Get the Daily Brief
Latest Higher Education News
Columbia taps UW–Madison chancellor Jennifer Mnookin — Fourth leader in three years
Columbia University selected Jennifer Mnookin, chancellor of the University of Wisconsin–Madison since 2022, as its next president, the university announced. Mnookin will hold both roles through...
Education Dept. Rolls Back Owner-Liability Rule: Corporate college oversight softened
The U.S. Department of Education announced it will no longer enforce, as a uniform rule, a requirement that private college owners accept personal liability to maintain access to federal student...
Senate chair opens probe: 35 selective colleges asked about freshman math placements
Sen. Bill Cassidy, chair of the Senate HELP Committee, sent letters to 35 selective institutions — including Ivy League schools, Georgia Tech and Rice — seeking data and explanations after a...
George Washington pauses admissions to five Ph.D. programs — Cites financial strain
George Washington University suspended admissions to five doctoral programs, citing budgetary constraints and a significant decline in international applicants, the school reported. The pause...
Cal State settles with faculty union: System must notify employees before sharing data
California State University reached a settlement with the California Faculty Association requiring the system to notify employees before disclosing personal information to federal agencies...
New court filings: DHS arrested international scholars over pro-Palestinian speech
Newly unsealed court documents allege Department of Homeland Security officers arrested and attempted to deport international scholars based solely on pro-Palestinian activism, according to...
Tenure under threat — Fall firings reveal erosion of protections
A spate of faculty dismissals last fall has exposed weakening tenure protections at several campuses, sparking debate over academic freedom and governance. Recent cases involved rapid terminations...
Degree apprenticeships... Enrollment climbs but access lags
New America research shows degree apprenticeships are expanding as employers and institutions seek workforce-aligned credentials, but access remains limited and uneven. The programs blend paid...
Law school applicants surge 40% — A.I. complicates career payoff
Applications to law schools have risen more than 40% over two years even as artificial intelligence reshapes legal practice and clouds the traditional return on investment for a law degree,...
Columbia names Wisconsin chancellor: Mnookin to take helm
Columbia University has selected Jennifer Mnookin, chancellor of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, as its next president. Mnookin, a legal scholar and former UCLA law dean, will remain at...
Questrom dean to step down — Fournier exits in June 2026
Boston University announced that Susan Fournier will step down as dean of the Questrom School of Business at the end of the 2025–26 academic year and retire from the university at year-end....
Law school demand spikes: applications jump more than 40%
Law school applications have surged by more than 40% over the past two years even as student-loan limits tighten and artificial intelligence reshapes legal work. Enrollment interest rose despite...
AI at work: a quarter of adults use it regularly — tech workers lead
A Gallup workforce survey found roughly one-quarter of employed adults use AI at least a few times a week, with about 12% using it daily. Adoption is concentrated in technology roles: six in 10...
TEACH‑AI launches: training teachers to use AI without harming the planet
Researchers at UC Irvine, Indiana University Bloomington and the University of Bremen launched TEACH‑AI, an initiative to train K–12 educators on environmentally conscious AI use. The project will...
Claude Code spreads beyond coders — Anthropic’s tool goes mainstream
Anthropic’s Claude Code has expanded from a developer assistant to a general-purpose tool that non-coders now use for tasks ranging from booking tickets to tax prep. The rapid uptake prompted...
Meta doubles down on compute: planning tens of gigawatts for AI
Meta announced Meta Compute, a top-level initiative to coordinate massive data-center and AI compute investments including plans for tens of gigawatts of capacity this decade. The company named...
Moneyball recruiting for AI talent: HelloSky maps hidden candidates
HelloSky is using AI-driven data to map candidates’ real-world impact and uncover AI talent outside traditional Silicon Valley networks. Founder Alex Bates argues the platform corrects pedigree...
Campus debate intensifies: free speech and illiberalism under scrutiny
Two recent essays sparked renewed debate about free speech and ideological division on campuses. Reader responses to a Harvard guest essay argued many universities still fail to protect open...
KPMG’s Lakehouse repurposed: $450M training hub fuels AI learning
KPMG’s $450 million Lakehouse in Orlando—originally timed with the pandemic—has become a strategic hub for AI training and immersive professional education. The facility now hosts intensive intern...
Questrom dean to retire: Susan Fournier leaves Boston University next year
Boston University announced that Susan Fournier will step down as dean of the Questrom School of Business on June 30, 2026 and retire from the university at the end of the calendar year. Provost...