1w ago

‘Fear and hopelessness’: one in four professors in the US south are leaving

www.theguardian.com

‘Fear and hopelessness’: study finds one in four professors leaving US south

Survey by American Association of Professors shows nearly quarter of respondents are switching due to states’s politics

Many professors in the US south, particularly in Florida, South Carolina and Texas, are considering leaving their state because of the impact the political climate is having on education, according to a new survey by the American Association of Professors.

The survey received responses from approximately 4,000 faculty members across the south and included other states, such as Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, and Kentucky, in its findings. About 25% of the professors in Texas who responded said they have applied for teaching roles in other states in the last two years, with another 25% saying they intend to start a search.

Last year, salary was the top reason as to why educators across the south were seeking employment elsewhere. In this year’s findings, however, “broad political climate” was the top motivator.

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1w ago

‘Fear and hopelessness’: one in four professors in the US south are leaving

www.theguardian.com /us-news/2025/sep/23/professors-us-south-leaving

46 comments

That's a horrible headline. "One in four professors are leaving" is way different than what the survey showed, which is "one in four that responded to the survey are considering leaving".
- A professor looking for a role outside their current uni is essentially, leaving already.
  They've already decided to forgo tenure track, and start over, which is really the biggest hurdles.
  Its only a matter of time before a uni reaches out to them, and it usually takes about a year.
And why wouldn't they want to leave shithole states?
Why stay where wilful ignorance is not only encouraged, but enforced by law?
- The only reason most stay is for family.
  
  Also, I don't want to "give over" my beautiful state's natural resources to the fascists without a fight. (But, yes, primarily it's familial duty that keeps me here.)
  They might be in the majority, but sometimes democracy is about changing minds first and winning votes later.
- Money, usually.
  The professors I know in Texas are usually there because they got a promotion and a significant pay bump to move there.
Good.
They can go to blue states and make them better. Red states can suffer and become more desperate until they put pressure on their fascist leader to wage war against blue states and then we can crush them like we did the Confederacy. Except this time we need to execute all their leaders.
- Unfortunately that's not how that's going to work out and we all know it.
  It's just gonna amplify the stress and hate and ignorance in those areas and cause more problems in the long run even for the liberal states.
  
  Unfortunately that’s not how that’s going to work out and we all know it.
  Well not with that attitude! C'mon! Viva la revolution!
- This is realistically the only way society/civilization will move forward. The whole democratic way of doing things until now is what has led to all of this in the first place. The US puts their fOuNdInG fAtHeRs and constitution to a pedestal as if they're some holy text when it's those very things that have allowed cheeto turd to run free fascist. Believing in the constitution and democracy as some holy grail that will bring everlasting peace is naive when the very population that literally stands against peace has been allowed to survive amongst us for this long. History will repeat itself time and time again just as it is now because people don't want to come to terms with the fact that we WONT get along. They cling to their romanticized fantasy of people being just for the greater good. Nobody wants war, nobody wants to fight. I get that. Sitting around and allowing ourselves to be disorganized, living in fear will let them take us out. Can't change my mind. Sorry.
- You had me in the first half and the second half.
Intra-national brain drain. It was inevitable.
It's really unfortunate because the type who would leave are needed now more than ever. The south will be even more of a cesspool of hate and ignorance when they're gone. Not that I blame them, I left the south myself long ago because I didn't feel like I related to the average person at all
Are you tired of winning yet?
Canada has some really nice universities. We'd be happy to welcome you folks.
- As nice of a sentiment as this is, I'm already seeing colleagues that have dedicated their entire academic and public sector careers to Canadian institutions get passed over for promotions and jobs because there are other Canadians fleeing the states with prestigious names in their resume like Yale, Harvard etc. These people haven't worked/experienced a day in Canada since they were 18 years old, but are now expected to be leaders in big Canadian institutions. Some are already floundering, tbh.
  Not saying new blood isn't good, but the Americanization of our institutions is already getting somewhat bad. You can see why many of my colleagues wouldn't be happy about that.
- As a Tennesseean, IDK if Texans/Floridians are ready for the culture shock that is a Canadian winter.
  
  Eh, it's a big country. Mild winters on the west coast. Snow bound hellscapes in the middle. Wind-chill and fog on the east coast.
Yeah, i've seen the talent slowly abandon the southern states. We are left to struggle like designed.
It's almost like a whole lot of idiots voted for Taco, knowing he'd do all the really ridiculous and harmful things all throughout our country, and trying to disrupt every single institution and every single norm, but thinking, "yeah, but I need tax cuts", or gawd forbid they vote Democratic for whatever identity reasons.
I'm sure many of his voters thought that everything would still somehow continue as normal, even as Taco and his thugs target POC and LGBTQ and try to punish his enemies and ultimately, over half of the country. I'm sure some of these same people are going to act like they are the victims if they are the least bit negatively affected by normal Americans leaving red areas or leaving the country as a response to Orange Jesus idiocy.
And the south is celebrating.
- No we aren’t. Some of us are stuck here.
Please try to stick it out until the midterms if you can.
- stick it out until the midterms
  So dictators do allow elections, but just like russia they are sham elections. So dont expect too much from the midterms.
  
  Well I guess it depends on what kind of wacky changes are made to voting laws beforehand.
  One of the things that stuck out most to me from Alexi Navalny's memoir was when he said people in Russia learned to show up in big numbers on voting days expressing very public support for a candidate, bc it makes it harder to convincingly steal an election.
- Too late. We're already off to Germany. Not necessarily the best move, but it's at least free for a while.
- Sunken cost fallacy.
  
  Could you clarify how that applies here?
  I'm aware that you shouldn't continue an action/behavior that will be bad for you, just because you already spent resources (the "sunk cost") on it. But, I'm not sure exactly how that applies here. At least I believe the request to "stick it out until the midterms" comes from a belief that voting in the midterms will bring a benefit to the individual and the collective.
  
  That's.... not at all what that term means.
This is going to be a mass exodus not seen since Jim crow. I expect millions of people will flee to blue states in the coming decade. Probably my highest priority ATM outside of giving my kids a good upbringing. Also the death of federalism is going to be interesting, probably mostly bad.
- It would be better if they fled to red counties in purple states, cheaper too.
  
  I have no issue with this, I would gladly so long as my state protected my basic humanity and human rights.
- I'm assuming exodus to blue states more division ala West coast health alliance, hyper gerrymandering wars and many more things that will less to a break up or even war... Although I sure hope not
  
  I don't want war, but I'm crossing my fingers for the break up. This is an abusive relationship and there are no benefits to continuing it. Time to let them suffer and die in their own ignorance.
Reverse Reconstruction
The South has professors?
Someone marry me so I can leave too.

46 comments