By Colleen Flaherty. Goucher College is the latest institution to announce a series of program cuts following an academic prioritization process. Majors and minors in math, music, physics, religion, Russian and elementary and special education are being phased out, as are majors in studio art and theater, the college said this week. Book studies, German and Judaic studies will also be eliminated as stand-alone majors. More...

By Colleen Flaherty. The Ohio conference of the American Association of University Professors sent a letter to the University of Akron on Friday, harshly criticizing its plan to cut 20 percent of its academic programs while investing in competitive online video gaming, the Akron Beacon Journal reported. More...

By Colleen Flaherty. The University of Utah gave a teaching assistant “other assignments” after she warned students via her syllabus that bringing a concealed firearm to class would be restricted to a “3x3 taped square,” or a “Second Amendment zone” in the back of the classroom, The Salt Lake Tribune reported. More...

By Colleen Flaherty. A major higher education research journal is suspending submissions to clear out a two-year backlog. Some see this case pointing to broad problems in academic publishing, such as the unwillingness of many scholars to review papers. More...

By Colleen Flaherty. The University of Akron on Wednesday announced that it is terminating 19 percent of its degree tracks following a comprehensive review of academic programs. More...

By Colleen Flaherty. Because they make up everything! Love a bad science joke? A new study of undergraduates in 25 different science courses says it’s OK, even beneficial, to crack it. The study, in PLOS ONE, says that while instructor humor has been shown to positively impact student learning, no study has explored humor in college science classrooms in particular. More...

By Colleen Flaherty. Central Washington University fired a professor of political science who is also a Republican state lawmaker following an investigation into allegations of misconduct, The Seattle Times reported. More...

By Colleen Flaherty. A prominent male feminist deferred a sociology award last week over what he called "rumors" about his professional conduct, but now a former student of his is putting a name -- and details -- to the claims. More...

By Colleen Flaherty. A textbook for a required fitness course at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has been revised, following student complaints that it referred to cancer as a “disease of choice” and suggested that mental strength was a key to surviving the Holocaust, according to The News & Observer. Last month, when students began to publicly criticize the book as promoting questionable science, the university said it was reviewing the text for use the fall. More...