Academia is a high-stress, high-surveillance environment. Faculty are asked to do more with less: more students, more reporting, more unpaid labor — and less time, less support, and less say in decisions that shape our work. For many of us, the job has become a constant negotiation between our values and institutional priorities.

And yet, I stay. Not for the salary. Not for the endless meetings or initiatives that depend on faculty labor but often move forward without our input. I stay because of my students. They are the reason I continue to show up.

At the California State University where I teach, my students come from a wide range of racial, cultural and economic backgrounds. Many are the first in their families to attend college. Few have had Black professors before. And I am one of very few Black faculty on campus.

It can be isolating. I attend meetings where no one else looks like me. I navigate policies that were not built with people like me in mind. Even well-intentioned efforts to foster belonging often feel top-down or disconnected from the everyday realities of teaching, mentoring and being visible.

But my students — across all backgrounds — support me in ways they may not even realize. It’s in the way they show up, engage with material, trust me with their stories, or quietly ask, “How are you doing?” They remind me: when Black professors are in the classroom, everyone benefits.

They understand that representation is about more than role models for Black students. It expands perspectives, deepens classroom trust, and allows for more honest, critical dialogue. Our presence in the academy challenges the status quo and makes space for voices that are too often ignored.

They are not my formal support system, but they are my community.

In a profession where recognition is rare and burnout is high, a thank-you note, a hallway chat, or a class conversation that sparks something real can carry me through weeks of feeling invisible in faculty spaces. My students remind me that this work — when stripped of the bureaucracy — still matters.

To be sure, students should never be expected to carry the emotional weight of supporting their professors. That is not their role. The gratitude I feel does not excuse the broader shortcomings of higher education. It simply underscores how powerful our relationships can be in the face of institutional neglect.

But universities must do more than celebrate diversity on their brochures. If they truly care about faculty success — especially for faculty of color — they need to listen to students. Students see us more than any task force or strategic plan. They witness our labor and our care firsthand.

Institutions should partner with students to co-create strategies for retaining faculty of color. That means going beyond traditional evaluations to foster real conversations about campus climate, mentorship and visibility. It means funding student-led efforts that recognize and uplift faculty who teach and build community — the very labor that fuels student success but often goes unrewarded.

Universities should also rethink what support looks like outside of formal structures. Sometimes what faculty need is not another committee, but a space to gather, breathe and feel seen. Student organizations often model this well. They create spaces that are joyful, inclusive and rooted in mutual care. Faculty can benefit from those spaces too — not as authority figures, but as participants in a shared community.

Creating sustainable change in higher education doesn’t require reinventing the wheel. It requires valuing the relationships already happening on campuses every day. When students trust their professors, when faculty show up with care, when conversations extend beyond grades and the syllabus — those are the moments that build true community.

Academia doesn’t always recognize our full contributions. And for those of us at the intersections of race, gender and class, it can be especially isolating. But my students remind me every day that I belong — not just because I teach, but because I matter. That, more than anything, is why I keep going.

This isn’t just about one professor’s experience. It’s a reminder to higher-ed leaders, policymakers and educators that student-faculty relationships are powerful levers for change. If we want to build inclusive, thriving campuses, we must center the people who are already doing the work of belonging — even when no one is watching.

edX is again offering a discount of up to 30% on selected courses and program bundles until September 10th. Since AI is currently the hot topic we look at what is on offer.

Disclosure: When you make a purchase having followed a link to from this article, we may earn an affiliate commission. 

Billed as the Top AI Program on edX, the Oxford Artificial Intelligence Programme is offered through the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School. The current session started on August 6th and is open to late registrations until August 11th. 

Offered in its Executive Education category, and thus and is included in the offer, the program  is designed to provide a comprehensive understanding of AI for a diverse professional audience and there are no prerequisites. It consists of a welcome orientation module followed by six weekly modules that are released sequentially. Each module is estimated to take 7–10 hours per week. The curriculum covers a range of topics, from foundational concepts to real-world business applications and ethical considerations.

• Module 1: Artificial Intelligence Ecosystem – Explores the history of AI and its place within the broader digital ecosystem.

• Module 2: AI and Machine Learning – Delves into the mechanics of machine learning, including supervised, unsupervised, and reinforcement learning.

• Module 3: Deep Learning and Neural Networks – Understands the function of deep learning and neural networks.

• Module 4: Working with Intelligent Machines – Examines the impact of AI on the workforce and the concept of machine intelligence.

• Module 5: The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence – Discusses the ethical, legal, and regulatory aspects of AI.

• Module 6: How to Drive AI in Your Business – Focuses on identifying business opportunities for AI and building a business case for its implementation.

Upon successful completion, participants are expected to be able to:

• Evaluate the potential impact of AI on their industry and develop a business case for its adoption.

• Establish a framework for critically analyzing the social and ethical implications of AI.

• Gain a conceptual understanding of machine learning, deep learning, and neural networks.

• Receive a certificate of attendance from the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford.

• Join the official Oxford Executive Education Alumni group on LinkedIn.

As already mentioned this programme is for business professionals. If you are a professional developer IBM now has a new microcredential, IBM:AI Developer starting on October 15th but still in the offer as long as you register by September 10th.

The six-week course consists of a welcome orientation module followed by six weekly modules estimated to take 10-12 hours per week:

• Module 1: Introduction to AI, GenAI, and Prompt Engineering
• Module 2: Introduction to Web Development
• Module 3: Using Python for Data Science
• Module 4: Python Fundamentals and Data
• Module 5: Python Coding Practices and Web Application Development
• Module 6: Capstone Project: Develop AI Applications Using Python

Over six weeks,  participants will learn the building blocks of AI development while honing real-world job-ready skills that include:

• Using Python, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript for web and software development
• Applying Python programming fundamentals to collect data and drive business solutions
• Creating and deploying web applications using Flask
• Building generative AI applications using Python

Assessment is continuous and based on a series of practical assignments completed online.

The existing IBM Applied AI Developer Professional Certificate, comprising 7 courses over 6 months and the Generative AI Engineering Professional Certificate also from IBM and comprising 16 courses over 13 months, both of which are described in AI At edX With 30% Savings are also encompassed by the offer as long as you enroll in the full  programs without any other discounts.

And of course edX Professional Certificates that we’ve previously explored in Brand New Data Science Courses on edX, Gain A Python Professional Certificate From edX and other articles are also part of the edX Back to School offer that runs until September 10, with the code SKILLSEDX25.

By Tim Hannan, Chief Marketing Officer, Coursera

Since our founding in 2012, Coursera has worked hard to increase access to world-class education. Over the years, we’ve introduced features like course auditing, financial aid, and AI-powered translations to make learning accessible to as many people as possible. Today, we’re taking another step forward in this evolution, introducing a new course preview experience that offers learners a deeper, more meaningful way to explore content before committing to a full course.

This new model replaces our audit experience and gives learners the ability to preview the first module of nearly every course on Coursera for free. This includes full access to key platform features, such as graded assignments and Coursera Coach, when available within the course. Our early tests show that the full suite of course features is leading to stronger engagement and completions among our learners, accelerating their path to skills mastery. To further support global accessibility, we’re also rolling out localized pricing while continuing to offer options and support for learners with financial need. 

Here’s what the updated experience includes:

• Free Course Preview: Learners can explore the first module of most courses for free — complete with assessments, video content, and AI-powered support features like Coach.

• Free Community Impact Courses: Learners will have free access to certain courses that address urgent social needs—such as mental health, refugee support, and public health. 

• Localized pricing: We’ve introduced new geopricing models to reflect regional purchasing power and ensure affordability across emerging markets.

• Financial Aid: Eligible learners can still apply for financial aid to unlock full access to course content and certificates for free or at a reduced cost.

This evolution marks a new chapter in how we invite learners into their journey on Coursera—one that’s more engaging, more accessible, and better aligned with their goals from the start, while supporting the long-term growth and impact of our platform. We’re excited to build this future together with our global community of learners, partners, and institutions.