Adrienne Lu

2 months ago | chronicle.com | Adrienne Lu

College officials across the nation are instituting hiring freezes and spending cuts in response to President Trump’s widespread attacks on higher education, hoping to stave off even more drastic measures down the road, such as layoffs. The budget cuts being implemented now could mean more overworked staff and larger class sizes this fall. Or subscribe now to read with unlimited access for less than $10/month.

2 months ago | chronicle.com | Adrienne Lu

Under a gray, drizzly sky, dozens of professors dressed in black gathered at noon outside Columbia University’s gates, holding signs that spoke to the wide range of emotionally volatile events that have plagued the campus in recent weeks: “Hands Off Our Research”; “Defend Trans Students”; “Defend the Humanities”; “Defend Mahmoud Khalil”; “Defend Democracy.” Or subscribe now to read with unlimited access for less than $10/month.

Feb 25, 2025 | chronicle.com | Adrienne Lu

Labor organizers on college campuses are adjusting their tactics after President Trump abruptly shifted the course of the National Labor Relations Board, the independent federal agency that protects employees’ rights to organize and addresses unfair labor practices. Just days after his second inauguration, Trump fired both the general counsel of the National Labor Relations Board and one of the board’s Democratic members, Gwynne A. Wilcox.

Feb 10, 2025 | chronicle.com | Adrienne Lu

When Celeste Chamberland, a professor of history at Roosevelt University, in Chicago, is asked how many committees she serves on, she has to stop and think for a minute. “I think there may be committees I’m on that I don’t even know I’m on,” she said. On top of serving as director of the history and international-studies programs, Chamberland is a faculty representative on the Board of Trustees and a member of the board’s committees on finance and governance.

Dec 10, 2024 | chronicle.com | Adrienne Lu

In early August, Hunter Dunlap, a professor and librarian at Western Illinois University, was with his wife to celebrate her final chemotherapy session when he opened an email from work. He was being laid off. His last day would be May 14, 2025. The university had been struggling financially for years, and the Board of Trustees had recently approved another round of layoffs, so he wasn’t surprised that the library would be affected.