Dr. Sarah J. Zuckerman
@drszuckerman.bsky.social
Associate Professor of Educational Administration: studies school improvement and community partnerships as collective action problems; increasingly interested in knowledge creation and use; expert cat mom; beginner quilter. All views are my own.
The last quarter of this year has been 💩 but I'm grateful for the UNL AAUP chapter and everyone who has stepped up to fight for shared governance and academic freedom
November 27, 2025 at 2:47 PM
The last quarter of this year has been 💩 but I'm grateful for the UNL AAUP chapter and everyone who has stepped up to fight for shared governance and academic freedom
Somehow, I don't think closing programs with 250 graduate students is actually going to solve the financial challenges.
I have a new article out reflecting on everything that has happened financially in 2025 and where we go from here.
Journal version: doi.org/10.1080/0009...
Pre-publication copy: kelchenoneducation.wordpress.com/wp-content/u...
Journal version: doi.org/10.1080/0009...
Pre-publication copy: kelchenoneducation.wordpress.com/wp-content/u...
Understanding and Responding to the Changing Financial Landscape of Higher Education
Published in Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning (Vol. 57, No. 6, 2025)
doi.org
November 26, 2025 at 7:57 PM
Somehow, I don't think closing programs with 250 graduate students is actually going to solve the financial challenges.
By a vote of 60 to 14, UNL Faculty Senate voter no confidence in the leadership of Rodney Bennett. Well earned, as they say
November 18, 2025 at 9:58 PM
By a vote of 60 to 14, UNL Faculty Senate voter no confidence in the leadership of Rodney Bennett. Well earned, as they say
I guess I should dust off that manuscript on the future if public higher Ed is in civic partnerships.
Which I would if I wasn't so busy trying to prevent.y university from shooting itself in the foot. Or the face
Which I would if I wasn't so busy trying to prevent.y university from shooting itself in the foot. Or the face
“When we undermine our colleges, we are not “owning” some distant ivory tower; we are weakening our talent pipeline, our innovation capacity and our civic fabric. The task now is not simply to defend these institutions, but to double down on partnership.” Amen!
November 18, 2025 at 2:06 AM
I guess I should dust off that manuscript on the future if public higher Ed is in civic partnerships.
Which I would if I wasn't so busy trying to prevent.y university from shooting itself in the foot. Or the face
Which I would if I wasn't so busy trying to prevent.y university from shooting itself in the foot. Or the face
For years, I was yelling this in Faculty Senate Exec. I was told we should just be nicer. I went from Cassandra to the Canary in the coal mine. The death of the oldest ed admin dept in the state is just the beginning
We lose public education, we lose the long game, the short game, the whole goddamn game, people.
"Should the school privatization agenda succeed, our education systems would be beyond all recognition—exponentially more stratified, segregated, and sectarianized than they are now, further balkanizing an already bitterly divided nation."
edlawprof.substack.com/p/what-rhyme...
edlawprof.substack.com/p/what-rhyme...
November 16, 2025 at 4:49 PM
For years, I was yelling this in Faculty Senate Exec. I was told we should just be nicer. I went from Cassandra to the Canary in the coal mine. The death of the oldest ed admin dept in the state is just the beginning
💯
If you have to get permission to teach in your area of expertise from people who are definitionally not qualified to adjudicate your expertise then you are no longer working at a university.
You’re working at a state propaganda factory.
You’re working at a state propaganda factory.
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Texas A&M adopts policy requiring professors to get OK from school president to discuss certain race and gender issues.
November 14, 2025 at 12:45 AM
💯
Ssh, no one tell them they are actually playing golf
No Real Metrics, Only Vibes - The Bugeater share.google/dItxJ052kBmj...
No Real Metrics, Only Vibes - The Bugeater share.google/dItxJ052kBmj...
No Real Metrics, Only Vibes - The Bugeater
Did you notice in Chancellor Bennett’s email on Monday afternoon about his recommendations for program cuts that the language used seems to have shifted dramatically from tightening the belt to justif...
share.google
November 11, 2025 at 3:18 PM
Ssh, no one tell them they are actually playing golf
No Real Metrics, Only Vibes - The Bugeater share.google/dItxJ052kBmj...
No Real Metrics, Only Vibes - The Bugeater share.google/dItxJ052kBmj...
The most ironic thing I've learned in all of this is how strong my department actually is. We're all kinda humble people. So it was a surprise to learn we rank up there with Ohio State and Wisconsin as a department.
Sick to my stomach. They are cutting a really, really strong Educational Administration department with some top-notch faculty.
There is very little public service ethos left in higher ed. You either contribute to revenue/prestige in particular ways, or you are expendable.
There is very little public service ethos left in higher ed. You either contribute to revenue/prestige in particular ways, or you are expendable.
November 11, 2025 at 2:50 PM
The most ironic thing I've learned in all of this is how strong my department actually is. We're all kinda humble people. So it was a surprise to learn we rank up there with Ohio State and Wisconsin as a department.
Being thrown out of my community for no reason is the thing that hurts the most. Friends I've made in Senate, AAUP potlucks, my friend who has had the office next door for 9 years
This is how a scenius begins. But if you’re not there, it can’t.
Read the whole post here: arikohen.substack.com/p/the-sceniu...
Read the whole post here: arikohen.substack.com/p/the-sceniu...
The Scenius at the Heart of Liberalism
If there’s one thing I find myself saying to my students in every class I teach, it’s this: we need to spend more time together.
arikohen.substack.com
November 11, 2025 at 2:12 PM
Being thrown out of my community for no reason is the thing that hurts the most. Friends I've made in Senate, AAUP potlucks, my friend who has had the office next door for 9 years
When I said I wanted to be a public scholar, I didn't mean having the press call me every time more bad news from the university hits in boxes
nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/news/news...
nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/news/news...
UNL Chancellor reveals final budget reduction plan, cutting four programs instead of six
UNL Chancellor Rodney Bennett unveiled the university’s final budget reduction plan on Monday afternoon. Some cost savings have been redistributed following the choice to spare two academic programs p...
nebraskapublicmedia.org
November 11, 2025 at 12:34 AM
When I said I wanted to be a public scholar, I didn't mean having the press call me every time more bad news from the university hits in boxes
nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/news/news...
nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/news/news...
Nov 7, 2025: today's cognitive dissonance is 2/2 AERA acceptance and walking my chair to meet with the Exec Leadership to give yet another round of alternatives to firing an entire department of people who are nationally recognized experts
November 7, 2025 at 7:19 PM
Nov 7, 2025: today's cognitive dissonance is 2/2 AERA acceptance and walking my chair to meet with the Exec Leadership to give yet another round of alternatives to firing an entire department of people who are nationally recognized experts
If you're in the top 8% of the higher Ed bond ratings and you are cutting programs that enroll hundreds of students, what exactly are you doing?
OUTSIDE LOOK: A new analysis indicates the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the NU system are “financially healthy,” leaving some UNL faculty asking why administrators want to trim the budget 1.8%.
From Zach Wendling:
From Zach Wendling:
Faculty question need for $27.5 million in cuts after report finds UNL ‘financially healthy’ • Nebraska Examiner
An external analysis indicates UNL is “financially healthy,” leaving some faculty questioning why administrators are seeking budget cuts.
buff.ly
October 30, 2025 at 6:12 PM
If you're in the top 8% of the higher Ed bond ratings and you are cutting programs that enroll hundreds of students, what exactly are you doing?
We had a financial analysis done in 2019 and again this year. The university is in fine financial shape. The decisions being made, less so. I'm tired of being gaslit and lied to.
October 30, 2025 at 1:49 PM
We had a financial analysis done in 2019 and again this year. The university is in fine financial shape. The decisions being made, less so. I'm tired of being gaslit and lied to.
States I'm not applying to jobs in, despite a curiously large number of open positions
Florida's governor is telling public universities to stop hiring anyone on a H-1B visa. Expect other red states to follow suit.
Florida’s Public Universities Should No Longer Hire Foreign Employees, DeSantis Says
The Republican governor’s directive on H-1B visas comes as President Trump has initiated his policy of charging employers a new $100,000 fee to hire people from outside the United States.
www.chronicle.com
October 30, 2025 at 2:26 AM
States I'm not applying to jobs in, despite a curiously large number of open positions
Reposted by Dr. Sarah J. Zuckerman
The depth of the shame of a country this wealthy and abundant allowing its people to go hungry is impossible to measure. The fact that a handful of people could fix this by paying their fair share of taxes while still remaining obscenely wealthy makes it even worse.
October 28, 2025 at 4:09 PM
The depth of the shame of a country this wealthy and abundant allowing its people to go hungry is impossible to measure. The fact that a handful of people could fix this by paying their fair share of taxes while still remaining obscenely wealthy makes it even worse.
I keep wondering is one giant test and the administrators are going to turn around and say good job, you've won
a man in a purple vest and bow tie is smiling and saying `` you won ! ''
ALT: a man in a purple vest and bow tie is smiling and saying `` you won ! ''
media.tenor.com
October 28, 2025 at 2:58 AM
I keep wondering is one giant test and the administrators are going to turn around and say good job, you've won
Totally unprepared to walk into the impressionist gallery at the PMA and burst into tears. It was like walking into a ghost of my former self and paths not taken.
October 25, 2025 at 2:36 PM
Totally unprepared to walk into the impressionist gallery at the PMA and burst into tears. It was like walking into a ghost of my former self and paths not taken.
Maybe he could just do a peel and stick ballroom like a normal renter
Not sure why this image is so shocking, given everything he’s done but: it’s shocking!
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
White House begins demolishing East Wing facade to build Trump’s ballroom
The president had claimed construction of the $250 million ballroom wouldn’t ‘interfere’ with the existing White House structure.
www.washingtonpost.com
October 20, 2025 at 10:46 PM
Maybe he could just do a peel and stick ballroom like a normal renter
So is Gold. Did anyone come knocking about an AI program? Is it worth cutting my department where we have 300 grad students. They all need to get their shit together and pay actual attention to their campuses and stop chasing pretend money
I would point an interested reader and careful thinker to two things.
One, the university recently built another top-down school without student demand or sustainable funding. It isn’t doing so well.
Two, I would point out that sports dynasties are built over generations.
One, the university recently built another top-down school without student demand or sustainable funding. It isn’t doing so well.
Two, I would point out that sports dynasties are built over generations.
Well, the UNC Chancellor is out in Silicon Valley with an interview on this... techcrunch.com/2025/10/20/t...
October 20, 2025 at 1:56 PM
So is Gold. Did anyone come knocking about an AI program? Is it worth cutting my department where we have 300 grad students. They all need to get their shit together and pay actual attention to their campuses and stop chasing pretend money
At our dept awards tonight, a student stopped to thank me for all my feedback and pushing him to be a better and more thoughtful leader. And for championing improvement science.
October 18, 2025 at 2:07 AM
At our dept awards tonight, a student stopped to thank me for all my feedback and pushing him to be a better and more thoughtful leader. And for championing improvement science.
Who asks for a service statement? Is this a statement about how much service I plan to do? Or a statement on my philosophy, which is wtf do women still do way more service?
October 17, 2025 at 8:57 PM
Who asks for a service statement? Is this a statement about how much service I plan to do? Or a statement on my philosophy, which is wtf do women still do way more service?
I can't even. I could handle one, but not the imminent destruction of both K-12 and higher
Education Department Layoffs Would Affect Dozens of Programs. See Which Ones: Entire teams that work on key funding streams may not return to work even when the shutdown ends.
Education Department Layoffs Would Affect Dozens of Programs. See Which Ones
Entire teams that work on key funding streams may not return to work even when the shutdown ends.
www.edweek.org
October 17, 2025 at 6:24 PM
I can't even. I could handle one, but not the imminent destruction of both K-12 and higher
I'm old enough to remember when Ted Carter backed Ronnie Green's anti-racism work.
Yup I know this conversation is happening in my state right now, too.
@dcollier74.bsky.social called this. This was a worry I had which mirrors when Louisana tried to ban Librarians from joining the American Library Association (ALA).
www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty...
www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty...
October 15, 2025 at 3:48 PM
I'm old enough to remember when Ted Carter backed Ronnie Green's anti-racism work.
'Who needs those folks teaching how leaders should lead?
We’ve spreadsheets and slogans! That’s all that we need!”
Just an excerpt from what AI produced when asked to write a poem in the style of Dr. Seuss about cutting EDAD
We’ve spreadsheets and slogans! That’s all that we need!”
Just an excerpt from what AI produced when asked to write a poem in the style of Dr. Seuss about cutting EDAD
October 14, 2025 at 4:59 AM
'Who needs those folks teaching how leaders should lead?
We’ve spreadsheets and slogans! That’s all that we need!”
Just an excerpt from what AI produced when asked to write a poem in the style of Dr. Seuss about cutting EDAD
We’ve spreadsheets and slogans! That’s all that we need!”
Just an excerpt from what AI produced when asked to write a poem in the style of Dr. Seuss about cutting EDAD