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Universities spent millions lobbying in 2025 — money followed policy fights
Research universities and higher‑education coalitions spent heavily on lobbying in 2025 to shape legislation on financial aid, international student policy, AI governance, and visa restrictions....
Faculty alarm over AI—teaching agency becomes central debate
Campus commentators and faculty groups are pressing colleges to teach student agency in the age of generative AI, warning that overreliance on homework automation will erode critical thinking....
Morris Brown reinstates president days after firing — board reverses course
Morris Brown College reversed course and reinstated President Kevin James after the board concluded his earlier termination didn’t follow contractual and procedural rules. The historically Black...
States expand oversight of faculty: course reviews and post‑tenure rules rise
A flurry of state‑level actions is reshaping faculty governance: Texas A&M’s new course‑review process led to the cancellation of a graduate class after administrators said it violated a policy...
UT-Austin shutters teaching center: Provost orders closures, faculty stunned
The University of Texas at Austin announced the closure of its Center for Teaching and Learning and three other student- and faculty-facing units effective at semester’s end. Provost William...
Education Department drops appeal: Anti‑DEI Dear Colleague move retreats
The U.S. Department of Education filed to dismiss its appeal in litigation over a sweeping anti‑DEI Dear Colleague letter, effectively pausing the agency’s effort to enforce guidance that...
Florida board mulls H‑1B hiring pause at public universities: One‑year proposal seeks to curb foreign faculty hires
Florida’s university system is considering a proposal to bar public campuses from using new H‑1B visas through Jan. 5, 2027, a policy the Board of Governors will put up for public comment. The...
Boards and governance shift in states: Virginia appointments and Kansas teaching mandates reshape oversight
State governance changes are forcing major governing‑board and policy shifts across campuses. In Virginia, newly installed Democratic officials moved quickly to replace board members, oust campus...
Morris Brown reverses firing: Board reinstates president after procedural review
Morris Brown College reinstated President Kevin James days after terminating him, citing procedural and contractual irregularities in his earlier removal. The HBCU’s board said the initial...
AI in teaching: Faculty alarm meets industry push for guided adoption
Faculty are raising alarms about generative AI’s effects on learning—warning of diminished critical thinking, shorter attention spans, increased cheating, and weakened degree value—while industry...
Admissions friction: Early‑decision surge and AI reshape the funnel
Colleges are confronting a clogged admissions pipeline as early‑decision (ED) programs expand and legal challenges mount. A detailed analysis shows elite institutions admit growing shares of their...
Campus climate and enforcement: ICE raids heighten fears, disrupt Minnesota students
Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations across the Twin Cities have created an atmosphere of fear on campuses and in surrounding communities, university officials say. Students and families...
Federal uncertainty and legal costs: Institutions report planning strain as settlements mount
College leaders say federal policy unpredictability is undermining long‑range planning, while legal settlements drained hundreds of millions from campuses in 2025. An American Council on Education...
Early‑grade learning signals: Attendance and self‑regulation link to long‑term outcomes
New research is sharpening the attendance threshold that signals academic risk: a study of 9,000 Boston students finds absenteeism rates as low as 3–7% can predict below‑grade performance later,...
Education Dept. drops appeal — anti‑DEI funding block stands
The U.S. Department of Education moved to dismiss its appeal of a federal judge’s order that blocked the administration’s anti‑DEI funding guidance. The department’s withdrawal leaves in place a...
Penn rebuffs EEOC subpoena — won’t give names of Jewish staff
The University of Pennsylvania asked a federal judge to deny the EEOC’s subpoena demanding detailed employee records, including lists of Jewish faculty and staff, arguing the request is...
Policy shock: college leaders warn federal moves are crippling planning
Nearly all senior higher‑education leaders report that federal policymaking is creating acute uncertainty for institutional planning, according to a recent pulse survey by the American Council on...
Admissions funnel clogged — early‑decision surge faces lawsuit
A legal challenge and growing criticism are targeting early‑decision admissions practices as colleges increasingly lock in large shares of incoming classes. Plaintiffs have sued 32 selective...
Faculty alarm: AI is reshaping classrooms — many warn of harm
Two national surveys and coverage of campus debate show faculty increasingly view generative AI as a net negative in teaching. Instructors told researchers and reporters they worry students will...
Governance clampdown: states expand oversight of courses and tenure
Several states and public systems are tightening oversight of faculty teaching and post‑tenure reviews, prompting course cancellations and faculty protests. Texas A&M’s new systemwide policy...