Accreditation in a Time of Change [ Small College America ]

Education: The Decline of American Higher Education on the World Stage [ WAMU ]

Stanford Used A.I. to Swap Black Student for Hispanic Student in a Photo [ NYTimes ]

The flava:

Billy Ramirez had collected a plate of noodles at a Lunar New Year party in 2024 when a Stanford University photographer snapped a picture of him alongside two other students.

The university’s dining service posted the photo online the next day. But when Stanford used the image on banners last week, a Black woman had replaced Mr. Ramirez. The other students’ appearances had been altered so that they appeared thinner. . . .      

The article:

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/22/us/stanford-photo-swap-black-hispanic-student.html

The photos:

Report of the Committee on the Future of the American University [ Cornell University ]

https://provost.cornell.edu/_files/initiatives/future-of-the-american-university-full-report.pdf

Top 12 Largest US Stadiums (all College Football) from Above | Cinematic 4K Virtual Flyover Tour [ UrbanRoamers ]

In Fighting for Every Black Child, Did I Betray My Own? [ NYTimes ]

The flava:

I could feel her looking at me. Her body slung in adolescent impertinence against the front passenger seat door, shoulders turned so she could face me fully. Usually when I picked up my daughter, Najya, from middle school, she’d tumble into the car and bombard me with the day’s escapades, chattering nonstop about her friend group or complaints about an annoying teacher or her wonder at the test she’d aced despite thinking she’d failed it. But not this day.

“Did you know my school was bad like this when you decided to put me here?” she asked.

My hands tightened on the steering wheel as I worked to keep my face neutral, buying a few moments to gather my thoughts. . . .      

The article:

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/20/magazine/ny-public-schools-black-students-segregation.html

The Case for College [ The Atlantic ]

IISc Professor's Warning: AI Is Making Intelligence Cheap [ Perfology Clips ]

https://eecs.iisc.ac.in/people/prathosh-a-p/

An M.I.T. Report Warns A.I. Is Causing ‘Cognitive Surrender.’ Universities Are in a Bind. [ NYTimes ]

The flava:

The worries that artificial intelligence is degrading education have been building for months. Students are using it for everything, including cheating, and a recent report out of M.I.T. said it is triggering “cognitive surrender.”

Many university leaders are embracing A.I. with enthusiasm anyway.

As A.I. leaders warn about the dangers of their own technology, the dissonance between the optimism of university leaders and the fears of many students and professors may increase. Professors and students are often in a bind about what they should do: Use more A.I. to stay relevant, or dial back to preserve learning and thinking?

While some politicians and A.I. leaders are warning about possible doomsday scenarios for humanity as A.I. models advance, many campus leaders are focused on the existential threat the technology poses to universities. . . .     

The article:

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/15/us/universities-ai-warnings-enthusiasm.html

Back to School: Reed College Reactor [ Atlas Obscura ]