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Education Dept. paid sidelined OCR staff $38M — GAO flags mass dismissals
A Government Accountability Office report found the Education Department spent up to $38 million paying Office for Civil Rights employees who were placed on administrative leave during 2025...
FAFSA simplification boosts Pell access — 1.7M more qualify for maximum award
Data analyzed by the National College Attainment Network shows FAFSA simplification has produced a sharp rise in students eligible for the maximum Pell Grant: about 1.7 million more recipients in...
Federal grant cancellations force HSIs to scramble — $350M pulled, programs cut
Hundreds of Hispanic‑serving institutions and other minority‑serving colleges are losing federal program funding after the administration canceled more than $350 million in grants tied to MSI...
Audit finds Duke’s finances strong — faculty question layoffs and buyouts
An independent audit commissioned by Duke’s AAUP chapter found the university in very strong financial condition, citing rising net assets, robust cash flow and large discretionary reserves. The...
State audit finds ‘severe noncompliance’ at Utah State — procurement and travel flagged
A state audit of Utah State University documented patterns of financial noncompliance, citing questionable procurement practices, travel spending, vendor relationships and a renovation project...
Indiana Senate advances bill to scrap 'low‑earning' degrees — curricular casualties loom
The Indiana Senate passed an education bill containing a provision that would eliminate public college degrees classified as 'low‑earning'—programs whose graduates reportedly earn less than...
North Dakota approves targeted three‑year degree pilots — applied majors allowed
The North Dakota State Board of Higher Education voted to let public colleges pilot reduced‑credit, three‑year bachelor of applied science degrees for certain majors, launching up to two pilots...
MBA students demand AI in core — campuses split on delivery and awareness
A national survey of MBA students found overwhelming support for making automation, data strategy and AI literacy core features of business curricula; 92% said these topics should be integrated...
Online overhaul at Old Dominion sparks faculty revolt — presidents press management lessons
Old Dominion University’s administration announced a rapid shift to an eight‑week, asynchronous format for all online undergraduate and master’s courses, provoking strong opposition from faculty...
Post‑ban enrollment shifts and yield work: flagships see racial changes — admissions step in
An analysis shows flagship state universities and less selective colleges experienced major increases in Black and Hispanic enrollments after bans on race‑conscious admissions took effect. The...
Audit flags Duke’s reserves — cuts face pushback
An independent audit commissioned by Duke University’s AAUP chapter concluded Duke is in “very strong financial condition” and questioned recent employee buyouts and planned layoffs. Howard...
ODU’s eight‑week pivot sparks faculty revolt
Old Dominion University announced an operational shift to compress all online undergraduate and master’s courses into an eight‑week asynchronous model, part of a president-led plan to expand...
Oxford safeguarding lapse... Saïd dean ousted
A report from the Good Law Project links a mishandled safeguarding complaint and an alleged rape allegation against an emeritus professor to the broader inquiry that led to the ouster of Saïd...
FAFSA simplification adds 1.7M Pell max recipients
Data from the National College Attainment Network shows FAFSA simplification led to about 1.7 million additional students qualifying for the maximum Pell Grant in 2025–26, a 27% increase over...
Indiana Senate quietly moves to scrap ‘low‑earning’ degrees
Indiana’s Senate passed Senate Bill 199 with near‑unanimous support after legislators inserted a provision that would eliminate public college degrees classified as “low‑earning” — measured by...
MBA demand shrinks — international applicants vanish
U.S. MBA programs are confronting sharp declines in application volumes this cycle, with international demand plunging and some schools reporting 20–30% drops through Rounds 1 and 2. Admissions...
Anthropic and OpenAI push AI tools into lab and classroom
Anthropic announced partnerships with the Allen Institute and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute to deploy Claude‑powered AI agents for lab workflows, analysis and coordination, aiming to...
Students push AI into core — universities lag
New surveys of graduate and undergraduate cohorts reveal a widening gap between student expectations for AI training and the courses institutions actually offer. A national survey of MBA students...
Trump retreats on $200M demand — Harvard deal advances
The Trump administration scaled back a key financial demand in its dispute with Harvard University, abandoning insistence on a $200 million payment as part of a negotiated resolution, The New York...
Universities cut ties after Epstein files surface
New Department of Justice documents show continued contact between convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and prominent academics after his convictions, prompting renewed scrutiny across higher...