Lead: The U.S. Department of Education announced new priorities for its Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE), directing competitions toward accreditation reform, artificial intelligence in teaching, civil discourse and short-term workforce programs. The Office of Postsecondary Education framed the move in a Monday notice that sets award sizes from $7 million to $60 million and sets a Dec. 3 application deadline. What happened: The department published the four-category competition while significant staff cuts and a prolonged government shutdown have left program implementation and negotiated rulemaking timelines uncertain. Education Under Secretary Nicholas Kent is the named public face of the rollout. Who’s involved: The Office of Postsecondary Education will oversee awards; institutions eligible for FIPSE grants include colleges, universities and consortia proposing innovations tied to accreditation or workforce pathways. The notice explicitly elevates AI and “workforce Pell” concepts that will require follow-up rulemaking. Why it matters: The grants signal a policy pivot that could reshape program priorities for research, teaching and short-term credentials and will affect institutional planning for curriculum, assessment and workforce alignment—especially given limited Education Department operational capacity while the shutdown persists.