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Governance under pressure: faculty senates, trustees and the mechanics of oversight
Shared governance is under scrutiny as faculty senates, trustees and presidents navigate political fights and institutional stress. Commentators and faculty leaders are debating reforms to faculty...
Education Department reshuffle — agencies scramble to take over programs
The Trump administration has begun a sweeping reorganization that breaks up the U.S. Department of Education and transfers major programs to other federal agencies. The administration signed...
Universities reshuffle — wave of new presidents and an LSU leadership split
Higher education institutions announced multiple senior leadership changes this month, with a broad slate of presidential appointments at public and private colleges and a structural change at...
Credit warning for colleges — S&P flags sector stress, bankruptcy risk rises
S&P Global issued a negative 2026 outlook for U.S. nonprofit colleges, saying institutions will face mounting operating pressures from federal policy shifts, enrollment competition and rising...
Graduate programs under pressure — cost and policy squeeze enrollment
New surveys and reporting show graduate education is at a crossroads: EAB’s 2025 Adult Learner Survey found cost of attendance now tops prospective graduate students’ priorities, with 60% saying...
Accreditors and regulators under fire — ABA challenged, OfS probes UK university
U.S. and U.K. oversight bodies are facing intensified scrutiny. The Federal Trade Commission told the Texas Supreme Court the American Bar Association exerts a monopolistic grip on U.S. law‑school...
Politics enters admissions — DEI curbs and scholarship bias hearings heat up
Federal and congressional scrutiny of campus diversity programs and scholarships is reshaping admissions debates. Higher‑education experts say the Trump administration’s ban on considering...
FAFSA surge — simplified form and earlier opening lift completions
FAFSA completion rates for the Class of 2026 are rising as the simplified form rolls out and the Department of Education opened the application early. National College Attainment Network tracking...
Students want usable tools and clearer supports — edtech and first‑year programs adapt
Research centered on student experience is prompting product and program shifts: a study profiling student usability in edtech found learners prioritize clean, intuitive interfaces, useful...
Governance under the microscope — trustees and faculty senates tested
University governance is back in focus as institutions confront political, financial and operational shocks. Governance advisers offer quick diagnostics for boards—attendance metrics, information...
Campus operations go digital — digital twins and AI spread to facilities and athletics
Universities are piloting advanced operations tech to cut costs and improve uptime. Facilities teams are exploring digital twins—virtual replicas of campus buildings powered by IoT sensors and...
S&P warns nonprofit colleges: negative 2026 outlook
S&P Global Ratings on Tuesday issued a negative outlook for U.S. nonprofit colleges, saying institutions will face mounting operating pressure and uncertainty in 2026. Analysts pointed to federal...
Cost becomes the gatekeeper: graduate programs face enrollment pressure
A new EAB survey of 8,106 current and prospective graduate and adult learners found cost is now the primary determinant in program choice, eclipsing accreditation. Sixty percent of prospective...
FAFSA momentum... students file early and fast
The simplified FAFSA and an earlier opening window drove a sharp uptick in submissions for the Class of 2026: advocates estimate more than one million seniors had filed by late November and NCAN...
Campus leadership shuffle: dozens of presidential appointments and a system split
Colleges announced a broad slate of presidential hires across small and large institutions, including new leaders at Hartwick, Duquesne, Sonoma State and Iowa State, signaling continued turnover...
FTC tells Texas court: ABA holds accreditation monopoly
Two Federal Trade Commission officials told the Texas Supreme Court that the American Bar Association exerts a monopoly over law-school accreditation, arguing its standards are "rigid and costly"...
OfS opens probe: University of Greater Manchester under scrutiny
England’s higher-education regulator, the Office for Students, has opened an inquiry into the University of Greater Manchester amid allegations of financial irregularities, bribery and bullying....
Tribal colleges brace as Interior takes over funds from Education Dept.
Tribal college leaders say they face disruption after the U.S. Department of the Interior agreed to assume management of tribal-college funding that the Education Department is shedding. Campus...
Audit finds ‘derelict accounting’ at closed Eastern Gateway Community College
Ohio’s state auditor accused Eastern Gateway Community College of "derelict accounting and controls," flagging $17.3 million in federal student-aid spending that lacked adequate records. The...
Exam day strain: disability accommodations crowd testing operations
Professors and campus testing centers report rising logistical strain as growing numbers of students claim formal disability accommodations such as extended time, alternative locations and...