Francie Diep

I'm a senior reporter at ​The Chronicle of Higher Education.

I cover funding in higher education: how the need for, and pursuit of, money affect those who work and study in colleges and universities. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, I've also been covering public health decisions by colleges. Before the Chronicle, I was a staff writer at Pacific Standard, where I reported on science and health.

Contact me at fcdiep // at // gmail.com, or at protonmail.com for secure email. I'm @franciediep on Twitter.
 

Writing

Photo of a Central Methodist University student wearing a mask

The College Where 1 in 4 Students Got Coronavirus

The Chronicle of Higher Education
At Central Methodist University, in Missouri, student needs and well-intentioned but insufficient preparations meant a fall semester of vast infection.​

Other coronavirus coverage:
​​> Its Plan Is Risky, Its Community Is Vulnerable, and Cases Are Surging. Why Is This University Reopening?​
> The 5 Biggest Lessons We've Learned About How Coronavirus Spreads on Campus​


Photo illustration with Bernie Machen, Rick Scott, and the University of Florida campus

The Rules of the Game

The Chronicle of Higher Education
How U.S. News rankings helped reshape one state's public colleges.


Photo of a seating area for UC Berkeley students branded by Bank of the West

Welcome to the Sponsored Campus

The Chronicle of Higher Education
More parts of the college experience are up for sale than ever before, experts say.

​
Portrait of David Egilman, wearing a lab coat and standing in front of fileboxes

A Brown U. Professor Took On Big Pharma. His University Pulled Him From the Classroom.​

The Chronicle of Higher Education
The case "opens the door to the perception of corporate influence," a faculty committee wrote.


Photo of the Wilbur Cross building on the University of Connecticut campus

The Sacklers Gave Millions to Higher Ed. Here’s How Scholars on One Campus Feel About Taking the Money.

The Chronicle of Higher Education
The University of Connecticut has received millions from the family foundation of an opioid manufacturer. Faculty members are wrestling with the moral calculus.

​
Photo showing the Francisco J. Ayala Science Library, before its name change

Francisco Ayala Resigned After a University Inquiry Found Him Guilty of Sexual Harassment. What Happened to the Federal Grants He Received?

Pacific Standard
​What happens to taxpayer money when scientists are faced with accusations or findings of wrongdoing?


Illustration of a neon sign saying,

Inside North America's Only Legal Safe Injection Facility

Pacific Standard  
Cities across the United States are considering opening supervised injection facilities, where people can shoot up under the watchful eye of nurses. In 2016, I visited North America's only legally operating, standalone supervised injection site to see what we're in for.


Photo showing an abandoned railroad bridge

Confronting My Cyberbully, 13 Years Later

The Atlantic
Between ages 13 and 16, she sent me emails, from my own account, "reminding" me to kill myself. Well, I didn't—I grew up, and so did she.


See my past work in...

​> The Chronicle of Higher Education
> Pacific Standard

> Popular Science
​
​


 About me 

Photo of Francie Diep standing in a pool of water at the Ein Gedi oasis in Israel
I'm a senior reporter for The Chronicle of Higher Education, based in Washington, D.C. I cover money in higher ed. You can find my resume here.

Before the Chronicle, I covered science and health, including funding for academic science. I'm passionate about getting complex ideas right, making them fun and approachable, and uncovering information that helps communities and policymakers to make decisions. My work has been supported by the University of Southern California's Annenberg Center for Health Journalism, and cited in policy proposals by the Drug Policy Alliance and Senator Elizabeth Warren. My stories have appeared in The New York Times, Scientific American, Pacific Standard, and more. 

Contact me    fcdiep // at // gmail.com    fcdiep // at // protonmail.com for secure email 

​

Photo credits

If you're looking at this page on a large enough screen, you'll see a grainy grayscale image at the top. That's an electron micrograph of the interior of a cell, made by members of this National Institutes of Health lab. Credits for the rest of the photos are as follows: Chronicle illustration based photography by Chuong Doan for ​The Chronicle, Chronicle illustration, Noah Berger for The Chronicle, Ken Richardson, Chris C Chen/Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0), University of California–Irvine, Taylor Le, bobistraveling/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
Proudly powered by Weebly