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Latest Higher Education News

State oversight tightens: faculty governance and general-education under new scrutiny

February 23, 2026

Governing boards and state legislators are intensifying efforts to control curriculum and classroom content. The University of Texas System’s board unanimously approved restrictions aimed at...

Tenure, departments, and reputations: governance disputes reach classroom and courtroom

February 23, 2026

Institutions are confronting governance and reputational crises on two fronts: departmental closures and high-profile faculty tenure disputes. The University of Texas at San Antonio announced it...

Epstein files reverberate: campuses open probes and close centers

February 23, 2026

Institutions are still reeling from documents in the Jeffrey Epstein files that tie the disgraced financier to trustees, faculty and program funding. Universities disclosed faculty reviews,...

Loneliness spikes on campus: institutions pilot device limits and new wellbeing programs

February 23, 2026

A Trellis Strategies survey of 43,519 undergraduates found 57% reported sometimes or always feeling lonely—a pattern linked to higher rates of anxiety and depression and to attrition. Lonely...

Early college and first-generation data reshape enrollment strategy

February 23, 2026

Dual-enrollment and early-college programs continue to expand as institutions chase enrollment and aim to boost completion; recent coverage maps the past five years of growth and identifies where...

State aid and leadership moves: SUNY recovers as Drexel maps brand push

February 23, 2026

The State University of New York is leveraging increased state aid and rising enrollment to shore up its lowest-performing campuses, moving some institutions back toward fiscal stability while...

MBA curriculum pivots: AI-native entrepreneurship reshapes business schools

February 23, 2026

Business schools in India and beyond are repositioning MBA programs as venture labs where students use AI to build startups rather than follow traditional placement tracks. Woxsen University and...

State-level bills target scholarships for international athletes: funding fights spread

February 23, 2026

Legislators in multiple states are proposing limits on taxpayer-funded scholarships for international students, arguing that athletic aid should prioritize local residents. Bills in Idaho and Ohio...

Think tank offers model bill: States to seize control of general education

February 23, 2026

The Manhattan Institute released model legislation last week that would shift authority over general-education requirements from faculty to state governing boards and make state funding contingent...

UT System board restricts 'controversial' instruction — faculty pushback grows

February 23, 2026

The University of Texas System governing board unanimously approved new rules directing instructors to avoid material ‘‘not germane’’ to courses and to ‘‘fairly’’ present differing views on...

UT San Antonio disbands Race and Gender Studies — department shuttered

February 23, 2026

The University of Texas at San Antonio has folded its Race and Gender Studies department, an administrative decision reported this week that removes a locus for interdisciplinary scholarship on...

Senate Democrats ask GAO to probe Education Dept. changes — oversight escalates

February 23, 2026

Senate Democrats formally asked the Government Accountability Office to investigate alleged restructuring and dismantling inside the U.S. Department of Education, escalating congressional...

Bard launches probe into Botstein’s Epstein ties — trustees open investigation

February 23, 2026

Bard College opened an investigation into Leon Botstein’s reported ties to Jeffrey Epstein after revelations in the Epstein files prompted scrutiny of faculty and trustee interactions with the...

Judge upholds discretion in tenure case: Harvard wins Edelman suit

February 23, 2026

A Massachusetts Superior Court judge granted Harvard University's motion for summary judgment in Benjamin Edelman’s lawsuit, ruling that Edelman had no contractual right to tenure. Justice Kenneth...

Drexel’s new president pushes transformation — Merlo ramps brand, curriculum changes

February 23, 2026

Drexel University’s new president, Antonio Merlo, is pressing an ‘‘academic transformation’’ aimed at raising the university’s national profile, shifting from quarters to semesters and embedding...

Dual enrollment and early college expand — pipeline to higher ed reshapes admissions

February 23, 2026

A review of the past five years highlights rapid growth in dual‑enrollment and early‑college programs that are redirecting high‑school students into college credit pathways. Reporting by Elizabeth...

Health care professions mobilize: coalition forms to fight new loan caps

February 23, 2026

Several health‑care professional associations have formed a coalition to oppose newly announced federal loan caps that would limit borrowing for graduates in high‑cost training programs, the...

Earnings test looms for programs: federal plan and Indiana bill threaten low‑earning degrees

February 23, 2026

Congress has advanced a new earnings‑test policy that could bar federal aid for programs whose graduates earn below a statutory threshold, and Indiana legislators are considering a bill that would...

Harvard tenure fight ends — judge dismisses Edelman suit

February 23, 2026

A Massachusetts Superior Court judge granted Harvard’s motion for summary judgment and dismissed former Harvard Business School professor Benjamin Edelman’s lawsuit alleging improper denial of...

Hunter College launches probe — professor’s ‘They’re too dumb’ remark sparks outcry

February 23, 2026

Hunter College announced a review after a professor was recorded on a hot mic calling a parent 'too dumb to know they're in a bad school' while a student spoke about a middle‑school closure; the...