ASU Senate Priority: International Students

ASU’s budget woes

Follow the Money: What ASU Faculty Senate Priorities Say About Higher Ed Today

They need money.

As we cross the midpoint of summer and peer into the coming fall semester, universities are beginning to reveal their priorities for the new academic year. And, as always, it’s telling. Professors who failed in one role are quietly shifted into new, often higher, roles. The slogans change, but the playbook stays the same. No real strategy beyond leftist platitudes.

Arizona State University—America’s largest public university with a staggering 180,000 students—just released its Faculty Senate’s top priorities for the year. Are you ready for them? I especially want you to see #4. It is the only one that mentions helping students. Can you guess which students are named and which are left out?

Priority #1: Using AI in teaching.

The number #1 focus is how to use AI even more to teach. I’ll just leave that there.

Priority #2: “Academic freedom.”

In principle, this sounds encouraging. But at ASU, “academic freedom” is often code for protecting DEI bureaucracies and shielding “decolonize the curriculum” advocates from any challenge. I’ve had professors ask ASU to stop me from being able to speak freely on my personal Substack. They didn’t care about my academic freedom then. Or remember back a few years when ASU’s Honors College successfully kept Dennis Prager and Charlie Kirk from speaking there because they are conservative? I will definitely be keeping an eye on this for you as the year progresses.

Priority #3: “Nuances” in faculty ranks.

Translation: likely an internal restructuring of who counts as tenure-track, who gets paid more, and who gets cut. A recent poll by The College Fix showed that ASU’s professors are 97% left or far left. How has ASU been able to so completely discriminate against hiring conservative faculty? I will also be keeping an eye on this to see if any real changes are made or if this is another way to sneak in DEI.

Priority #4: Supporting international students.

And here is what really stood out to me. The only time students are mentioned—and the only students—are international students. No mention of Arizona kids. No mention of undergraduates from the very state that funds this institution. Just a priority to “support” international students, which sounds noble until you realize what’s really going on.

Here’s the truth:

ASU’s financial model is built on international student tuition. They pay far more than in-state students and often don’t require financial aid. For years, this has been the golden goose. But now that pipeline is threatened. So, the university is going to market it to you as a moral imperative—as if bringing in more international students is an act of justice or compassion. But as the old-school lefty professors used to say: follow the money. It’s not about social justice. It’s not about helping ASU’s economy. It is about the money for ASU.

Here’s my question for the people who actually live in this state:

Parents of Arizona: Are you okay with ASU’s faculty leadership ignoring your children when setting their agenda?

Arizona legislators: Is this how you thought your constituents’ tax dollars would be used by ASU? Are you monitoring their looming enrollment and fiscal woes?

You’re being told that “diversity is our strength.” But diversity without unity is just chaos. What is the unity that ASU promises to hold together the diversity? It was once wisdom for the Academy. What is it now? Money and promise of a better job?

As your favorite dissenter, I’ll continue to be your voice inside the confusion.