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Workforce Pell: Colleges face tight timeline to qualify by July
The Education Department this week circulated proposed regulations and signaled a July rollout for Workforce Pell Grants, forcing colleges and states into a rapid compliance sprint. The...
Federal judge refuses 18‑month extension — borrowers set for automatic relief
A federal judge denied the Education Department’s request for an 18‑month extension to resolve the final tranche of borrower‑defense claims, keeping automatic debt relief on track for those...
New School’s mass buyouts — 40% of full‑time faculty get separation offers
The New School sent separation or early‑retirement offers to roughly 40% of its full‑time faculty as leaders move to close an immediate $48 million budget gap, prompting faculty outrage and claims...
Pacific + Willamette merger — two Oregon colleges plot a single institution
Pacific University and Willamette University signed a letter of intent to merge, a deal the schools say would create Oregon’s largest private university and preserve separate campuses and academic...
Harvard’s FXB center leadership shifts amid scrutiny of Palestine programming
Harvard’s François‑Xavier Bagnoud (FXB) Center for Health and Human Rights will see leadership changes as Dean Andrea Baccarelli announced the director, Mary Bassett, will step down in January and...
Berkeley censures and suspends lecturer over classroom advocacy; defenders push back
UC Berkeley suspended lecturer Peyrin Kao for six months after investigators concluded he had used instructional time to press political views on Gaza and linked his public hunger strike to...
UNC system orders public syllabi — trustees cite trust shortfall as faculty resist
The University of North Carolina system announced a policy requiring professors to post syllabi publicly, a move the system president framed as responding to low public trust in higher education....
HEPI shows rising campus costs — finance officers shift to tech and payment reforms
The Higher Education Price Index reported a 3.6% rise in college operating costs for fiscal 2025, driven by administrative and faculty salaries, utilities and service employees—ratcheting pressure...
Purdue accused of rejecting applicants from China and other ‘adversary’ nations
A House Select Committee inquiry into Purdue University alleges the institution has implemented an unwritten policy rejecting graduate applicants from China and other countries designated as...
House panel advances aid‑clarity bills and colleges pilot early aid previews
A House education committee advanced two bipartisan bills to standardize financial‑aid communications: one would require a universal net‑price calculator and expanded program‑level data on the...
New School buyout push — Faculty say cuts came without input
The New School sent separation‑package offers to roughly 40% of its full‑time faculty in early December as leaders move to close a reported $48 million budget gap. Faculty described the notices as...
Workforce Pell...Colleges rush to meet July rollout
The Education Department finalized proposed regulations this week to expand Pell Grants to short‑term workforce training, prompting colleges—especially community and technical institutions—to...
Judge denies long delay — Education Dept. must decide borrower claims now
A federal judge refused the Education Department’s request for an 18‑month extension to resolve the final tranche of borrower‑defense claims tied to a landmark 2022 settlement, ordering the agency...
Bipartisan push for a DARPA‑style education research arm
A bipartisan pair of House lawmakers introduced legislation to create the National Center for Advanced Development in Education (NCADE), modeled on DARPA, to fund high‑risk, high‑reward education...
Harvard FXB director to step down — university reshuffles after scrutiny
Harvard announced that Mary Bassett will step down as director of the François‑Xavier Bagnoud (FXB) Center for Health and Human Rights in January, after months of criticism of the center’s...
Michigan scandal...Coach fired, arrested as campus promises another culture overhaul
The University of Michigan fired head football coach Sherrone Moore after an internal probe found an inappropriate relationship with a staff member; prosecutors later charged him with home...
Berkeley suspends lecturer after hunger‑strike advocacy in class
UC Berkeley suspended lecturer Peyrin Kao for six months without pay after he used class time to discuss a personal hunger strike and political views on the Israel‑Gaza conflict, and after a prior...
Disability accommodations surge at elite campuses — debate over diagnosis and fairness
Colleges report sharp increases in students receiving disability accommodations—figures range widely by institution but include Stanford reporting roughly 38% of undergraduates and Harvard about...
HEPI shows costs rising—administrative and faculty pay lead pressure on budgets
The Higher Education Price Index rose 3.6% in fiscal 2025, outpacing consumer inflation and prolonging elevated cost pressure for colleges and universities. HEPI flagged administrative and faculty...
House Ed panel advances financial‑aid transparency bills — net‑price tools coming
A House education committee advanced two bipartisan bills requiring the Education Department to produce a universal net‑price calculator and standardized financial‑aid award letters for students...