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Federal education funding is being reprogrammed and lapsed on a large scale
The U.S. Department of Education acknowledged that it diverted about $1 billion appropriated by Congress for specific education programs early in President Trump’s second term and left roughly...
Faculty and academic freedom under pressure from state “divisive concepts” laws
A new Ithaka S+R faculty survey released this week found that nearly a third of faculty members in red states say they have censored their research due to state laws restricting how “divisive...
Some colleges are trying to win in AI-driven college search—but citations and visibility remain hard
A new industry look at enrollment marketing highlights how AI-supported search is changing how students find colleges, with nearly half of high schoolers using AI tools to research institutions....
Texas A&M builds a system-wide student chatbot by reducing data silos
Texas A&M University System leaders said they are expanding an AI-driven student engagement platform built to connect previously siloed student-support knowledge across a 12-campus system. The...
Student success and learning design: Rady Action Project pushes MBA consulting into real client work
The Rady School of Management’s Rady Action Project is moving MBA students from class-like problem sets to client-facing consulting engagements before internships. Program leaders said the...
AI cybersecurity tools are changing the vulnerability timeline—Anthropic’s Mythos case highlights escalation risk
A Discord group’s unauthorized access to Anthropic’s Mythos cybersecurity model is drawing attention to how AI can compress the timeline from finding vulnerabilities to exploiting them. The report...
Accreditation and board oversight in conflict: USC Marshall faculty revolt signals governance breakdown risk
A letter delivered by 52 business professors to USC Marshall Dean Geoffrey Garrett alleges a “downward trajectory” at the Marshall School of Business, citing academic reputation, research...
Institutional closures: Anna Maria College board votes to shut down amid funding shortfall
Anna Maria College in Massachusetts will close at the end of its spring term after years of financial pressure, the institution said. The board’s decision cited operating deficits it said it could...
Student mental health: study finds early 988 hotline impact on young adult suicides
A JAMA-published study reported that suicide deaths among 15- to 23-year-olds were 11% lower than expected after the 988 lifeline launched, based on comparisons of modeled counterfactuals using...
AI-driven enrollment and student support tech continues to expand infrastructure—higher ed chatbot readiness becomes a model
Although not higher education-focused at its core, Texas A&M’s chatbot build reflects a broader pattern: institutions are operationalizing AI student support through infrastructure and data...
Campus closures and financial distress signal mounting vulnerability in small colleges
Anna Maria College, a Catholic institution in Massachusetts, announced it will close at the end of the spring term after years of financial pressure and deteriorating reserves. The board cited...
State board actions reshape degree offerings amid enrollment and workforce targets
The Iowa Board of Regents approved eliminating 10 programs across the University of Iowa and the University of Northern Iowa, with program closures or mergers tied to low-enrollment thresholds....
AI-driven student support expands as universities tackle data silos and retention risk
Texas A&M University System leaders said they are scaling a new AI-driven student engagement platform designed to personalize support for Pell Grant-eligible students, while directing students to...
Faculty governance and political climate fuel academic freedom and research self-censorship
A newly released survey finds nearly one-third of faculty in red states say they have censored their own research due to state “divisive concepts” laws restricting how topics related to race and...
Federal funding execution faces scrutiny as education money shifts or lapses
A report based on U.S. Department of Education budget documents says the agency redirected or failed to spend roughly $1 billion in education funding that Congress had appropriated for specific...
Enrollment and affordability pressures drive faster campus decisions—and closures risk contagion
The closure decision at Anna Maria College illustrates how enrollment declines, limited liquidity, and regulatory oversight can converge into an irreversible timeline for institutions under...
Teacher and student mental health: evidence points to measurable impact and persistent gaps
A JAMA study reported that suicide deaths among 15- to 23-year-olds were 11% lower than expected after the launch of the 988 lifeline, using nationwide death certificate records from 1999 to 2022....
AI in higher ed search and admissions marketing becomes a measurable operational lever
Colleges are racing to show up in AI-driven search experiences as prospective students increasingly rely on AI-supported tools to research programs. Reporting highlights “answer-engine...
Faculty support and curriculum relevance: AI-era teaching requires operational integrity, not just tools
A new analysis argues that student evaluations of teaching are structurally unreliable and can erode academic integrity by rewarding leniency rather than learning. The article notes that at many...
Campus technology and data privacy pressures: AI-enabled cybersecurity tools raise stakes for universities and researchers
A reported breach involving Anthropic’s Mythos access by a Discord group is fueling new cybersecurity concerns for higher ed and research organizations adopting advanced AI security tools. The...