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The article presents the discussion on controversial decision by Jonathan S. Holloway, president of Rutgers University, regarding a protest by pro-Palestinian student groups on the New Brunswick campus. Topics include law enforcement involvement, leading to negotiations over their demands and eventual voluntary dispersal; and campus activism, administrative response to protests, and issues of negotiation and resolution in university settings.

The article focuses on the release of the 2024 'U.S. News & World Report' college rankings, highlighting significant changes in the ranking methodology, increased college participation, and the impact of the rankings on institutions and prospective students. Topics covered include the revised ranking methodology emphasizing outcome measures, the lack of significant boycotts by colleges, and the evolving influence of these rankings on students college choices.

The article focuses on the decision by "U.S. News & World Report" to no longer factor alumni donation rates into its college rankings formula. It is reported that this decision has prompted colleges to reconsider their fund-raising strategies, as they previously relied on boosting alumni giving rates to improve their rankings. It explores the challenges and new approaches colleges are adopting in response to this change in the rankings methodology.

The article discusses on Columbia University's decision to abstain from providing data for the U.S. News & World Report's undergraduate rankings due to concerns about the oversimplified and potentially detrimental impact of rankings on prospective students. It discusses the university's announcement highlighting its reservations about the undue influence of rankings on students; and the reduction of a university's complex profile into simplistic data categories.

The article delves into the practice of colleges paying for positive coverage in magazines like CIO Views, blurring the lines between independent journalism and paid advertising. It explores how universities purchase cover stories and favorable articles, often without clear disclosure, to bolster their image and reputation. It raises questions about journalistic integrity and the ethical implications of buying favorable media coverage.

The article focuses on the challenges faced by college rankings, particularly the U.S. News & World Report rankings, with the growing number of institutions refusing to cooperate and criticisms that rankings prioritize privileged students rather than serving a diverse range of society.

The article states that U.S. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis made a request in late December for public colleges and universities in Florida to provide a breakdown of their expenses related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and critical race theory. It mentions that the data, obtained through a public records request by the Chronicle, lists individual programs, offices, and courses, along with their staffing and funding.

The article reports that the governor's office in Florida asked all of the state public universities to detail their spending on programs related to diversity, equity, inclusion, or critical race theory. Topics include examines a spokesperson for the system confirmed that the request had gone to each of the state's several four-year, public campuses and provided the memo from the office of Ron DeSantis, the governor that seeks the information.

The article discusses about declining public confidence in colleges and universities, particularly among Republicans in the U.S. It also presents views of Melissa F. Richards, Hamilton College's vice president for marketing and communications who promoted small businesses and technology companies before coming to higher education, related to the issue.

The article presents the discussion on complex relationship between college data collectors and US news. Topics include former dean of Temple University's business school being sentenced to 14 months in federal prison for attempting in magnifying statistics sent by the school; and devoting several paragraphs for defining faculty and classroom section feeding into faculty-to-student ratio and average class size.

The article focuses on concerns on U.S. colleges' capacity to isolate and contact-trace positive cases of the COVID-19 variant Omicron as it spreads quickly across the globe compared to the Delta variant. Topics discussed include the number of daily positive cases at Northeaster, Georgetown and Cornell Universities, the genetical sequencing of a sample of positive tests at laboratories in these universities, and the implications of the vulnerability of vaccinated people to this infection.

The article examines how some universities responded to the executive order of the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden, wherein federal contractors must be vaccinated against Covid-19. Topics discussed include measured approach by universities like the East Carolina University, North Carolina State University, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and remarks from Michael Van Scott, interim vice chancellor for research at East Carolina University.

The article considered that "Best Colleges" rankings have sustained intense criticism for rewarding wealthier institutions, for weighting "inputs" over "outputs," and for being poor indicators of colleges' quality. Topics include examines that public colleges are still using the rankings and those they inspired to measure their own success and the chronicle searched the current strategic plans of the country's 100-largest public four-year universities.