The Education Department on Monday released new priorities for the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE), designating accreditation reform, AI, civil discourse and short-term training as focal areas and allocating awards from $7 million to $60 million. The department set a Dec. 3 application deadline and expects awards by Dec. 31, but the agency’s ability to run the competition is in doubt after a major reduction in force and the ongoing government shutdown. Education Under Secretary Nicholas Kent touted the priorities as transformative for higher education, even as staff layoffs and an unsettled negotiated rule-making timetable for workforce Pell raise questions about implementation and oversight.