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Audits and cuts force closures: state reviews expose mismanagement and drive program reductions
State audits and shifting federal policy continue to precipitate campus cuts and closures. Ohio’s auditor found pervasive recordkeeping failures and questioned $17.3 million in federal aid at the...
Northwestern cuts deal—$75 million, federal funding restored
Northwestern University agreed to pay $75 million and accept a suite of federal conditions to recover roughly $790 million in research funding that the Trump administration had frozen. The...
Administration moves to split Education Department—agencies to inherit programs
The Trump administration announced interagency agreements to move key Department of Education programs into other federal agencies, dividing responsibility for workforce grants, K‑12 and...
States test new accreditor—Louisiana task force votes to join
A Louisiana higher‑education task force voted to seek membership in the Commission for Public Higher Education, the nascent accreditor formed by several Southeastern public‑university systems. The...
Boards under pressure—AGB urges trustees to defend autonomy
The Association of Governing Boards urged trustees to bolster institutional autonomy and foundation independence amid mounting political pressures. AGB’s president‑CEO update provided tools for...
Faculty governance frays—senates and job security under scrutiny
Debates about shared governance and faculty protections intensified as commentators and academics questioned the resilience of faculty senates and tenure systems. Recent essays and features...
FAFSA completions climb—simplified form and early open drive gains
FAFSA completion rates surged for the Class of 2026 after the simplified form opened earlier than required this year. By Nov. 21, roughly 26% of high‑school seniors had filed—a near 12% increase...
Graduate programs and colleges face financial squeeze—collapse and bankruptcies looming
Analysts and academics warned that funding cuts, loan caps and visa restrictions are imperiling graduate education and could trigger broader institutional distress. A feature on graduate‑school...
LSU splits top roles—system president, campus chancellor named
The Louisiana State University System separated its president and flagship chancellor roles, appointing Wade Rousse as system president and James Dalton as chancellor of the Baton Rouge campus....
Content oversight and anti‑DEI pressure—Texas Tech rules and campus magazine suspensions
Texas Tech University system issued new content‑review rules restricting how faculty teach race and gender, requiring administrative sign‑off for material deemed sensitive and banning promotion of...
AI reshapes admissions and curriculum—offices use tools to screen and transform learning
Colleges are increasingly deploying AI in admissions and instruction: some admissions offices now use AI to screen essays for authenticity and to speed application reviews, while others use...
Education Department broken up — interagency transfers spark legal pushback
The Trump administration announced a series of interagency agreements that move large swaths of Department of Education programming to other federal agencies, and state and advocacy groups have...
Northwestern pays $75M — funding restored after settlement with Trump administration
Northwestern University agreed to a $75 million payment and a set of policy changes to restore roughly $790 million in federal research funding that the Trump administration had frozen. The...
Campuses weigh the compact — UVA and Harvard take different paths on Trump proposals
University of Virginia solicited community feedback on the Trump administration’s Compact for Academic Excellence and reported overwhelming opposition; UVA ultimately rejected the compact but...
Tracker: who’s signed with the administration — mapping frozen grants and settlements
The administration’s campaign to condition federal research funding has produced a running tracker that catalogues which universities have had funding frozen, which have settled, and the terms of...
Student media suspended — campuses cite DOJ anti‑DEI guidance
Several institutions have suspended student‑run publications focused on Black and women students, citing a Department of Justice memo that warned against ‘unlawful proxies’ for race or sex....
Texas Tech tightens classroom rules — race, gender content now subject to review
The Texas Tech University System issued new restrictions requiring faculty to submit course materials on race, gender identity and sexual orientation for administrative review; the memo also...
Audit finds ‘derelict accounting’ at closed Eastern Gateway — federal aid $17.3M unclear
Ohio’s state auditor issued a scathing report accusing the now‑closed Eastern Gateway Community College of ‘derelict accounting and controls,’ and flagged $17.3 million in federal student aid as...
FAFSA filings climb — but Workforce Pell rollout faces steep hurdles
FAFSA completion among high‑school seniors rose to 26% by Nov. 21, an 11.7% improvement year over year, driven by the form’s earlier opening and simplifications in the application. Completion...
DEI officers report rising stress — teacher‑prep programs failing to expand educator diversity
A nationwide survey of campus diversity officers found that 87% of respondents say their jobs are more stressful than two years ago and 68% report their roles have become less predictable amid...