MENA News Highlights - 21 Apr. ‘26 - Zuhur News on: #Gaza #UAE #Sudan #Iran #AcademicFreedom #Egypt #Algeria #Morocco #Turkiye #UNICEF #Lebanon #press

https://www.patreon.com/posts/156219250?utm_campaign=postshare_creator

#Ithaka did a national survey on how state and federal policies are repressing research, researchers, and research institutions.
https://sr.ithaka.org/publications/the-impact-of-state-and-federal-policies-on-academic-researchers/

Key findings:
<quote>

* State and federal policies targeting divisive concepts or #DEI are shaping research agendas at scale and across disciplines. Twenty percent of all respondents, and 29 percent of researchers working in states with divisive concepts or similar laws, reported having avoided certain research topics because of state laws and policies.
* Eight percent of respondents representing a wide range of disciplines reported having had a federal grant cancelled in 2025.
* Eleven percent of respondents reported that federal and state policies restricting research activities are compelling them to seek employment out of state, to leave the academy, or to look for academic positions overseas.
* Researchers, particularly those at doctoral institutions and those employed in states with divisive concepts legislation, report concerns about whether university presidents and, especially, boards are willing to advocate for their academic freedom as researchers.

</quote>

#Academia #AcademicFreedom #AcademicMastodon #Censorship #DefendResearch #Funding #Trump #TrumpVResearch #Universities #USLaw #USPol #USPolitics

"Tyranny at #TexasTech."
https://www.insidehighered.com/opinion/columns/debatable-ideas/2026/04/17/tyranny-texas-tech

PS: Serious question. When accused of "banning books" on #gender and #LGBTQ+ topics from elementary school libraries, many conservative institutions said they were just shifting access to "age appropriate" grades within the schools. Is Texas Tech saying that not even college students are old enough to handle readings and class discussions on gender and LGBTQ+ topics? Or is it giving up on the "age appropriate" approach and simply embracing censorship?

#Academia #AcademicFreedom #Censorship #DefendResearch #Universities #USPol #USPolitics

From an April 9th Texas Tech University System memorandum providing course conent guidelines:

>> To ensure academic objectivity, faculty are prohibited from teaching as absolute truth that:
...
● Meritocracy or a strong work ethic are inherently racist, sexist, or constructs of oppression. <<

A flagrant breach of academic freedom.

#USPolitics #HigherEducation #TexasTech #Texas #AcademicFreedom #Meritocracy

One year of strife between #Harvard and the #Trump admin, March 2025 - March 2026.
https://www.harvardmagazine.com/harvard-in-the-crosshairs/harvard-trump-administration-lawsuits

#Academia #AcademicFreedom #AcademicMastodon #Censorship #DefendResearch #Funding #Trump #TrumpVResearch #Universities #USPol #USPolitics