‘Hello, just circling back!’ Not responding to emails is common across higher education but bad for morale

Several colleges and universities instruct students on how to navigate email communication on their campus, but more could consider the practice.

By: Austin Sarat, Amherst College, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: August 13, 2026

Words: 1,156

Last Updated: 5 days, 6 hours ago

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By Austin Sarat, Amherst College

As a challenging academic year drew to a close in May 2026, I sent an email to 12 administrators at the college where I teach, thanking them for their work during the year. Several years ago, when I served as part of the administration, I would have taken special note of such an email.

So, I was a bit taken aback when only a few of those to whom I …

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