Oct. 17, 2025

The Chronicle of Higher Education

Volume 72, Issue 4

Cover Story

In an era of shortening presidential tenures, the University of Missouri's president, Mun Choi, seems to have cracked the code — leading the flagship through various controversies and slowly winning over hearts and minds in a deep red state.

Strategic silence

Mizzou’s President Has Succeeded by Staying Out of Trouble

By Kate Hidalgo Bellows

The University of Missouri leader turned around its reputation, bolstered state funding and enrollment, and restored the faculty trust. But his tight-lipped management style has its critics.

Highlights

Youngstown State University President Bill Johnson poses for a portrait on Oct. 3, 2025.

Leadership

How a Trump-Supporting Congressman Turned College President Disarmed His Critics

By Megan Zahneis

Bill Johnson has found success at Youngstown State University by floating above the fray — or seeming to.

Princeton University’s President Christopher Eisgruber speaks with the editorial board from The Record and NorthJersey.com in Manhattan, NY on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025.

Interview

Christopher Eisgruber’s Red Lines

By Jack Stripling

Princeton’s president on what’s at stake in the fight against Trump, and why colleges get a bad rap.

Vector illustration of an older man on stage gesturing toward a screen featuring a projection of a college campus.

Leadership

College Presidents Have a Tough Job. Are They Being Trained Correctly?

By David Jesse

The industry’s associations offer a bevy of programs that pledge to prepare academics for the presidency. Past participants say your mileage may vary.

US President Donald Trump waves as he boards Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, on September 11, 2025.

The Review | Essay

Trump’s Imperfect Compact Is a Perfect Opportunity

By Danielle Allen

Colleges shouldn’t sign. But they also shouldn’t dismiss the need for a new framework.

Also In the Issue

Illustration showing a Texas Tech U. sign and quotes from documents in the article

Texas Tiptoe

Can You Say ‘Transgender’ in a Texas Tech Classroom? The Answer Is Complicated.

By Beth McMurtrie

The provost released guidance saying state law allows it under some circumstances — then took that down.

Hundreds turn out outside of a New York court to protest the arrest and detention of Mahmoud Khalil, a green card holder and recent Columbia graduate who played a role in pro-Palestinian protests at the university on March 12, 2025 in New York City.

A chilling effect

A Judge Ruled Trump Silenced Scholars. Will It Matter?

By Nell Gluckman

A federal district-court judge in Massachusetts issued a strongly worded decision Tuesday in a case with strong implications for foreign scholars’ First Amendment rights.

Illustration looking down at a parking lot with a clock face as parking lines, with cars all trying to park in the 9am to 2pm spaces.

Campus Culture

The U. of Utah Says Class-Schedule Changes Will Help Students. Faculty and Students Don’t Buy It.

By Ellie Davis

A plan to shift more classes to afternoons and evenings has sparked debate among students, faculty, and administrators — with parking as the biggest flashpoint.