Leiter Reports: A Philosophy Blog

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  1. Claudio's avatar

    I teach both large courses, like Jurisprudence and Critical Legal Thinking (a.k.a Legal Argumentation), and small seminar-based courses at Edinburgh…

  2. Charles Pigden's avatar

    Surely there is an answer to the problem of AI cheating which averts the existential threat. . It’s not great,…

  3. Mark's avatar

    I’d like to pose a question. Let’s be pessimistic for the moment, and assume AI *does* destroy the university, at…

  4. A in the UK's avatar
  5. Jonathan Turner's avatar

    I agree with all of this. The threat is really that stark. The only solution is indeed in-class essay exams,…

  6. Craig Duncan's avatar
  7. Ludovic's avatar

    My big problem with LLMs at the present time, apart from being potentially the epitome of Foucault’s panopticon & Big…

SUNY Buffalo Update: Contested Interim President Withdraws

Brian reported some serious static at SUNY Buffalo (aka, University at Buffalo).  After the resignation of the university's president, the UB Council Chair announced the appointment of the Scott Nostaja, the university's Senior VP and COO, as Interim President.  But there were at least two problems with this move, from the point of view of the Buffalo faculty.  First, the Chair didn't have the power to appoint Nostaja – and never consulted with the faculty on his decision.  Second, Nostaja is not an academic and was thus perceived as unqualified. 

Now, to quote Jesse Jackson on SNL, the question is moot.  Nostaja has withdrawn his name from consideration for the post.  

"I have asked that my name not be put forward to the Board of Trustees at this time in order to give our faculty, staff and students the opportunity to provide input into the priorities facing the university, and the qualities, characteristics, qualifications and experiences necessary to fill the post of interim president. Our campus needs to focus on attracting and selecting the best possible candidates to serve as our 15th President."

Leaving only the question: what does "at this time" mean?

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