to the White House, and we did that.

chronicle.comCompact Live Updates: U. of Arizona Says It Won’t Sign On, While Vanderbilt Describes ‘Ongoing Dialogue’The Arizona flagship submitted a “statement of principles” to the government. Vanderbilt’s chancellor said “we have not been asked to accept or reject the draft compact,” and said the campus would pro...
Sarah Brown
@brownepoints.bsky.social

Ok here's a new one: Vanderbilt's chancellor does NOT explicitly decline Trump's compact. He says, we interpreted the outreach as a chance to provide feedback to the White House, and we did that.

chronicle.comCompact Live Updates: U. of Arizona Says It Won’t Sign On, While Vanderbilt Describes ‘Ongoing Dialogue’The Arizona flagship submitted a “statement of principles” to the government. Vanderbilt’s chancellor said “we have not been asked to accept or reject the draft compact,” and said the campus would pro...
Sarah Brown
@brownepoints.bsky.social

University of Arizona president has declined Trump's compact — and sent back an alternative "statement of principles" outlining the u's current policies on international enrollment, academic freedom, admissions etc.

chronicle.comCompact Live Updates: U. of Arizona Says It Won’t Sign On, Becoming Seventh Campus to DeclineThe flagship instead submitted a “statement of principles” to the government. Meanwhile, professors at the University of Texas at Austin urged their campus not to go along with the effort.

Sarah Brown reposted

Francie Diep
@franciediep.bsky.social

Breaking: Trump's higher-ed compact is open to all, I confirmed for @chronicle.com: www.chronicle.com/blogs/the-tr... “We welcome any institution that wants to adopt these principles to sign the compact,” a source told me.

chronicle.comTrump Welcomes ‘Any Institution’ to Sign Onto Compact Outlining His PrioritiesAn administration source told The Chronicle that “any institution that wants to adopt these principles” could sign onto the document, which offers a purported edge in grant funding.
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Sarah Brown
@brownepoints.bsky.social

Youngstown State faculty, who had been outraged at Johnson's selection, calmed down pretty quickly — because his leadership has been pretty low key. "It’s hard to say that he’s done something to be super unfavorable," one professor said.

Sarah Brown
@brownepoints.bsky.social

If you, like me, having struggled to keep straight how different universities are responding to Trump's proposed "compact," we've got you covered. The roundup demonstrates 1) varied leadership philosophies 2) a broad spectrum re: faculty engagement (or, perhaps, willingness to speak publicly).

chronicle.comThe White House Sent Its Compact to 9 Universities. Here’s What Their Administrators and Faculty Are Saying.Presidents have been guarded in their remarks on the Trump administration’s offer. But professors have expressed grave concerns.
Sarah Brown
@brownepoints.bsky.social

First on @chronicle.com: George Mason University's president just refused the Trump administration's demand to deliver a "personal apology" for supporting diversity efforts in hiring.

chronicle.comGMU President Refuses to Apologize for Diversity Efforts, Lawyer Calls Ed. Dept. Claims ‘Absurd’In a 10-page letter, Gregory Washington’s lawyer says the Trump administration conducted an incomplete and haphazard investigation full of “gross mischaracterizations.”

Sarah Brown reposted

Stephanie M. Lee
@stephaniemlee.bsky.social

SCOOP: The NIH is moving to prohibit funded scientists, inside and outside the agency, from collecting data about gender, according to a draft policy I obtained. It’s part of the NIH’s aggressive crackdown on gender-identity research. www.chronicle.com/article/gend...

chronicle.comGender Data Would Be Off-Limits Under Proposed NIH PolicyA draft rule would bar scientists funded by the agency from collecting data about gender identity, following other steps the administration has taken to restrict research on LGBT topics.
Sarah Brown
@brownepoints.bsky.social

Everyone wants to see the numbers — how selective colleges choose their classes. How they make sense of those numbers (especially now that the Trump administration is among those parties) could have major implications for higher ed.

chronicle.comColumbia’s Deal With Trump Stokes Fears of Federal Admissions AuditsThe university will hand over new details about the prospective students it admits and rejects. Is it laying the groundwork for more-aggressive government intervention?

Sarah Brown reposted

Eric Kelderman
@erickelderman.bsky.social

THREAD: 1/ FWIW, @usedgov.bsky.social has sent a notice to @harvard.edu 's institutional accreditor, the New England Commission of Higher Education, alleging the university had violated Title VI and may be in violation of accreditation standards www.ed.gov/about/news/p...

ed.govU.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services Notify Harvard University’s Accreditor of Harvard’s Title VI ViolationThe U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Postsecondary Education and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights today notified the New England Commission of Higher E...
Sarah Brown
@brownepoints.bsky.social

Wisconsin just made 4/4 teaching loads the law for all full-time faculty members at the state's public universities (except the university system's two research universities, where everyone must teach a 2/2 load)

chronicle.comA 4/4 Teaching Load Becomes Law at Most of Wisconsin’s Public UniversitiesThe mandate, included in the state’s new budget, applies to full-time faculty across the University of Wisconsin system — except at the two R1 universities, where professors must carry 2/2 loads.
Sarah Brown
@brownepoints.bsky.social

Updated Chronicle story on UVa President Jim Ryan's resignation: "Faculty members at every university should be worried that the federal government believes it has the right to decide who their leader should be."

chronicle.comUniversity of Virginia President Resigns Under Pressure From Trump AdministrationThe sudden move followed a reported demand by federal officials that James Ryan step down to resolve a Department of Justice investigation into diversity, equity, and inclusion on the campus.
Sarah Brown
@brownepoints.bsky.social

UVa eliminated its central diversity office and moved staff to other roles back in March. But per the Chronicle's reporting last month, the Justice Department latched onto the idea (promoted by a small alumni group and then others) that President Jim Ryan hadn't done enough to root out "DEI."

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Sarah Brown
@brownepoints.bsky.social

Trump's far-reaching guidance (currently blocked) offered the interpretation that colleges can't use race "in decisions pertaining to admissions, hiring...financial aid...administrative support, discipline, housing, graduation ceremonies, and all other aspects of student, academic, and campus life."

Sarah Brown
@brownepoints.bsky.social

This is an important quote from our story on how UVa and its president ended up in the crosshairs of the Justice Department: "Neither Trump’s Office of Civil Rights, the Youngkin administration, nor the Board of Visitors has defined DEI — the thing that they want to get rid of."

chronicle.comIs DEI Truly Dead at UVa?The university’s board has ordered a sweeping walkback of ambitious diversity programs. But conservative critics say DEI lives on — and they’re pushing to oust President James E. Ryan.
Sarah Brown
@brownepoints.bsky.social

UVa eliminated its central diversity office and moved staff to other roles back in March. But per the Chronicle's reporting last month, the Justice Department latched onto the idea (promoted by a small alumni group and then others) that President Jim Ryan hadn't done enough to root out "DEI."

Sarah Brown
@brownepoints.bsky.social

Colleges have been wrestling for months with what to do about their diversity-related efforts amid federal and state pressures. Part of why Trump's crusade against DEI has been so successful — i.e. led to preemptive compliance — is because his administration hasn't defined it.

Sarah Brown
@brownepoints.bsky.social

UVa President Jim Ryan has just released his statement on his decision to resign. "To make a long story short, I am inclined to fight for what I believe in, and I believe deeply in this University. But I cannot make a unilateral decision to fight the federal government in order to save my own job."

Sarah Brown
@brownepoints.bsky.social

Jim Ryan's statement, continued: "To do so would not only be quixotic but appear selfish and self-centered to the hundreds of employees who would lose their jobs, the researchers who would lose their funding, and the hundreds of students who could lose financial aid or have their visas withheld."