Seems like folks might try to make “Knowledge Commons” work? I’m on there: hcommons.org/members/spit... As other social media sites become less and less useful for academic groups, I think it’s worth a shot.

It’s almost October! Join us for NASSCAL’s First Friday Workshop with Ian Mills. @nasscal.bsky.social

Hey folks, have you heard about #WeekWithoutDriving? Please join me for the local Cville area experience. Here's a link for more information and to signup: livablecville.org/weekwithoutd...

Looked at my data collections for state-backed activity. If the report were a picture:

Yesterday paper's recording: Ángel Narro (València), •Thecla’s Increasing Authority from Early Christianity to Late Antiquity• genaut.univie.ac.at @angelnarro.bsky.social

The 14-person search committee for UVa’s new provost has 3 women and ZERO humanities professors. news.virginia.edu/content/uva-...

🆕 A new issue of "Gnosis" is live! Check out the second part of the special issue series on Manichaica–Judaica–Gnostica: brill.com/view/journ....

University of Oregon president has CHANGED COURSE and WILL NOT ELIMINATE departments. It’s hard to describe this statement as good news, but Jesus H Christ what a fucking relief. president.uoregon.edu/september-bu...

Two kinds of people don’t get why we study religion: people who think religion is bad and not studying it will make it go away and people who think religion is good—but just their own—so keep your critical hands off it. Both are wrong about what religious studies is. (See first comments on op.)

A thousand times, yes.

RFK Jr. Warns Mistress That Condoms Cause Autism

I assure you the kids are still really into my Seinfeld references and Steely Dan jokes.

For 25 years I’ve been trying to convince people that this crew is bad for democracy and human beings and their companies should be stifled.

“[As University counsel, you report to] the attorney general,” Heaphy said. “And that's precisely the problem. The University, a multi-billion dollar enterprise, does not have the ability to hire or fire its own lawyer. That is an inherent conflict of interest that needs to be changed.”

Talked yesterday with a student from China; he wants to study History, Politics and Religious Studies. He said if he wanted STEM, he’d stay in China — but real critical study in these three areas are things he can’t get there. Felt like a strong argument for us to invest in these departments.

Alle beide. www.berliner-zeitung.de/politik-gese...

What an absolute mess the University of Oregon’s new president has made. www.chronicle.com/article/the-...

Alle beide. www.berliner-zeitung.de/politik-gese...

What an absolute mess the University of Oregon’s new president has made. www.chronicle.com/article/the-...

The latest on layoffs of tenure-related faculty at the University of Oregon. Pink slips are expected to go out on Monday or Tuesday. #Edusky #WarOnEducation newsletter.uauoregon.org/oregon-legis...

Hagiographical friends! Check out the CfP for this panel at Kalamazoo 2026: icms.confex.com/icms/2026/pr...

The NASSCAL First Fridays Workshop 2025/2026 season begins Sept. 5 at 12:00 (EDT) with Julia Snyder's essay "Apostles Behaving Badly? Violence in the Acts of Philip." Contact us if you would like to participate.

Two of these nominees were appointed to the presidential search committee—so more reason to scrap it. www.cavalierdaily.com/article/2025...

I looked back @cvilleschools.bsky.social timeline on deciding to place police back in schools despite evidence that this move actively harms kids and found that it seems to be based on an analysis conducted by a firm called Navigate360. charlottesvillepublic.ic-board.com/attachments/...

remember folks, we cant have gun restrictions because if we do the federal government will occupy our streets, imprison people without due process, ship dissidents to foreign gulags and things of that nature

Another academic year, another 300 students in Introduction to Early Christianity and the New Testament, because—contrary to what short-sighted and uninformed administrators at other institutions might have you think—college kids are actually super interested in religion.

“The specific cuts [at University of Oregon] reflect a misunderstanding of the essential reasons for the existence of the university. Cuts in teaching & research should always be a last resort, after budgets for administration, athletics, & other nonacademic programs.” www.aaup.org/news/aaup-pr...

“this institution will be based on the illimitable freedom of the human mind. for here we are not afraid to follow truth wherever it may lead, nor to tolerate any error so long as reason is left free to combat it.” Thomas Jefferson tinyurl.com/55k7c2fy

In my experience, Religious Studies departments are places where we find very real diversity of views and complex opinions on complex issues—ideas that can’t easily be categorized as left or right. And that’s another reason why it’s such bullshit that so many are being eliminated in this moment.

An M.I.T. study found that 95% of companies that had invested in A.I. tools were seeing zero return. It jibes with the emerging idea that generative A.I., “in its current incarnation, simply isn’t all it’s been cracked up to be,” johncassidysays.bsky.social writes.

My statement with @markwarner.bsky.social on the Trump Administration’s plans to pull federal funding from the Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William County Public School Districts:

First-year students in UVa’s College of Arts and Sciences listening to Dean Acampora’s “First Lecture” (their first, not hers).

Seen on student doors this morning.

This arrived unexpectedly today!

My "Augustine's Late Style" article is out, arguing (or "arguing") many things but maybe one I'd like to highlight is that we think about the "Late Augustine" but it may be more fruitful, or fruitful alongside it, to think about Augustine writing in a "late" manner, á la Adorno.

Again: this feels really important.

VDOT and the city are considering design changes to the intersection of West Main/Ridge/South/Water St, one of the most important intersections in the city. We strongly encourage people to fill out this brief survey. Keep reading this 🧵 for guidance on responding: publicinput.com/ridgestreeta...

Oregon faculty ask that we sign and share widely. actionnetwork.org/petitions/fi...

Oregon faculty ask that we sign and share widely. actionnetwork.org/petitions/fi...

Digitization & cataloging is complete for the 35 Ethiopic manuscripts microfilmed at the Austrian National Library in Vienna, including Aethiop. 16 (HMML project number 24994), which is of particular importance to the study of the Ethiopic Bible. Learn more: hmml.org/collections/...

I think the worst part of the email is actually further down:

Wahoos4UVA FTW. This is a flawed process, will produce a flawed applicant pool, culminating in an illegitimate selection procedure

The University of Virginia BOV should really listen to Wahoos4UVA when they say the current presidential search is fatally flawed.

So many religion departments in the US have been gutted in recent days (Virginia Tech, Oregon) that it feels churlish to announce that my Religion Department is hiring a TT professor of Religion in the United States. Or maybe it's actually the right time for it. slc.peopleadmin.com/postings/2425

Yet another vote of no confidence in UVA’s Board of Visitors. While the BOV has simply ignored other such votes, it has been important nonetheless for entities of the university to condemn their tactics and willful contempt for faculty and students of this university.

Are Deans auditioning for provost and president positions by demonstrating their willingness to slash programs and their general contempt for faculty? Or, what, they’re looking around at the world we live in and can’t imagine how expertise in religion could be valuable?