Academia

Wow. Via @fossilesque, BU appears to be retaliating for grad student unionization by just stopping graduate admissions in the humanities, probably correctly guessing that the incoming NRLB and courts will won’t stop them. Curious if there will be a response from students and faculty.

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/admissions/graduate/2024/11/19/bu-suspends-admissions-humanities-other-phd-programs

"these actions are part of Boston University’s commitment to re-envision these programs to allow for their long-term sustainability. This temporary pause and cohort reduction will ensure BU is able to meet its commitments to currently enrolled students and to set up its future programs for success.”

I'm inclined to give some benefit of the doubt, here. These programs of study probably aren't rolling in extra income.

Hopefully BU's administration mean what they say. The humanities have rarely been huge direct profit centers, but they're important both for a healthy educational institution and for humanity at large.

@fossilesque What, after all, is the purpose of a $3.1 billion endowment, if it isn't to ensure that the compensation of senior university administrators can increase substantially every year?
What, you thought that the purpose of the endowment was to support educating students? Ha! Don't be ridiculous.
(The president of BU makes over $2 million in annual compensation.)

@fossilesque so a fair compensation for work (=research if you are a PhD candidate) is too expensive for BU, they claim. (Raises the question: what do their professors earn? Will they stay if they cannot take on PhD candidates?)