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Campus Culture

Commencement, mascots, protests, favored and dreaded courses, all of these elements and more help define college campus culture. Read our collection of news, opinion, and advice stories about college campus culture.

Editor's Picks on Campus Culture

Photo ilustration of a latge pile of bue pencils, with a handful of red pencils mixed in
The Review | Essay
Why Are There So Few Conservative Professors?
By Steven M. Teles July 1, 2024
The facts are beyond dispute. The causes and solutions are not.
Illustration of three people with red tape over mouths
The Review | Opinion
How Bad Is Academic Censorship, Really?
It turns out we’re not so afraid of tackling controversial subjects.
illustration of a man relaxing on the beach on a towel that is a blackboard
Advice
‘They Need Us to Be Well’
The surprising recipe for building students’ emotional well-being in the classroom? Rest and joy — for professors.
Students protest against the war in Gaza on the anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel at Columbia University in New York, New York, on Monday, October 7, 2024. One year ago today Hamas breached the wall containing Gaza and attacked Israeli towns and military installations, killing around 1200 Israelis and taking 250 hostages, and sparking a war that has over the last year killed over 40,000 Palestinians and now spilled over into Lebanon. Photographer: Victor J. Blue for The Washington Post via Getty Images
The Review | Opinion
The Fraught Task of Hiring Pro-Zionist Professors
By Jacques Berlinerblau December 15, 2025
Ideological imbalance is real. But the solution is unclear.
Faculty, staff, students, and alumni rally at the University of Virginia to oppose President Trump's proposed "Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education."
'Show some backbone'
UVa Asked Its Community to Weigh in on Trump’s Compact. Here’s What They Said.
By Kate Hidalgo Bellows December 2, 2025
A survey seeking opinions on the controversial document elicited more than 2,000 responses — overwhelmingly in opposition.
Deborah Lipstadt, the U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, at home in Washington on Nov. 14. 2023.
'Threading the needle'
Deborah Lipstadt’s Fight Over Fighting Antisemitism
By Graham Vyse November 25, 2025
Is the historian’s definition of discrimination clarifying — or part of the problem?
Collage of frames of Colorado Mesa University's "Featherstone University" promotion.
Controversial Campaign
‘Featherstone University’ Isn’t Real. But Its Message About Higher Ed Packs a Punch.
By Claire Murphy October 29, 2025
A regional public institution’s new marketing campaign, featuring a caricature of academic elitism, has drawn praise and pushback.
Vector illustration of a man working on a computer sitting at a desk in the middle of a flow chart made of Post-it notes.
Advice
Life as a Middle Manager: Responsibility Without Authority
By Vicki L. Baker October 28, 2025
How to start fixing a system that sets up midlevel leaders to fail.
Photo-based illustration of a student sitting at a desk wearing a football helmet.
Athletics
A Sports Major May Be Coming to a Campus Near You
By Nell Gluckman October 17, 2025
Inside the movement to enshrine athletics as the newest liberal art.
Photo illutration portraits of Jonathan Holloway and Ana Mari Cauce
Leadership
‘Two People Are in Jail Because of Threats Against Me’
By Evan Goldstein October 16, 2025
Jonathan Holloway and Ana Mari Cauce on the physical and psychological toll of leading a university in 2025.
Illustration showing people who have been laid off, leaving a building and each carrying a package
Advice: Working Better
Layoffs Are Happening. Here’s How to Do Them Thoughtfully.
By Kevin R. McClure October 15, 2025
Few things define leaders and the culture they are trying to shape more than how they let someone go.
Illustration showing professionals moving through a funhouse maze and obstacle course made of books, pens, and other education icons
Advice
How to Move Up the Administrative Ranks
By Allison M. Vaillancourt October 6, 2025
Ten questions to gauge if you’re leadership material.
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 September 26, 2025
A plan to shift more classes to afternoons and evenings has sparked debate among students, faculty, and administrators — with parking as the biggest flashpoint.