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Classroom clashes over religion and gender land instructors on leave
Academic freedom and classroom grading disputes surfaced this week as instructors faced administrative action after contested assignments. At the University of Oklahoma, an instructor placed on...
Harvard MBA jobs rebound: pay rises, entrepreneurship spikes
Harvard Business School released Class of 2025 employment data showing median total compensation climbed to $232,800—up 5.4%—even as the share of graduates seeking employment fell to 65%. HBS...
Northwestern restores funding—$75M settlement and campus concessions
Northwestern University agreed to pay $75 million and adopt a suite of policy changes to resolve federal probes and regain about $790 million in frozen research funding, the university announced....
UVA rejects Trump compact: campus feedback drives decision
The University of Virginia solicited campus input on the Trump administration’s Compact for Academic Excellence and received more than 2,000 largely negative responses; UVA subsequently rejected...
Accreditation contest: new agency gains traction in the Southeast
A cluster of developments is reshaping U.S. accreditation. The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) conversation, new U.S. Department of Education NACIQI appointments, and a nascent...
Workforce Pell rollout faces major implementation hurdles
With Workforce Pell slated to extend federal aid to short‑term workforce credentials by July, higher‑education and state leaders raised alarms about readiness. Panelists and state officials...
Federal cuts halt school‑based mental‑health grants
The U.S. Department of Education notified 223 grantees that school mental‑health grants funded in 2022 will end Dec. 31 after the Trump administration deemed the projects inconsistent with the...
Admissions and pedagogy: AI moves from threat to admissions tool
After a period of alarm over AI‑driven cheating, some colleges are deploying AI in admissions operations. Admissions teams at institutions such as Virginia Tech and Caltech are testing AI readers...
K‑12 districts adopt AI for operations and policy—two models emerge
Districts are piloting AI for operational efficiency while also crafting governance frameworks. Austin ISD deployed generative AI to build master schedules across 33 secondary campuses, saving...
Campus finance and leadership churn: budget fixes and abrupt firings
The University of Chicago reported a 44% reduction in its fiscal‑2025 budget deficit to $160 million after multi‑year belt‑tightening and revenue diversification, the university’s CFO said. The...
Trustees under fire: new guidance to curb politicized board overreach
A Center for American Progress report warns that politicized governing boards have eroded academic freedom at public universities and recommends limiting board authority over teaching and...
Northwestern deal: $75M payment restores access to $790M in federal research
Northwestern University agreed to pay $75 million and make policy changes to end investigations and regain roughly $790 million in federal research funding, university officials said. Interim...
States sue: Education Department shifts K–12 and postsecondary grants to other agencies
A coalition of 20 states and the District of Columbia sued the U.S. Department of Education after the agency moved major K–12 and higher-education grant programs to other federal departments,...
New CAP playbook: Prevent trustee overreach — board limits recommended
The Center for American Progress released a report urging clearer limits on governing boards after documenting instances where politicized trustees intervened in curriculum, hiring and tenure...
Ten colleges name presidents — wave of campus leadership changes
A fresh round of presidential appointments swept public and private colleges this season. Institutions from Hartwick College to Iowa State University announced new leaders, with several hires...
Budget stress and closures: UChicago halves deficit — Limestone University collapses
The University of Chicago reported a sharply reduced fiscal 2025 deficit — down about 44% to $160 million — after aggressive cuts, enrollment-driven revenue gains and fundraising, CFO Ivan...
NETC board fires president amid accreditor sanctions and enrollment irregularities
Northeastern Technical College abruptly fired President Kyle Wagner after the board rescinded an earlier resignation agreement, the college announced. Wagner, who had led NETC since 2016, had been...
Admissions offices turn to AI: Colleges deploy tools to vet essays and speed decisions
Following a wave of concerns over AI‑assisted cheating, admissions offices at several universities are now using artificial intelligence to screen, verify and triage applications, enrollment...
Business schools retool: Wharton adds AI tracks as students flock to AI majors
Elite business schools are reworking curricula to integrate AI, ethics and governance as finance and banking roles evolve, administrators said. Wharton announced a new AI‑focused track that blends...
Campus cyber risks and the pipeline fix: Dartmouth breach and an Alabama pathway
Dartmouth College confirmed hackers accessed Oracle E‑Business Suite files in an incident that exposed data on more than 35,000 people, prompting notifications and identity‑protection offers. The...