Dr. Gordon Maples
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gordonmaples.bsky.social
Dr. Gordon Maples
@gordonmaples.bsky.social
Higher Ed scholar (religion / pop culture, communication / marketing / leadership / whatever), mixed methods researcher, and general weirdo
Reposted by Dr. Gordon Maples
Apologies for yelling, but—

SCOTUS COULDN’T DO ITS JOB BECAUSE TOO MANY JUSTICES HAVE BOOK DEALS WITH A PARTY IN A CASE
Supreme Court Ethics: Ta-Nehisi Coates Case Won’t Be Heard Due To Recusals
The case involves the publisher behind many of the justices’ books.
www.forbes.com
May 20, 2025 at 1:10 AM
As an expert on religious diversity in higher ed who has worked around Eboo for over a decade: he drags the whole field down with his watered down pluralism that neglects intersectionality, ignores power dynamics, and dismisses the work of "jerk" activists who don't subscribe to his preferred tone
March 19, 2025 at 4:22 PM
I genuinely don't understand how Eboo Patel is a keynote speaker in 2025, advocating for bridge-building, civil discourse, and tone policing in *THIS* (*waves arms wildly*)

The man is a preserved fossil of the Obama era
March 19, 2025 at 3:53 PM
I've heard a lot of dismissive and condescending discussion of student activists at NASPA, which I am immensely disappointed by. It feels out of touch, out of step, and off-mission for the field of student affairs.
March 19, 2025 at 3:43 PM
New publication!

This is a look at the immediate higher education institutional responses to October 7 and the subsequent war in Israel and Palestine.

I hope there are some lessons that SSAOs and administrators can take away from this analysis

www.linkedin.com/posts/gordon...
Gordon Maples, Ph.D. on LinkedIn: Events of October 7 and Aftermath Led to US Campus Upheaval - Jenny L…
New publication that I'm pleased to have written with Jenny Small! This is a look at the immediate higher education institutional responses to October 7 and…
www.linkedin.com
March 13, 2025 at 4:39 PM
Reposted by Dr. Gordon Maples
Just a heads up. I can only speak to education but Title IV funds, which include the Pell Grant, are currently excluded from the "freeze." This is still incredibly catastrophic (and illegal? though lol what are laws?). Just don't take this list as the final word, it's an evolving situation.
January 28, 2025 at 4:39 PM
The ground doesn't feel very solid today
January 28, 2025 at 4:55 PM
Hmmm. There's no easy answer to set UNO's ship straight, but I feel like furloughing employees making 30k isn't going to ingratiate you much with a local working class community that you critically need to win back to survive as an institution.

www.nola.com/news/educati...
UNO to furlough hundreds of employees as it faces $10 million budget gap
"We still have got a big gap to go after this,” said Edwin Litolff, the university's CFO.
www.nola.com
January 16, 2025 at 10:09 PM
News from investigations of PCBs in NC State College of Ed building:

"Notably, on the sixth floor, an office in Suite 608 was found to have PCB levels 460 times higher than EPA limits. Three individuals who worked in that office have since been diagnosed with cancer."

www.wral.com/story/inside...
Inside Poe Hall: The chemicals and where they were found
Last year, a group of NC State employees battling breast cancer urged the university to test Poe Hall for environmental hazards. The results showed dangerously high levels of toxic chemicals, promptin...
www.wral.com
December 20, 2024 at 3:24 AM
Trying to find the balance between being a student affairs practitioner and continuing my academic pursuits. I still have a few ongoing projects, but it is certainly taking an adjustment to balance my time. I have lots of respect for folks who found the sweet spot for publishing as a practitioner.
December 12, 2024 at 9:27 PM
Data-informed practice is not inherently a bad thing at all, but it does require some literacy/expertise in survey design, analysis, and a critical understanding of what data is, means, and potentially misses.

Is there a BlueSky equivalent of vague-tweeting yet?
November 12, 2024 at 7:39 PM
"People aren't graduating with the wrong degrees - they just aren't graduating. We need students at every postsecondary credential level in all fields."

Interesting comparison of the current LA degree attainment with the posted employment needs in the state.

(Tristan Denley, LA BoR)
November 12, 2024 at 4:49 PM
About to hear from the LA higher ed commissioner Dr. Kim Hunter Reed at the Cowen Institute (Tulane U) convening on postsecondary access/success in New Orleans, "Life After High School."

Excited to learn more about the LA and New Orleans education landscape, particularly in relation to higher ed.
November 12, 2024 at 3:50 PM
In the past two months, I started a new job, adopted a *very* old one-eyed chihuahua, lost my last grandparent and a cat, and went on a fantastic jaunt to New Mexico. I would very much like to take a nap now but the country is exploding and the anxiety done cranked to 11 real quick
November 8, 2024 at 4:05 PM
I've got some serious job hunting blues today. Anyone have tips on how to keep your head up?
September 9, 2024 at 5:56 PM
I'm collecting stories about campus squirrels. It can be real things that happened, legends, reputations, etc.

I've come across squirrel attacks, squirrel clubs, faculty using robots to scare them, students dressing them up in clothes, squirrel statues, squirrel poisonings...
September 3, 2024 at 4:38 PM
A recent study that Dr. Jenny Small and I conducted is covered in today's @insidehighered.bsky.social. We analyzed official statements from 100 universities released after the October 7 attacks and subsequent outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war. #highered

www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-t...
Analysis finds colleges fumbled Oct. 7 statements
New analysis on university statements following Hamas’s Oct. 7 attacks on Israel and the retaliatory war that has since killed tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians found that multiple universiti...
www.insidehighered.com
April 12, 2024 at 5:59 PM
A doc student at UMKC is doing a study on sense of belonging for Jewish students at 4-year colleges. The online survey takes about 20 minutes to complete, and is open until March 1. They are hoping to have 1,000 student-participants from campuses across the United States. Help spread the word!
February 19, 2024 at 4:11 PM
My big year-end news is that my wife and I bought a house and have moved to New Orleans!

I'm on the market for higher education (or more broadly education) roles in the area. I'm happy to commute, so if you know of opportunities in southeast Louisiana or southern Mississippi, please let me know!
December 27, 2023 at 4:23 AM
If the recent testimony has you curious about what research says on campus antisemitism and what the steps are moving forward, Matt Mayhew has a great breakdown in Forbes.

www.forbes.com/sites/matthe...
Addressing Campus Antisemitism Is A Now Or Never Moment For DEI
To preserve DEI, colleges and universities need to do something rare for them: act with urgency.
www.forbes.com
December 21, 2023 at 2:56 PM
Part of why I prefer doing document-based research is that you don't have to email or talk to documents (unless you really want to?)
December 11, 2023 at 5:14 PM
Next Monday, I'll be participating in a professional development workshop at NC State University for preservice/in-service teachers on how to understand and teach Muslim students. The event is open for anyone who would like to register: bit.ly/3QAmR4y

ced.ncsu.edu/event/pd-593...
November 29, 2023 at 2:59 PM
Jeff Selingo's latest newsletter mentions my exploration of higher education airport advertisements.

The way some airports have become absolutely flooded with college advertising is fascinating, and there are a lot of reasons why the setting has a unique appeal.

www.linkedin.com/pulse/legiti...
Legitimizing Work-Based Learning After High School
🛠️ Why apprenticeships should be an option like applying to college, college advertising in airports, and changes in youth participation rates in athletics. Here are excerpts from Next.
www.linkedin.com
November 22, 2023 at 2:05 PM