From an annual survey providing insights into where the online college marketplace is headed to another public university planning to cut tenured faculty, here are top-line figures from some of our biggest stories of the week.
By the numbers
65%
The share of surveyed chief online learning officers who said their institutions were prioritizing launching online versions of in-person degree programs. College officials likely view launching online versions of existing programs as easier than creating entirely new ones, according to the authors of the ninth Changing Landscape of Online Education report.
89
The faculty and staff positions that Western Illinois University plans to cut to become more financially stable. Forty of the positions are tenured or tenure-track.
4
The number of Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University employees who were no longer listed as senior leaders on the institution’s website as of Wednesday. Florida A&M’s interim president, Timothy Beard, asked for several officials’ resignations following a fumbled $237.8 million donation.
3
The number of Columbia University employees who resigned after their text message exchanges about a panel on the experiences of Jewish students were made public. In July, former President Minouche Shafik, who resigned Wednesday, called the messages “very troubling” and said they touched on “antisemitic tropes.”
2
The number of $200 million donations Catawba College has received in the past three years. With the donations, the small North Carolina institution’s endowment has grown to $580 million, almost seven times the value it had only three years ago.
