Tag: University

Tennessee State University could run out of cash this spring without help
Dive Brief:
- Tennessee State University is looking for help from state lawmakers as it tries both to stay afloat and to revamp its operations and finances for the long term.
- The public historically Black institution is on pace to run out of cash by April or May, Interim President Dwayne Tucker said Tuesday at a meeting hosted by Black Caucus members in the state Legislature.
- TSU intends to present a five-year turnaround plan to the Legislature. Operations through the first year of the plan could be financed by removing restrictions on roughly $150 million out of $250 million the state previously set aside for university infrastructure, Tucker noted.
Dive Insight:

TSU’s financial troubles are steep and immediate. An FAQ page on the university’s website acknowledges that the financial condition has reached crisis levels stemming from missed enrollment targets and operating deficits. This fall, the university posted a projected deficit of $46 million by the end of the fiscal year.

The university identified inefficient processes in financial aid, advising and enrollment systems, that contributed to its woes. It also said those problems were exacerbated by 2024’s messy federal rollout of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.

Additionally, and perhaps most damaging, the university launched a full scholarship program for some students without a plan to fund it throughout students’ journey to graduation. It paid $37 million toward the scholarship in fiscal 2022 using federal pandemic emergency funds. When that money ran dry, TSU had to issue tens of millions of dollars in institutional financial aid, causing it to heavily discount its tuition.

The scholarship helped attract students, with fall enrollment hitting 8,198 students in 2023, compared to 7,774 in 2018. But the university couldn’t ultimately afford to maintain those aid levels.

Taking aim at the university’s management, Tennessee lawmakers last March passed a Republican-led bill to replace all of the university’s trustees and restructure its board, over the objection of Democrats.

Emergency state funding last fall kept the institution operating, but Tucker said TSU will need more to not just turn around — but to stay open.

“It’s a fact that we can’t pay our bills,” Tucker said, noting also that the university would likely not be open today without state help.

But Tennessee also owes TSU money, according to a federal assessment.

In a letter to Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee in 2023, then-U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona and U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the institution had been hurt by “longstanding and ongoing underinvestment” as a public land-grant HBCU. By their estimate, inequitable funding gaps led Tennessee State to miss out on $2.1 billion over 30 years.

Tucker dismissed the idea of suing the state for the $2.1 billion, arguing that the legal process could take years — while the university’s financial needs are immediate. Legal action could also potentially anger the legislators whose support TSU needs to help provide funding. Moreover, the institution could lose a legal challenge, he added.

Tucker — the university’s second interim president in less than a year — argued for focusing instead on the state funding gap identified by the Legislature in 2021. That gap amounts to over $540 million.

Since identifying the amount, Tennessee lawmakers lined up a one-time $250 million sum for the university to invest in infrastructure. Tucker said the university could use a portion of those funds to keep it afloat through the first year of a five-year plan.

Along with state help, TSU and its board are considering financial exigency, a restructuring process that allows an institution experiencing budgetary distress to lay off tenured faculty and shut down academic programs.

In a special meeting of TSU’s board on Jan. 31, a consultant with the National Association of College and University Business Officers presented a detailed workshop on how exigency works.

Tucker said Tuesday that officials were considering exigency but that it wasn’t in the university’s immediate plans.
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February 7, 2025
‘Betraying an entire generation of students’? What do Trump University and Matt Goodwin’s excoriating new book tell us about universities today?
Browsing in a good bookshop sure beats scouring the internet for things to read. And when I was recently in my local independent bookshop (the Book House in Thame since you ask), I stumbled across a new biography of Donald Trump focusing on his pre-politics business career. Seeing that the book, Lucky Loser: How Donald Trump squandered his father’s fortune and created the illusion of success by Russ Buettner and Susanne Craig, included a section on Trump University, I snapped it up.

Every leader’s weaknesses are clear before they rise to power if you look in the right places. We knew Gordon Brown’s seriousness could merge into tantrums long before the revelations about throwing phones at staff came to light, and we knew Boris Johnson’s joie de vivre hampered an eye for detail long before he caught the ball ‘from the back of the scrum’ and entered Number 10. If Nigel Farage ever makes it to the top job, as ever more people seem to be predicting, no one will be able to claim his destructive approach to politics was previously hidden.

Similarly, this new biography of Trump written by two New York Times journalists proves the US President’s weaknesses were evident beneath the bluster throughout his long business career in hotels, casinos and golf courses. If the authors are right, Trump has long been prone to taking big risks on a hunch, to acting litigiously and to seeking credit for things that aren’t his doing. The title suggests he was a Lucky Loser, though perhaps that is just an uncharitable way of saying he was a big winner against the odds.

As a businessman, the book shows how Trump began lucky, with ‘the equivalent of half a billion dollars from his father’, and ended lucky, with ‘another half billion as a reality television star’. These allowed him to take on huge debts, aided by paying as little tax as possible and reclaiming what tax he had paid whenever he could (as during Obama’s Great Recession recovery programme).

Trump’s dollars from the TV show ‘The Apprentice’ came not so much from appearance fees as from his right to half the profits from any sponsorship deals and from lending his name to all sorts of businesses attracted by his TV success, from health supplements to early video phones. These enabled him to keep afloat. But there were many lows to Trump’s business career and a number of his big projects declared bankruptcy in the 1990s and 2000s, leading the two authors to conclude, ‘He would have been better off betting on the stock market than on himself.’

If there’s one person responsible for Trump’s rise to the top, it is Mark Burnett, a British Falklands veteran who is now the United States Special Envoy to the UK. Burnett invented the TV programme ‘Survivor’ before creating an urban equivalent in The Apprentice (and later also creating ‘The Voice’). And if there’s one thing responsible for Trump’s rise it seems to be vanilla-and-mint Crest toothpaste as Proctor & Gamble were the first mass consumer company to do serious sponsorship of The Apprentice. They paid $1.1 million to get the contestants to come up with a new toothpaste, thereby drawing attention to the actual new vanilla-and-mint product sitting on shop shelves.

Ostensibly, this all has little to do with higher education. But Trump University (also known as Trump U) is one of the most notable of all the current US President’s past projects and one of the ventures undertaken just before he stood for the Presidency for the first time. Trump not only lent his name to the project, he also invested millions of dollars in return for 93% of the business –like Victor Kiam, he liked it so much he bought the company. But the authors of this book conclude the whole thing was a disaster from start to finish.

Beginning as a way to sell recorded lectures to small and medium-sized businesses, Trump University quickly moved into get-rich-quick in-person seminars. The Trump Elite Gold programme had a fee of $34,995 (about the same as the entire cost of a three-year degree in England or Wales). Prospective learners were told, ‘There are three groups of people … People who make things happen; people who wait for things to happen; and people who wonder, “What happened?”’ If you wanted to be in the first group, you were encouraged to open your wallet or else borrow the necessary fee.

One failed applicant for The Apprentice, Stephen Gilpin, found himself tapped up to work for Trump U but later wrote an exposé that claimed, ‘the focus for Trump University was purely on separating suckers from their money.’ At the time, Trump said he hand-picked the instructors, but he did no such thing. The whole venture ended up in three major lawsuits, which were settled just as Trump became President for the first time.

In the end, the story of Trump University confirms a truism: it is vital to protect the use of the term ‘University’ and to police it actively and in real time. The book serves as a reminder that – as Jo Johnson has argued persuasively on the HEPI blog – pausing new awards for University Title means the Office for Students is giving less attention to this area than it should.

It is ironic that the global leader of right-wing populism should not only have sought to establish his own ‘University’ but that, having done so, it should embody in such exaggerated form all the negatives that populists tend to ascribe to traditional universities: poor value for money; an unoriginal curriculum taught by ill-trained staff; and insufficient personal attention to students. However, if a new book being published today attacking UK and US universities, Bad Education: Why our universities are broken and how we can fix them by Matt Goodwin, is any guide to populism more generally, then the failure of Trump U has not deterred the attacks on places that actually do have the legal right to call themselves a ‘University’.

Goodwin starts with a chapter called ‘Why I decided to speak out’ though it could just have easily been called ‘The grass is always greener’ or ‘Looking back with rose-tinted spectacles’. The book’s core argument is that:

the rapid expansion of the university bureaucracy, the sharp shift to the left among university academics and the politicization of the wider system of higher education have left universities in a perilous state.

As a result, Goodwin argues, ‘our universities are not just letting down but betraying an entire generation of students.’

He notes that, as the number of EDI (Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion) champions has gone up, some types of diversity, such as diversity in academic thought, have gone down. But Goodwin is a political scientist rather than a historian and the problems he identifies are not as new as he makes out. Far-left students used to disrupt Enoch Powell, Keith Joseph and Leon Brittan when they spoke on campus; now they try and block Helen Joyce, Kathleen Stock and Jo Phoenix. The issue of whether such individuals should be allowed to speak even if some people on campus will be ‘offended’ are the same. The recourse to legislation in response is the same too: the rows of the 1980s led to the Education (No. 2) Act (1986) and the rows of today led to the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act (2023).

Notably, Goodwin’s views seem to have changed even more over time than the institutions he criticises. Two decades ago, Goodwin was a progressive studying for a PhD under Professor Roger Eatwell, an expert in fascism and populism at the University of Bath, after which he moved to Manchester and Nottingham, where he worked with political scientists like Rob Ford and Philip Cowley, and thereafter to Kent. These days, Goodwin has not only given up his professorship but is found speaking at Reform UK meetings while accepting a job as a GB News presenter.

And while Goodwin says his book has been 20 years in the making, it reads like it was 20 weeks in the writing. That is not meant to be rude for the piece is pacey, personal and polemical – and all the more readable for that. But while it is based in part on others’ research – including pieces of HEPI output – it generally draws from just one well: the place inhabited by Eric Kaufman, Jonathan Haidt and Niall Ferguson. The dust jacket includes endorsements from Douglas Murray, Claire Fox and Nigel Biggar among others.

Goodwin’s pamphleteer-style of writing ensures his text has little in common with the meticulous research on recent university history by Mike Shattock or Roger Brown and Helen Carasso or Steve Jones (who will be writing his own review of the book for HEPI in due course). Nonetheless, whisper it quietly but – whether you like his general approach or not, whether you like his new acquaintances or not and whether you like his writing style or not – Matt Goodwin may have something of a point.

Universities do not always welcome or reflect the full diversity of viewpoints in the way that perhaps they should, given their business is generating and imparting knowledge. It has been said many times before by others, so it is far from original, yet that doesn’t make it false. Goodwin quotes the US economist Thomas Sowell: ‘when you hear university academics talk about diversity, ask them how many conservatives are in their sociology department.’ It seems a fair question.

But grappling with that is not easy. The best answer, Goodwin argues, is a muscular response. Rather than leaving it to the sector to resolve its own issues, he wants to see hard-nosed interventions from policymakers and regulators:

only government action and new legislation, or pressure from outside universities, can change the incentive structures on campus. This means adopting a proactive rather than a passive strategy, making it clear that the individual freedom of scholars and students is, ultimately, more important than the freedom or autonomy of the university.

At the very end, Goodwin even argues someone should ensure ‘all universities be regularly audited for academic freedom and free speech violations’, with fines for any that transgress. Yet that begs more questions than it answers: we don’t know who would do the audit or what the rules for it would be.

So there is a paradox at the heart of Goodwin’s critique. He ascribes the problems he sees to flaws in the ‘system’ whereby the number of university administrators, institutions’ central bureaucracy and the pay of vice-chancellors have all increased rapidly. But such changes have often reflected:
1. external influences, such as the increase in the regulation of education (in response to scandals of the Trump U variety);
2. the need to have flattering statistics (such as to present to the Treasury in the battle for public resources); and
3. recognition that the old ways of working are not going to root out inappropriate behaviours (for example, sexual harassment).
Perhaps making universities more accountable to regulators and policymakers will make them bastions of free speech in the way Goodwin hopes, but might it not just clog up the lives of academics even more?

Reprinted with permission of ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION. All rights reserved.
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February 6, 2025
VICTORY: University of Wyoming administrators reject student government’s proposal to slash media funding

Administrators at the University of Wyoming have agreed to cut student media funding by only 8.5%, repudiating a censorial student government proposal to punish student media by cutting the funding by 75% because students “don’t like” student newspaper the Branding Iron’s editorial choices. The change came after FIRE wrote to the university, explaining that the proposed funding cut was based on the content of the student newspaper, flagrantly violating the First Amendment.

On Nov. 19, the Associated Students of the University of Wyoming passed a resolution recommending a drastic 75% cut to the fee that funds student media, including the student newspaper Branding Iron. The resolution, drafted by the Tuition Allocation and Student Fee Review Committee, cited staffing challenges, the quantity of advertising, and supposed “errors” in content as reasons for the cut. During the debate, several senators made their true motivations plain, tying their votes to personal distaste for the Branding Iron’s editorial choices, writing quality, and student opinions.

When they distribute student fee funding, student government members exercise state power. The First Amendment bars the government, and the students to whom it delegates its power, from taking away resources based on the content of a media outlet’s expression. For good reason.

Student media often have to write critical stories about their peers, administrators, and student government officials. So it goes when serving as a check on power, but that work would be nigh impossible without the First Amendment’s guarantee that citizens cannot be retaliated against for what they say. Cutting funding based on content impairs student journalists’ ability to confidently report on the world around them, and FIRE has beat back similar efforts across the country.

Student media is the microphone that makes sure all these voices are heard. And FIRE is here to make sure that mic is never cut off.

Though several student senators argued they had no “vendetta” against the student paper, their reliance upon opinions about the content of student media was enough to render their decision content-based. And any content-based restriction, however innocuous the stated motivation, must be regarded with a jaundiced eye lest those in power go unchecked.

Thanks to FIRE’s efforts, student journalists at UW are back to covering events in their community and beyond.

Having such dedicated staff on the local beat is especially important in places like Wyoming, where there are fewer outlets to cover local issues.

“When we look at the University of Wyoming, and we consider that it is the only four year university in our entire state, our student media’s impact is so much more important,” said Branding Iron editor-in-chief Ven Meester. “We are a college campus in one of the reddest states in the nation. From student organizations, to speakers, to community events, we have an exceptional amount of political diversity.”

Student media is the microphone that makes sure all these voices are heard. And FIRE is here to make sure that mic is never cut off.

FIRE defends the rights of students and faculty members — no matter their views — at public and private universities and colleges in the United States. If you are a student or a faculty member facing investigation or punishment for your speech, submit your case to FIRE today. If you’re a faculty member at a public college or university, call the Faculty Legal Defense Fund 24-hour hotline at 254-500-FLDF (3533). If you’re a college journalist facing censorship or a media law question, call the Student Press Freedom Initiative 24-hour hotline at 717-734-SPFI (7734).

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February 5, 2025
Why are university registrars so white?

In recent years AHUA has made a choice to talk about an absence of people of colour* within the professions it serves.

There was a discomfort that had existed unanswered for too long when looking at the annual association conference full of registrars, secretaries and chief operating officers – who were overwhelmingly white.

It was an acknowledgement that, while some progress was being made in the diversity of the students and staff that the association’s members served and supported – and even in the population of vice chancellors and university chairs they work with, the group of heads of administration has remained stubbornly white.

While we could have chosen as a membership organisation to defer on this issue to the institutions who appoint our members, we choose to recognise our responsibility and ability to influence and inform institutions.

We proactively sought out initiatives where we believe we have agency to increase opportunities to enhance progression and diversity and are committing resources to our members to help their own activities. We considered it a responsibility we share with institutions and the sector.

The work of the association to address this was multifaceted because, despite limited capacity and resource to invest, we knew that there was no silver bullet to be fired or piece of marketing that would change our language and in doing so break the barrier that appeared to exist.

We also knew we would need to speak about things that might be uncomfortable at times, and that would need some care to avoid being white folk talking about race in ways which inadvertently perpetuated problems or failed to acknowledge the privilege we might have.

A reciprocal mentoring program was established bringing together AHUA members with minority ethnic staff from middle management and director-level roles using frameworks that tried to create equal power in the relationship, and mutual learning and dialogue that would help advance the way people think about race and equity in their work and practice and aspirations.

A bursaries programme was launched for ethnic minorities to join our flagship “Aspiring Registrars and COO’s Programme”. The bursaries were designed to demonstrate our ambition to create pathways into the roles AHUA represent and bring together and diversify the conversations that take place within the course. They resulted in an increase in applications from a previously underrepresented group in the first year and it’s a pilot we may well repeat or extend in due course.

A research partnership and evidence base

These projects were modest attempts to start to try to generate change but we had to acknowledge that they were based on our own judgements and experience, as a largely white population of people who had made it into positions of power and authority.

It was on that basis that we decided we needed a robust evidence base that included the voices and experiences of those who are ethnically minoritised. So, we developed a research brief and ran a tender process to try to find a research partner who could work with us to best inform our further and continued work to deliver real change. In late 2024 we launched the research project with our partners at Nottingham Business School, Nottingham Trent University

The research takes in two research phases. The first phase is desk-based, looking at institutions and what their available and existing data tells us about the structural profiles and institutional experiences of work on diversifying workforce, particularly at more senior levels in professional services.

This phase might reflect on race quality charters, Athena swan charters, ethnicity pay gap reporting and data on race/ethnicity in career progression.

The second phase conducts interviews and focus groups, primarily with people who are ethnically minoritised professional services staff and captures their own work experiences and perceptions of professional services. All of this data and research is intended to help us start to more deeply understand the barrier and enablers for career progression.

We are really anxious not to assume the research findings and outcomes will identify simple, easy solutions to a deep-rooted challenge for us. Equally, we are determined that the research outcomes (however uncomfortable) can be disseminated widely and that the substance of the research finds practical, initiatives that leverage change based on evidence.

Whatever the outcome, we are very firmly committed to gathering the research evidence that can underpin our work to bring a new diversity to the administrative leadership of universities in the years ahead.

If there are institutions who wish to share their data as part of the first phase please do get in touch with AHUA and / or Louise Oldridge ([email protected]) as the research project lead and we will make sure we can help you set up a collaborative agreement to share the available data and start be part of the project. We require participating institutions to be signed up before the end of March. Find out more about participation in interviews and to sign up.

*We recognise that this term is one way to refer to a community of people that share experiences of race and racism. We are continuously seeking ways to better engage and reflect the sector and community, and welcome feedback on our choice of language.

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February 5, 2025
Why unified data and technology is critical to student experience and university success

The Australian higher education sector continues to evolve rapidly, with hybrid learning,
non-linear education, and the current skills shortage all shaping how universities operate.

At the same time, universities are grappling with rising operational costs and decreased funding, leading to fierce competition for new enrolments.

Amidst the dynamic landscape of higher education, the student experience has become a crucial factor in attracting and retaining students.

The student experience encompasses a wide array of interactions, from how students first learn about an institution through to the enrolment process, coursework, social activities, wellbeing support and career connections. With so many student touchpoints to manage, institutions are turning to data and technology integrations to help streamline communications and improve their adaptability to change.

Download the white paper: Why Unifying Data and Technology is Critical to the Success and Future of Universities

Enhancing institutional efficiency and effectiveness
Universities face an increasingly fragmented IT landscape, with siloed data and legacy systems making it difficult to support growth ambitions and improve student experiences.

By integrating systems and data, institutions are starting to align digital and business strategies so that they can meet operational goals while providing more connected, seamless and personalised experiences for students.

One of the most effective ways universities can achieve this is by consolidating disparate systems into a cloud-based Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solution, such as Salesforce.

Optimising admissions and enhancing student engagement
In recent years, there have been significant fluctuations in the enrolment of higher education students for numerous reasons – Covid-19 restrictions, declining domestic student numbers, high cost of living, proposed international student caps, and volatile labour market conditions being just a few.

To better capture the attention of prospective students, institutions are now focusing on delivering more personalised and targeted engagement strategies. Integrated CRM and marketing automation is increasingly being used to attract more prospective students with tailored, well-timed communication.

Universities are also using CRM tools to support student retention and minimise attrition. According to a Forrester study, students are 15 per cent more likely to stay with an institution when Salesforce is used to provide communications, learning resources and support services.

Streamlining communication and collaboration
By creating a centralised system of engagement, universities can not only support students throughout their academic journey, but also oversee their wellbeing.

For example, a leading university in Sydney has developed a system that provides a comprehensive view of students and their needs, allowing for integrated and holistic support and transforming its incident reporting and case management.

Fostering stronger alumni and industry relations
Another area where CRM systems play a pivotal role is in building alumni and industry relationships. Alumni who feel valued by their university – through personalised engagement – are more likely to return when seeking upskilling, or to lend financial support.

Personalising communication to industry partners can also help strengthen relationships, potentially leading to sponsored research, grants, and donations, as well as internships and career placements.

University of Technology Sydney, for example, adopted a centralised data-led strategy for Corporate Relations to change how it works with strategic partners, significantly strengthening its partner network across the university.

Unlocking the value of data and integration

With unified data and digital technology driving personalised student interactions, university ICT departments can empower faculty and staff to exceed enrolment goals, foster lifelong student relationships and drive institutional growth.

To learn more about the strategies and technologies to maximise institutional business value, download the white paper.

Do you have an idea for a story?
Email [email protected]

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February 4, 2025
Is going to university still worth it? A widening participation student’s view

By David Lam, Activities Officer at the Students’ Union Bath.

As a child, I always envisioned a very traditional educational journey. I would work my way through high school, do my A levels and then end up at a good university, graduating into a well-paid job. I think this is the journey most undertake or are pointed towards as we were told that university students almost always earn more than those without one. It’s a no-brainer, right?

However, there have been recent conversations about the value of going to university and getting a degree. Being a student is tough right now, because:

Despite these challenges, record numbers of students from TUNDRA 1 (lowest participation) backgrounds have made it to university. A remarkable stat! But why has this happened? I believe university opens so many more opportunities for you besides a good education and, for this reason, people would prefer to earn and learn rather than not doing it at all.

Going to university allows you to access a whole load of new experiences through societies and sports clubs at a relatively low cost and without much commitment. At Bath, there are over 200 groups that you can join, ranging from common interests like football and board games to more niche ones like sailing and gliding. I am sure there are equally wide offers at other universities. Having gone to a state school, I never had the opportunity to try all these things while others from more privileged backgrounds did.

Studying at Bath meant I had access to a wide range of placements for my year in industry. Without the wonderful placement team showing me all the world had to offer, I would not have known where to start, nor would I have ever considered doing a placement. I had always seen movies that involved people going for the best year of their life abroad in a sunny place, making friends for life and being temporarily free from studying. I decided I wanted that experience too, but then the Covid-19 Pandemic hit, meaning my opportunities suddenly shrank. Despite the setback of a global pandemic, I eventually found an opportunity and I ended up working in Madrid as a Physical Education (PE) teacher in an international school. It was the best year of my life, living the dream I’d seen on TV, thanks to my university’s placement team’s support.

Attending university exposes you to people from diverse backgrounds. Coming from a small town in the Midlands, predominantly made up of white British residents, I was one of only three kids of colour in my entire primary school. So arriving in Bath and encountering people who looked like me was a strikingly different experience. Some of my closest friends come from all over the world and, yes, eventually when we all leave Bath, I will be visiting them at some point! The chances of me making such friendships would have been minimal had I stayed in my little town and I would have nowhere near as enlightened an understanding of other cultures as I have now.

University is often the first real taste of freedom for many, marking the transition from life at home to living independently. You are no longer surrounded by an endless supply of clean clothes or home-cooked meals; instead, you are managing your own routine and life, all within the relatively safe university environment. This shift into the big wide world fosters resilience and builds people skills. You will inevitably encounter challenges, like that one housemate who never does their dishes. But part of the university experience is learning to handle these issues yourself, having the tough conversations and solving problems independently rather than relying on someone else to step in. Along the way, you will meet both amazing people and those who are not so great. While no degree teaches you how to interact with others, living with a diverse group of people forces you to learn those essential skills.

For these reasons, I still believe there is value in going to university. While not everyone’s experience is the same, the underlying benefits remain. The university experience represents a beacon of opportunity and opens so many doors. It leads to things you would have never imagined doing, like living in another country for a whole year or writing a blog for a higher education think tank. Seeing the Office for Students turn its attention to the wider student experience, rather than exclusively to education, is welcome. I believe more places should be taking this holistic view and I look forward to seeing what their new strategy comes out with it.

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February 3, 2025
These Are the Top 10 AI Prompts Every University Student Needs to Succeed (2025)

Listen up! If you’re a university student, you’re juggling deadlines, lectures, and endless assignments.

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed. But here’s the truth—success isn’t about working harder, it’s about working smarter. And AI? It’s your secret weapon.

Imagine cutting study time in half, getting crystal-clear explanations, and never staring at a blank screen again. These ten AI prompts will supercharge your learning, boost your productivity, and give you the unfair advantage you’ve been looking for. Let’s go!

#10. Article Summarizer

Prompt:
“Summarize the following article in clear and simple terms, keeping the response under 300 words. Focus only on the key takeaways, eliminating unnecessary details and technical jargon. Ensure the summary maintains the original meaning and does not misrepresent any information. If the article contains complex theories or dense academic language, rephrase it in an accessible way without oversimplifying critical ideas.”

Explanation:

University students are constantly bombarded with lengthy readings, from dense research papers to complex textbook chapters.

The problem? There’s only so much time in a day. This AI prompt is designed to extract the essential information, stripping away excess while preserving the core meaning. Whether you’re preparing for a class discussion, writing a paper, or just trying to understand a difficult concept, this tool saves time and enhances comprehension.

Instead of struggling through pages of convoluted academic writing, you get a clear, structured summary that lets you grasp the key points fast.

#9. Concept Simplifier

Prompt:
“Explain [insert concept] in simple terms, as if to someone without prior knowledge of the topic. Use clear language and everyday analogies, avoiding technical jargon while preserving accuracy. If the concept is abstract, provide a relatable example to illustrate its meaning. Keep the explanation under 200 words, ensuring that it remains informative without being overly simplified.”

Explanation:
Some academic concepts are so complex they feel impossible to understand. Whether it’s an economic principle, a scientific theory, or a philosophical idea, breaking it down into simple language makes learning faster and more effective. This prompt forces AI to act like a great teacher—one who doesn’t just repeat definitions but makes knowledge accessible. The key is balance: simplifying without distorting. By using this, students gain a deeper understanding, making it easier to apply what they’ve learned in discussions, essays, and exams.

#8. Thesis Statement Generator

Prompt:
“Generate three strong, well-structured thesis statements on [insert topic]. Each thesis should take a clear stance and be arguable, avoiding vague or obvious claims. Ensure that each one provides a foundation for a structured essay, with room for supporting arguments and counterarguments. If possible, vary the focus of the thesis statements to cover different angles of the topic.”

Explanation:
Crafting a strong thesis statement is one of the hardest parts of writing an essay. A weak thesis leads to a scattered argument, while a strong one provides direction and clarity. This AI prompt ensures that students start with a solid foundation, giving them multiple thesis options that they can refine based on their specific argument. By exploring different angles, it also helps students think critically about their topic instead of settling for the first idea that comes to mind. A well-crafted thesis is the backbone of any persuasive essay, and this tool eliminates the guesswork.

#7. Essay Outline Builder

Prompt:
“Create a detailed essay outline for an argumentative essay on [insert topic]. The outline should include an introduction with a strong thesis statement, at least three body paragraphs with clear topic sentences and supporting evidence, and a conclusion that reinforces the main argument. Ensure the structure is logical and that each point builds upon the last. If relevant, include a counterargument section to strengthen the essay’s persuasiveness.”

Explanation:
Starting an essay from scratch can feel overwhelming, especially when trying to organize thoughts into a logical flow. This AI prompt removes that barrier by providing a structured outline that acts as a roadmap for writing. Instead of wasting time figuring out where to start, students can focus on developing their ideas and refining their arguments. A clear outline ensures that essays are well-organized, persuasive, and easy to follow—making the entire writing process faster and more effective.

#6. Study Plan Optimizer

Prompt:
“Create a personalized study schedule for the next [insert timeframe] based on the following subjects: [list subjects]. Prioritize subjects based on difficulty and upcoming deadlines, ensuring balanced study sessions. Incorporate review time for previously learned material and schedule short breaks to maximize focus. The plan should be realistic and flexible, avoiding burnout while maintaining steady progress.”

Explanation:
Cramming at the last minute is one of the biggest mistakes students make, leading to stress and poor retention. A well-structured study plan ensures that learning is spread out efficiently, reinforcing knowledge instead of overwhelming the brain. This AI prompt helps students optimize their time, ensuring that they focus on high-priority topics without neglecting review sessions. By incorporating breaks and flexibility, it also prevents burnout, making study sessions more productive and sustainable.

#5. Counterargument Generator

Prompt:
“Provide three strong counterarguments to the following perspective: [insert argument]. Each counterargument should be logical, well-supported, and address potential weaknesses in the original claim. Avoid strawman arguments and instead focus on real, credible objections. If possible, include examples or evidence to strengthen each point.”

Explanation:
Critical thinking isn’t just about defending your own position—it’s about understanding and addressing opposing viewpoints. This prompt helps students develop stronger arguments by forcing them to consider counterarguments and refine their reasoning. Whether for a debate, an essay, or a class discussion, recognizing alternative perspectives makes arguments more persuasive and well-rounded. Instead of blindly defending a stance, students learn to anticipate challenges and respond with logic and evidence, strengthening their overall reasoning skills.

#4. Text Simplifier

Prompt:
“Rewrite the following text in clear, concise language while maintaining its original meaning. Eliminate unnecessary jargon, complex sentence structures, and overly technical terms. The revised version should be accessible to a general audience without losing important details. Keep the response under [insert word limit] and ensure readability at a high school level.”

Explanation:
Academic writing is often dense and difficult to digest, making it challenging for students to quickly grasp key ideas. This prompt helps break down complex information into straightforward language without oversimplifying critical details. Whether it’s for reviewing difficult readings, paraphrasing for research papers, or making study materials more accessible, this tool ensures that students can understand and communicate ideas clearly. Simplicity isn’t about dumbing down—it’s about making information usable.

#3. Discussion Question Generator

Prompt:
“Generate ten thought-provoking discussion questions on [insert topic]. The questions should encourage critical thinking, analysis, and debate rather than simple yes/no answers. Ensure a mix of conceptual, ethical, and real-world application questions to deepen understanding. Avoid generic or overly broad questions, focusing instead on specific angles that spark meaningful discussion.”

Explanation:
Engaging in classroom discussions isn’t just about speaking—it’s about asking the right questions. Strong discussion questions push beyond surface-level answers and encourage deeper analysis. Whether preparing for a seminar, leading a study group, or refining an argument, this prompt helps students generate meaningful questions that drive insightful conversations. It forces them to think beyond memorized facts and into the realm of interpretation, debate, and application—where real learning happens.

#2. Academic Jargon Translator

Prompt:
“Rewrite the following passage in clear, everyday language without losing its meaning. Maintain accuracy while eliminating unnecessary jargon, overly complex vocabulary, and convoluted sentence structures. Ensure that the revised version is understandable to someone without a background in the subject, but still retains the key concepts. If necessary, provide a simple example to illustrate difficult ideas.”

Explanation:
Professors and researchers often write in ways that feel like decoding a secret language. While technical terms have their place, they can make learning harder when concepts get buried under unnecessary complexity. This prompt helps students strip away the clutter and focus on what truly matters: understanding the core ideas. Whether it’s a confusing textbook passage, a dense research paper, or an academic journal article, this tool ensures that students can actually absorb the material—without spending hours deciphering it.

#1. Professional Email Composer

Prompt:
“Write a professional email to [insert recipient] regarding [insert topic]. The email should be clear, concise, and respectful, maintaining a formal but approachable tone. Include a polite greeting, a direct explanation of the purpose, and a specific request or question. Ensure proper grammar and formatting, avoiding overly casual language or unnecessary details. If appropriate, conclude with a call to action and a professional closing statement.”

Explanation:
Communicating effectively with professors, advisors, and peers is a critical skill in university—and one that many students struggle with. A poorly written email can come across as unclear, unprofessional, or even disrespectful. This prompt ensures that messages are well-structured, polished, and to the point. Whether asking for an extension, clarifying an assignment, or requesting feedback, this tool helps students sound professional while maintaining a friendly and respectful tone. In academic and professional settings, the way you communicate matters, and this prompt makes sure you get it right.

Dr. Chris Drew is the founder of the Helpful Professor. He holds a PhD in education and has published over 20 articles in scholarly journals. He is the former editor of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education. [Image Descriptor: Photo of Chris]

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February 2, 2025
Howard University Taps Antiracist Scholar Ibram X. Kendi to Head New Advanced Studies Institute

Howard University has appointed renowned historian and bestselling author Dr. Ibram X. Kendi to lead its newly established Institute for Advanced Study, marking aDr. Ibram X. Kendi significant expansion of the historically Black university’s research capabilities. The institute will focus on interdisciplinary research addressing global African diaspora issues, including studies on race, technology, climate change, and systemic disparities.

Kendi, a MacArthur Fellowship recipient and one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people, brings considerable scholarly credentials to the position. His appointment continues Howard’s legacy of housing influential Black intellectuals and fostering groundbreaking research on racial justice.

“This is the most fulfilling career choice I have ever made,” said Kendi, who is currently a professor at Boston University but has held teaching positions at American University, University of Florida and SUNY Albany. “I have had my eye on the Mecca my entire career, studying its history and witnessing what Howard means to the culture.”

The new institute will implement a competitive residential fellowship program, bringing together international scholars to pursue research projects across various disciplines. A unique aspect of the program pairs each fellow with a Howard student, creating mentorship opportunities while advancing research goals. The fellowship program will also be available to Howard’s faculty members.

Howard’s Provost and Chief Academic Officer, Dr. Anthony K. Wutoh said there is a strong alignment between Kendi’s work and the university’s mission.

“Dr. Ibram X. Kendi’s exceptional scholarship and unwavering commitment to social justice align perfectly with Howard University’s mission and values as we deepen our scholarship on the African Diaspora,” he said.

The institute’s research agenda is ambitious, targeting persistent inequities across multiple sectors including technology, healthcare, education, environmental issues, economics, governance, and the criminal legal system. This comprehensive approach reflects Howard’s historical commitment to addressing systemic racism through scholarly inquiry.

Kendi joins Howard at the height of his academic career. His work has significantly shaped contemporary discussions about racism, with his book How to Be an Antiracist achieving international bestseller status. His earlier work, Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America, won the National Book Award for Nonfiction and was recently adapted into an Emmy-nominated Netflix documentary.

A trained historian, Kendi has also worked as a journalist and served for many years as a contributor to Diverse.

His appointment connects to Howard’s rich tradition of housing influential scholars who have shaped American civil rights discourse. The university’s historical roster includes figures like Charles Hamilton Houston and William Hastie, who developed legal strategies against segregation, and Francis Cecil Sumner, whose research contributed to the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision.

Kendi’s publication record includes sixteen books, with ten reaching The New York Times bestseller list. His recent adaptation of Howard alumna Zora Neale Hurston’s “Barracoon” and his co-edited volume Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019″ demonstrate his commitment to preserving and analyzing Black historical narratives.

The establishment of the Institute for Advanced Study under Kendi’s leadership represents Howard’s continued evolution as a center for critical research on race and society. It also positions the university as a major powerbroker who can attract well-known Black scholars. Nikole Hannah-Jones, the Pulitzer Prize winning journalist is on Howard’s faculty as well as award-winning writer Ta-Nehesi Coates, who is the Sterling Brown Endowed Chair at the university. As higher education grapples with questions of equity and inclusion, Howard’s new institute positions the university to lead scholarly discourse on these crucial issues while training the next generation of researchers and thought leaders.

The institute’s focus on mentorship through its fellowship program suggests a commitment to developing future scholars while producing cutting-edge research. University leaders said that this approach aligns with Howard’s dual mission of academic excellence and community impact, creating opportunities for both established researchers and emerging scholars to contribute to the field.

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January 31, 2025
Higher education postcard: University of Valladolid
Greetings from old Castile!

Let’s go back to the thirteenth century, and the Iberian peninsula. The Roman empire had collapsed a few hundred years before; Visigoths had invaded from the north and established kingdoms; the Almohads had invaded from the south; it was a time of political uncertainty, with no peace; but also intellectual ferment.

Intellectual ferment because universities were being founded across Europe. Universitas – the Latin term – meant a single community, and that’s what made them special. They were sanctioned (mostly) by the Pope, and their members were accountable to the university authorities, not to civil authorities. This was a big deal – it gave freedoms to learn and think, as well as to misbehave and irritate the townsfolk.

And universities were springing up all over the place (the date in this list is when they were chartered, or gained their papal bull):
- Bologna, 1158, with origins from 1088, and still going strong
- Paris, 1200, with origins from 1045
- Oxford, 1248, but origins from 1096
- Hilandar, 1198, closed late 1300s, now the Mount Athos monastery
- Vicenza, 1204–1209
- Cambridge, 1231, started 1209 by refugees from Oxford
- Palencia, 1212–1264, and we’ll come back to this
- Salamanca, 1218, with origins to 1134
- Padua, 1222, founded by refugees from Bologna
- Naples, 1224, the first university founded by a monarch, not by the Pope
- Toulouse, 1229, founded to stamp out heresy
- Orléans, 1235, teaching law that Paris was forbidden to teach
- Siena, 1240.
The Kingdom of Castile – at that time a junior associate of the Kingdom of Leon – was keen to grow and develop. And in 1241 King Alfonso VIII founded the University of Valladolid; his successor Sancho IV granted the university the tax take from the local region, giving it financial security. And in 1346 Pope Clement VI granted a papal bull.

One account of the foundation of Valladolid has it that scholars leaving Palencia founded the university. It seems that competition closed Palencia: Salamanca had a more successful university, and was nearby, and funds were in short supply. No doubt some of the scholars of Palencia did go to Valladolid after it was founded. At this distance in time, and without documentary evidence, it is mostly conjecture. What is clear is that Valladolid thrived, and Palencia closed. And now Valladolid has a campus in Palencia – the wheel has turned full circle.

As the Spanish state developed, and as it began to extract wealth from the lands it conquered in the Americas, its universities thrived. Valladolid expanded, with new faculties, and new buildings. The building on the postcard dates from 1716–18, when the university was embarking on a programme of enlarging its estate.

It’s a grand façade. The statue framed at the top is of wisdom stepping over ignorance. On the four Corinthian columns are statues of the kings who helped develop the university: Alfonso VIII, Juan I, Enrique III and Felipe II. (It seems harsh that Sancho IV didn’t get a statue, but maybe by then local taxes were small beer compared to silver from South America). The statutes on the balustrade represent, allegorically, the early eighteenth century curriculum: rhetoric, geometry, theology, canonic science, legal science, and wisdom.

But the buildings reflected a glory that was fading. Spain’s universities had not modernized; student numbers fell. Efforts to reform were stalled by the conservative responses to radical and revolutionary thinking and action in France: universities were places for reaction. Post-Napoleon, and as industrialisation spread, Spain’s universities slowly regained their vigour. Valladolid’s student numbers grew.

Valladolid the city was firmly nationalist leading up to the Spanish civil war of 1936-1939, and although Valladolid was bombed early in the war, the city itself was far from most of the fighting. After Franco’s death and the restoration of democracy to Spain in 1975, a process of reconstruction took place: new statutes were agreed in 1985. Campuses of Valladolid were established in other Spanish cities – for example Burgos gained a faculty of law in 1985, and in 1994 became a university in its own right. (This appears to be a Spanish model of university expansion, which has the benefit of clear academic oversight early on.) You can read the university’s history on its webpages here – it’s been a useful source in compiling this account.

Notable alumni of Valladolid include:
- Trinidad Arroyo – first female ophthalmologist in Spain
- Manuel Belgrano – hero of Argentinian independence, designed of the Argentine flag and the general after whom the ill-fated warship was named
- Joaquín González – doctor, one of the drafters of the post-independence Philippines constitution in the late nineteenth century
- Turibius of Mogrovejo – humane and reformist archbishop of Lima, from the time of Spain’s colonization of South America, made a saint in 1726
And here is a jigsaw of the card for you.
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January 31, 2025
Q&A with a student success dean, Soka University of America

As an undergraduate student, Lisa MacLeod wasn’t sure where her career path would take her. She majored in English literature and international relations with the aspirations of being a journalist or a State Department staffer and found herself back in academia not long after.

Lisa MacLeod, assistant dean of student success at Soka University of America

Lisa MacLeod/Soka University of America

Now, as the inaugural assistant dean of student success at Soka University of America since last fall, MacLeod is charged with breaking institutional silos at the California institution to improve student outcomes after graduation, working collaboratively across campus.

MacLeod spoke with Inside Higher Ed about her time thus far at the institution, a private liberal arts college, and her aspirations in the long-term.

Inside Higher Ed: What is your new role at Soka and how does it fit into institutional goals for student success?

MacLeod: One of the most important things [about my role] is that I am housed under the dean of faculty, so I’m not under the dean of students, which is very different from how a lot of schools have done this.

My top priority, luckily, isn’t getting students to graduate—because we already are doing that very well as an institution … I’m not just new in the job, the position is new at the university—so there’s some room for me to define what the position is.

I was asked to look specifically at advising. Right now, our program is all faculty individually advising students for academic advising. Career services and internships is the other side of the house, and historically, the two sides of the house don’t talk to each other very well. So looking at how we advise, but also thinking about, are there ways that we can integrate better, because we have lots of good things happening by different people. But do faculty know about that? Do they know enough about it to recommend it to students? Not so much.

The other thing is starting to integrate career readiness skills into the curriculum. This year, we are rolling out RATE (Reflect, Articulate, Translate, Evaluate), which was developed by the University of Minnesota for their liberal arts students.

We’re having our first cohort this coming semester—so beginning in February—of faculty fellows who have pledged to develop the RATE system into their existing course, and we’re supporting them with some training and other kinds of activities so that we’re very specific in the application. We’re not asking you to change your course. What we’re asking is that you make it more evident to students how they are developing career readiness skills in addition to academic and subject area knowledge.

Inside Higher Ed: You were a double major in college. While interdisciplinary learning can be an asset to students, sometimes academic departments can be more focused on helping students on a specific path within their discipline. Do you have any insights based on your experience as a dual major and helping students find their own path?

MacLeod: At Soka, we don’t have majors—everyone graduates with a major in liberal arts, and then within that, we have concentrations. Students here do have the opportunity to double concentrate, so they’re not taking as many courses as you would for a major, but there’s still some degree of specialty.

I encourage them to look at the whole course catalog and say, “Take the classes that really attract you, that are interesting, and you’ll figure out how they connect to each other if you look for it,” and to not worry about double concentrations. Or, you know, force yourself to take courses you wouldn’t otherwise.

Certainly, I encourage students, depending on what their interests are, if you’re going to go to graduate school, yes, take statistics, take a research methodology course. Do these kinds of courses that are skill building [so] you’ll have that [for] the next level of your education; they will have expected you to have that background.

But beyond that, I’m really focused on having students maybe try something they wouldn’t otherwise. I wish as an undergraduate I had taken an anthropology class, but it never occurred to me; it just wasn’t on my radar. Explore, because you don’t know what you don’t know, and to really find something that drives them, that they’re really excited about doing the coursework and learning more about that area. Because they’ll put more into it, and as they put more into it, they’re going to develop the liberal arts skills in the process. Whereas, if they’re forcing themselves to take a course because they feel they should take this course, they’re not going to have the same level of motivation. They’re not going to get the same out of it.

Inside Higher Ed: As you said, one of your priorities is advising, which is so important to the student journey. What does quality advising look like to you?

MacLeod: I think that quality advising really requires time and listening.

I always ask students to come in with kind of a worksheet: Where are you [in your progress] toward graduation? Where are you in terms of taking required courses? But I also ask them things like, “OK, this is a required course, but you have a selection of five different faculty members that might be teaching that course, and of course, they bring their skills and expertise and kind of personality in each course. Why did you choose that faculty member? If you’re interested in this, maybe this other faculty member—even though it’s the same requirement—might teach that course in a way that you would find appealing?” And directing them to resources, encouraging them to talk to faculty before they enrolled in the course if they have questions or concerns or if they’re not certain about something.

Then also asking them very blatant questions that I wish someone had asked me when I was an undergraduate. What are your plans after you graduate? What are you doing to achieve that goal? What information do you need to know, and how are you going to get it moving forward?

I took time off [after graduating] because I’d never had those conversations. Maybe people at the university thought I was having it with my family. My family may have thought I was having it with people at the university. I’m not sure where I lost the memo, but it just didn’t happen. Before, someone had always come along and said, “Apply for this,” and it was a very structured thing. That’s not how life after graduation works at all. So I ask those questions I wish someone had asked me.

Inside Higher Ed: What is student success to you?

MacLeod: It’s not for me to define for someone else what success looks like. I have my own ideas, but I think it’s wrong to impose that on other people, because success can look like so many different things.

In general, I feel that student success is they graduate from the program, and they feel good about that. That there’s not regret that they should have gone someplace else, but also that we’ve equipped them with the skills in their personal and in their professional life to face the challenges that will inevitably come and to be able to surmount them.

The first couple years after graduation for everyone is hard—that’s just kind of the nature of the beast—but that they are prepared for, that they can get through it, and know that there’s something on the other side. that they are confident in their skills, that they will figure it out and then end up on the other side in a career that they find fulfilling in some manner, being able to contribute to the community, if that’s their goal, in a way that is meaningful to them. And hopefully happy alumni that are talking to our current students that and sharing their experiences.

Inside Higher Ed: What are your long-term goals in this new role?

MacLeod: It feels like so much of academic life is keeping your head above water for now.

I think that in the long term, I’d really like to see a more collaborative campus culture, where faculty members are supporting each other in their endeavors, maybe a bit more. It’s not that my colleagues are unsupportive, but we don’t always ask each other or are aware of the ways in which our research overlaps and we could actually be doing more—whether it’s with our teaching or where we could be drawing more on each other’s skills and knowledge base.

I’m still really new at this … so I think right now my priority is still listening, rather than planning for the future.

Seeking stories from campus leaders, faculty members and staff for our Student Success focus. Share here.

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January 30, 2025