The week in higher education – 10 October 2024

When Joe Gow was fired from his role as chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse after the pornography he filmed with his wife surfaced online last year, he claimed his free speech rights had been violated. It can hardly have brightened his mood, therefore, that he has now been fired by the same university for a second time. While his chancellorship was terminated almost immediately, with the UW system president Jay Rothman calling his actions “abhorrent”, tenure protections had allowed him to maintain his faculty role – a post the UW Board of Regents has now unanimously voted to end. Professor Gow has since indicated he plans to sue, Inside Higher Ed reports, condemning the “long and fraudulent process” that led to his dismissal. “The regents claim to want to protect and promote free expression, but their action today shows this isn’t true,” he said in a statement.

Tory students may be a rarity on campuses, at least so the stereotype goes, but are they really subjected to worse treatment because of their right-wing views? Conservative leadership contender Kemi Badenoch seems to think so, claiming in a speech to the party’s conference in Birmingham that members of the Young Conservatives “are marked down by lecturers because of their beliefs” and “they are afraid to share their politics with other students because they will be attacked”. Her evidence for such claims was unlikely to win her many marks herself, citing only anecdotes from members of the youth wing of the party. Given that most universities use anonymous marking systems, and most essays don’t contain any overt political references, unsurprisingly there doesn’t seem to be much truth in the claims, as many were quick to point out. The 2 November conclusion for the seemingly never-ending leadership election still feels a long way off.

In a novel way of trying to improve student performance, a London business school docked 20 per cent of lecturers’ pay unless they passed at least 85 per cent of their students, a practice that did not go down well with England’s higher education regulator, the Office for Students. RTC Education, which trades as Regent College London and operates four London campuses, received heavy criticism from the OfS in a report for practices that meant “all students did not receive a high-quality academic experience”. One tutor reportedly told their class that they “try to make everyone pass”, with another saying they “tried to pass everyone at least 40” and that they “usually don’t give less than 60”. If the OfS was concerned about such practices, it took it a while to say so – publishing its report almost two years after the inspection date in November 2022. The college said many of the concerns have already been addressed.

An “unusually tall” duck that once resided on the University of York campus has been commemorated with a bronze statue, unveiled in a ceremony broadcast live on national radio. Long Boi was presumed dead last year after he disappeared from the university grounds. Hundreds gathered for a ceremony hosted by BBC Radio 1 presenter Greg James, during which “a Long Boi-themed cover of Hot to Go, Chappell Roan's hit song, was performed by the York student choir and James threw miniature toy ducks into the audience”, the BBC reported. Attendees also took part in a “minute’s quacking” after the statue was unveiled. But few can claim to be as devoted to Long Boi as former student Tanisha Jain, who commemorated her time at York with a tattoo of the late duck – despite her fear of birds. “I think some people will be confused, but Long Boi deserves it,” she said.

When Robert Robbins announced in April that he would step down as president of the University of Arizona, it was amid major financial difficulties, with the institution announcing an unexpected budgetary shortfall of about $177 million (£141 million). Dr Robbins has since left his post, succeeded by former University of Vermont president Suresh Garimella – but he’ll still be paid until his contract ends in July 2026, according to local news site Tucson.com. After taking a 10 per cent pay cut when the vast budget deficit was revealed, Dr Robbins now takes home a base salary of $734,407, while “his original base salary was $816,008 and his entire compensation package was over $1 million a year”, Tucson.com reports. University faculty weren’t thrilled: Leila Hudson, chair of the UA Faculty Senate, highlighted the loss of nearly 700 staff and 110 faculty members amid the budget crisis, calling Dr Robbins’ continued salary a “poke in the eye to the university community”.