Star Tribune
University of Minnesota faculty votes ‘no confidence’ in interim president
The University of Minnesota Faculty Senate on Wednesday voted to express “no confidence” in interim President Jeff Ettinger over his decision to pause the hiring of a new director for the U’s Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, a conflict Ettinger said he hoped to avoid in his final days leading the U.
“Is this the only arrow in the quiver?” Ettinger asked faculty senators in their meeting. “Is a vote of no confidence the only way to express the importance of academic freedom to your opinions in this topic?”
The vote is largely symbolic, though Mark Bee, chair of the Faculty Consultative Committee, described it as “arguably the strongest rebuke of a university administrator that a faculty senate can approve,” noting that some in academia had described it as “the nuclear option.”
No confidence votes are relatively rare at universities, though the Chronicle of Higher Education has reported at least five of them in recent months, many related to leaders’ handling of conflicts related to the war between Israel and Hamas.
Earlier this month, the university offered the Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies director job — and a history professor position — to Israeli historian Raz Segal, who in an article described Israel’s assault on Gaza as “a textbook case of genocide.”
Ettinger has repeatedly said that he paused the director search because the center’s leader must work closely with community groups outside the university, some of which raised concerns about the selection process. He has said he will defer to the faculty on whether they want to offer Segal a position in the history department, keeping with other university policies.
Faculty members who opposed the no confidence vote said they agreed with Ettinger’s logic or had been pleased by other aspects of his 13-month tenure and didn’t want it to be overshadowed by one incident. Faculty members who supported it said they feared the move could create a new precedent that makes it easier for U leaders to infringe on professors’ and directors’ academic freedom, particularly if their works draws opposition.
“The president’s decision puts the center and its faculty in an impossible predicament,” said Michael Gallope, vice chair of the College of Liberal Arts Assembly.
Ettinger told faculty senators he lamented that they were dealing with a conflict at the end of his time at the U.
“Ultimately, I tried to look at the totality of the circumstances and make the decision that I thought was in the best interests of the university,” he said.
This is Ettinger’s last week as interim president; on Tuesday, he was called before a state Senate committee over concerns about antisemitism and campus safety. Incoming President Rebecca Cunningham will officially begin work on Monday.
The Faculty Senate also voted to express “no confidence” in Provost Rachel Croson. Shortly after the vote, the chairs and vice chairs of the U’s Board of Regents — Janie Mayeron, Doug Huebsch and Mike Kenyanya — issued a statement saying they supported Ettinger’s decision and believed both he and Croson had “served the University of Minnesota exceptionally well throughout their tenures, especially in the face of multiple daunting challenges.”
Star Tribune
In their final meeting, Xi tells Biden that China is ready to work with a new US administration
LIMA, Peru — In their final meeting, China’s leader Xi Jinping told U.S. President Joe Biden that ‘’China is ready to work with a new administration,” as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take over.
The two leaders gathered Saturday on the sidelines of the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. Biden was expected to urge Xi to dissuade North Korea from further deepening its support for Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Biden said that he was proud of the work the nations had achieved since their last meeting, which was last year on the sidelines of the conference held in San Francisco.
”Over the past four years, China-U.S. relations have experienced ups and downs, but with the two of us at the helm, we have also engaged in fruitful dialogues and cooperation, and generally achieved stability,” Biden said.
It’s the last time they will meet; Biden is leaving office and making way for Trump. There’s much uncertainty about what lies ahead in the U.S.-China relationship under Trump, who campaigned promising to levy 60% tariffs on Chinese imports.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.
LIMA, Peru (AP) — President Joe Biden is expected to use his final meeting with China’s leader, Xi Jinping, to urge him to dissuade North Korea from further deepening its support for Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Saturday’s talks on the sidelines of the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Peru come just over two months before Biden leaves office and makes way for Republican President-elect Donald Trump. It will be Biden’s last check-in with Xi — someone the Democrat saw as his most consequential peer on the world stage.
An interception by junior defensive back Isaac Fredin set up a short field for the Tigers’ final dagger — a rushing touchdown from Vanderwerf.
A late fourth-down stuff by Springfield junior linebacker Aidel Trevino and senior defensive back Russell Beers, plus a pass breakup by senior defensive back Brayden Sturm, kept the Thunderbirds from finding the end zone.
“[A slow start is] something we’ve got to fix before next week,” Springfield head coach Adam Meyer said. “You want to play well from the very first kick. … As a play caller, I know I need to be a little bit more aggressive early.”
Defending Class 1A state champion Minneota seemed to welcome Parkers Prairie to the latter program’s first Class 1A state tournament semifinal at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Shortly after figuratively extending its right hand to greet the upstart Panthers, however, the Vikings let go and the joke was on . Minneota clobbered Parkers Prairie early and often and rolled to a 45-0 victory, remaining undefeated (12-0). The Vikings advance to face Springfield for the third consecutive time in the Class 1A Prep Bowl, this one set for 10 a.m. Friday at U.S. Bank Stadium.
“We have had a couple games lately where we started fast but got away from executing like we want to,” Minneota coach Chad Johnston said. “Today, we set the tempo right away and we pretty much stuck with it.”
WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump has selected Chris Wright, a campaign donor and fossil fuel executive, to serve as energy secretary in a second Trump administration.
Wright, CEO of Denver-based Liberty Energy, is a vocal advocate of oil and gas development, including fracking, a key pillar of Trump’s quest to achieve U.S. ”energy dominance” in the global market.
Wright has won support from influential conservatives, including oil and gas tycoon Harold Hamm. Hamm, executive chairman of Oklahoma-based Continental Resources, a major shale oil company, is a longtime Trump supporter and adviser who played a key role on energy issues in Trump’s first term.
Hamm helped organize an event at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in April where Trump reportedly asked industry leaders and lobbyists to donate $1 billion to Trump’s campaign, with the expectation that Trump would curtail environmental regulations if re-elected.
Wright has been one of the industry’s loudest voices against efforts to fight climate change and could give fossil fuels a boost, including quick action to end a year-long pause on natural gas export approvals by the Biden administration.
Wright has criticized what he calls a ”top-down” approach to climate by liberal and left-wing groups and said the climate movement around the world is ”collapsing under its own weight.”
