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Higher ed announces wave of new college presidents
Several colleges and universities announced presidential appointments across public and private institutions ahead of 2026 academic cycles. Notable transitions include David Cook named president...
Universities vs Washington: Faculty push back on Trump-era oversight
George Mason University’s faculty senate voted this week to oppose any settlement with the Trump administration that would subject the public research university to continuing federal supervision....
Endowment shock: Yale braces for layoffs as new tax bites
Yale University announced that an increase in the federal endowment tax will force the institution to cut costs, delay hiring and consider layoffs across units — a response to an expected roughly...
Graduate pipeline at risk — cost and policy squeeze enrollments
New research and reporting show graduate enrollment is increasingly constrained by cost and federal policy. A large EAB survey found cost of attendance is now the primary filter for prospective...
Loan rules redraw boundaries — education’s professional degree status in question
The Department of Education’s work to define which programs qualify as “professional degrees” for higher federal graduate-loan limits has put education programs — including many K–12 teacher...
Tribal colleges brace for disruption as oversight shifts to Interior
Tribal college leaders warned federal plans to move management of tribal-college funds from the Education Department to the Interior Department will cause disruption for institutions that rely on...
Accreditors and regulators in crosshairs — ABA, UK university under scrutiny
Regulatory scrutiny of accreditation and university governance intensified this week on two continents. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission told the Texas Supreme Court that the American Bar...
Academic associations politicized: prize declines and congressional accusations
Scholarly and scholarship organizations are under escalating partisan pressure. A Purdue history professor publicly declined the Modern Language Association’s Scaglione Prize in protest of the...
FAFSA surge and AI in admissions — tools reshape the applicant funnel
FAFSA completions for the Class of 2026 rose sharply after the simplified form opened earlier than required and eliminated friction such as separate FAFSA ID creation, prompting advocates to call...
Classroom to career: deliberative dialogue and AI anxiety shape curriculum
Colleges and faculty are pushing new classroom practices to manage polarized discussion and prepare students for civic life. Panels and practitioners are promoting deliberative dialogue frameworks...
Sector on edge — ratings downgrades and warnings of campus bankruptcies
S&P Global issued a negative outlook for U.S. nonprofit colleges for 2026, citing weaker operating margins, enrollment competition, federal policy shifts and rising costs. Analysts warned small,...
Yale braces for endowment tax shock — layoffs on the table
Yale University warned staff this week that it expects to pay roughly $300 million annually in new federal endowment taxes and is preparing cost reductions that could include workforce cuts....
Education degrees excluded from new 'professional' loan caps — borrowers face limits
The U.S. Department of Education is proposing to omit education programs from its definition of “professional degrees,” a change that would restrict graduate loan limits for many...
Ratings firms signal pain for colleges in 2026 — negative outlooks pile up
Three major credit-rating agencies issued negative outlooks for higher education's finances, warning of deteriorating credit conditions and consolidation in 2026. Fitch said it expects a worsening...
Faculty pushback grows as Trump-era probes reshape campus governance
George Mason University's faculty senate voted to oppose any settlement with the Trump administration that would impose ongoing federal oversight, urging the board and president to reject deals...
Graduate programs face financial squeeze — scholars warn collapse could be underway
Analysts and campus leaders are raising alarms about graduate education as loan caps, funding cuts and visa restrictions converge. A Chronicle analysis and related reporting describe programs...
FAFSA momentum meets administrative friction — ED conference delays raise alarms
FAFSA completions for the Class of 2026 surged after the simplified form opened early, with advocates reporting record filing rates. At the same time financial‑aid administrators say the Education...
Tribal colleges brace for Interior Department oversight — leaders warn of disruption
The Department of the Interior will assume management of some tribal college funding previously handled by the Education Department, prompting concern among tribal college leaders about...
Wave of presidential appointments reshapes campus leadership for 2026
Colleges and universities announced a broad slate of presidential appointments and successions that will take effect in 2026, shifting leadership at state flagships, regional publics and private...
Harvard lawsuit dismissed — court ends former student's antisemitism claim
A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit brought by a former Harvard student who alleged antisemitic harassment during a 2023 campus protest, resolving a high‑profile legal challenge that had drawn...