From a letter rejecting donor and alumni influence at the University of Pennsylvania to a petition supporting student protestors at the University of Utah, here are the top-line figures from some of our biggest stories of the week.
By the numbers
1,200+
The number of signatures on a University of Pennsylvania faculty letter calling out perceived alumni and donor influence over the institution’s academic priorities. The letter comes after an influential donor, Marc Rowan, sent trustees a message seeming to press for changes to the university’s instruction and faculty requirements.
70+
The number of University of Utah employees that signed a petition in support of student protesters that are facing misdemeanor charges. The petition also takes issue with the university pulling its sponsorship of a socialist student group, the institution’s MEChA chapter.
$23M
The amount the U.S. Department of Education is demanding from the Center for Excellence in Higher Education, a former college operator whose institutions closed in 2021. The department says it is owed the money to cover closed-school loan discharges.
2019
The year former President Donald Trump signed an executive order stating that discrimination against Jewish people is covered under Title IV of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 if it’s based on their race, color or national origin. The House Committee on Education and the Workforce urged Education Secretary Miguel Cardona this week to implement regulations to comply with the order.
$15M
The amount a jury ordered Thomas Jefferson University and Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals to pay over a Title IX case. The plaintiff said he encountered gender bias during the investigation “as a male accused of sexual assault.”
