@robertkelchen.com
Professor & department head, University of Tennessee, Knoxville. I study higher ed finance, accountability, and financial aid. Washington Monthly rankings data editor. Dad, gardener, and baker. Personal account. https://robertkelchen.com/
You ever write something and there are so many parts you hope people engage with that you can't figure out which ones to quote?
I'll do a wee thread on the 3rd, and final, essay from my Red Scares series
www.insidehighered.com/opinion/colu...
1/2 IHE’s survey of college presidents almost always reveals that leaders see big problems for the sector but rosier outlooks for their campuses. We see a bit of that this year. Most say free speech is fine on their campuses but large majorities say Trump harms free inquiry overall.
Of the 50 largest countries in the world, 16 will still have growing youth populations in 2050.
The weighted per-capita GDP per capita of those countries is $2,386. The weighted GDP per capita of the shrinking countries is $15,573.
The median global student will be much poorer in 2050 than today.
Inside Higher Ed's annual survey of college presidents is particularly interesting this year given everything that happened in 2025. I really wish they would have broken down public higher ed into red and blue states, as those two jobs are wildly different right now.
Mark DeRosa, Yadier Molina, and Albert Pujols are all managing in the World Baseball Classic. That 2009 Cardinals team deserved a better fate than Matt Holliday taking a ball to the groin in Dodger Stadium in the playoffs.
I could see Tennessee's chancellor getting pulled away from Knoxville for this one. Successfully leading a red-state public would look good.
FOMO, isomorphism, and the administrative lattice.
I tell students that you can read an institution's policy documents and get a clear sense of their historical trauma.
"Some athletic departments are running up larger deficits and taking on debt, while others are looking to private equity or Middle Eastern investors for capital"
The option to just spend less is never on the table, which makes the political economy of higher ed fraught
This is a good piece diving into the recent Department of Education report on a possible rebuilding of IRS after it got DOGEd last year.
hechingerreport.org/proof-points...
It opened the door among Republicans for limited need-based aid. And yes, that recently.
Tennessee Promise shifted the discussion a bit back toward need-based aid a decade ago. And framing it around keeping talent in-state is exactly like merit aid.
Georgia seeks to become the 49th state with a need-based financial aid program (hi, New Hampshire!). Legislation would provide $25 million next year (3% of merit-based HOPE spending), and there is a requirement for work or volunteer hours.
Queens University in Charlotte is getting effectively acquired by another institution, but their basketball team has something to celebrate right now.
Pea sprouts! I planted 2-3 weeks ago.
Hyacinths to feed your soul.
White daffodils with yellow centers.
It's springtime in Tennessee! The flowers are in bloom and the peas have sprouted in the garden.
I needed different designs (one bunny, one clover) for my waffle irons and two different types of sprinkles to keep the customers happy this morning. But at least they both wanted Nutella.
Sunrises pushing 8 AM are cruel and unusual punishment.
Ugh. Back to a month of morning darkness, which is rough as a parent of small children.
NEW: The bad news about international-student enrollments at American colleges just got worse. An exclusive @chronicle.com analysis of just-released State Department data shows new visa issuances in the summer of 2025 dropped by more than a third. www.chronicle.com/article/the-...
I love that Brazil has a competitive baseball team because of Japanese immigrants coming to the country. It's fun to see each nation adopt its own style of play.
The finances of NIL aren't easy, but big-name universities aren't going out of business due to athletics expenses. And this is following a question about war in the Middle East.
Oh, that's sweet.
I was there when Wisconsin hung 83 on Indiana. In football.
That's been a while.
This is why the wealthiest segment of higher ed has a hard time pushing back against endowment taxes.
It is unclear how substantive the session will be or whether it produces concrete proposals. Not everyone with a stake in the future of college sports will be in the room. Given the participants, the discussion is likely to focus primarily on major football programs, with Olympic sports and women’s athletics unlikely to command much attention, said Robert Kelchen, a professor of higher education policy at the University of Tennessee.
I'm keeping an eye on today's college athletics meeting at the White House. As with most events right now, expect the unexpected.
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
And not treating predictions markets as gaming matters. Gambling patterns are shifting enough that Tennessee's lottery scholarship is taking a hit as people go to untaxed markets.
I am zero percent surprised that "predictions markets" are focusing on fraternities as an audience. The thing that doesn't make sense is how these don't violate insider trading regulations or fall under gambling statutes.
Seton Hall had the expectation of seven students (to avoid a 3/3 teaching load and get 2/2) when I was there.
If you knew that a free month-long summer program would increase your chances of staying in college by 18%, but the program was 8 to 16 hours a week, would you do it?
Or would the need to work outweigh the benefits?
My story describes the program. It's one way a campus seeks to grow enrollment.
Remember the Oklahoma EO to "phase out" tenure at regional institutions and community colleges? This bill would extend that directive, meaning no hires with tenure at U. of Oklahoma or Oklahoma State U. after Jan. 1, 2027 - renewable contracts instead.
www.chronicle.com/article/stat...
