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Latest Higher Education News

Federal funding disruption and targeted grants — $12B hit amid new civics dollars

January 18, 2026

A year of federal funding shifts has disrupted billions in K–12 and higher‑education grants, with Education Week documenting more than $12 billion in canceled, delayed or reallocated awards under...

Spanberger installs new trustees — Virginia university governance shaken

January 18, 2026

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger moved quickly after her inauguration to remake governance at the state’s public universities, appointing new board members at multiple campuses and prompting...

DeSantis courted a conservative scholar — UF presidency offer rebuffed

January 18, 2026

Florida’s gubernatorial intervention in the University of Florida presidency intensified after Gov. Ron DeSantis flew to New Jersey to offer the job to Princeton professor Robert P. George — an...

University of Arkansas rescinds law dean hire — political pressure cited

January 18, 2026

The University of Arkansas abruptly reversed its decision to hire Emily Suski as law school dean after state lawmakers and other external stakeholders objected to her signing a legal brief...

Harvard denies tenure despite scholarly support — community standards invoked

January 18, 2026

Harvard Business School rejected tenure for professor Benjamin Edelman even after faculty committees and the former dean acknowledged his scholarly and teaching credentials, citing the school’s...

AI arrives in class... Professors and schools scramble to adapt

January 18, 2026

College instructors and English departments are recalibrating course design as large-language models proliferate on campuses, shifting from outright bans toward mitigation, pedagogy redesign and...

Education Department delays collections — critics call it political giveaway

January 18, 2026

The U.S. Education Department temporarily paused plans to seize tax refunds and garnish wages from borrowers in default, delaying enforcement tools that had been set to resume. The rollback halts...

New earnings test could strip Title IV from low‑earning programs

January 18, 2026

Department of Education negotiators reached consensus on an earnings-based accountability test that would deny Federal Direct Loans to postsecondary programs whose graduates earn no more, on...

Enrollment shifts: community colleges surge, bachelor demand stalls

January 18, 2026

New national enrollment data show a notable shift: total undergraduate enrollment rose to its highest level in a decade, driven almost entirely by community colleges, associate programs and...

Government admits mistaken deportation of college student — campus fallout

January 18, 2026

Federal prosecutors acknowledged an ICE officer mistakenly deported a Massachusetts college freshman to Honduras, apologizing for the error as the student seeks to return. The case has highlighted...

Syracuse chancellor faces Michigan’s turmoil — tasked with steadying flagship

January 18, 2026

University of Michigan hired Kent Syverud, chancellor of Syracuse, to steady its flagship campus after a string of leadership controversies, athletic‑department scandals and recent presidential...

Spanberger moves fast: Virginia governor reshapes university boards

January 18, 2026

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger moved within hours of her inauguration to replace trustees across the state’s public universities, installing new board members at three schools and signaling an...

DeSantis intervenes: UF presidency offer goes public — conservative scholar declines

January 18, 2026

Gov. Ron DeSantis personally floated the University of Florida presidency to Princeton scholar Robert P. George and, after George declined, the governor pressed another conservative candidate who...

Harvard tenure fight... community standards cited in denial

January 18, 2026

Harvard Business School denied tenure to Benjamin Edelman despite what then-dean Nitin Nohria described as a strong academic record, citing ‘community standards’ as the decisive factor. Edelman...

Arkansas rescinds law-dean hire after political backlash

January 18, 2026

The University of Arkansas reversed its appointment of Emily Suski as law school dean after state lawmakers and external stakeholders objected to her signing a legal brief supporting the rights of...

Professors rework assessments as AI arrives in classrooms

January 18, 2026

As large language models become classroom tools, some writing and English faculty are adapting pedagogy to reduce anxiety and preserve learning outcomes. Instructors are experimenting with...

College staff overworked — AI and collaboration pitched as relief

January 18, 2026

A CDW Artificial Intelligence Research Report finds higher-education staff expect AI and collaboration tools to cut workloads, streamline workflows and speed innovation. Respondents cited...

Hampshire College flagged as at-risk — bond defaults threaten survival

January 18, 2026

Hampshire College’s latest audit warns of a material risk to the institution’s survival if it cannot refinance debt. The private Massachusetts college breached bond covenants last June; auditors...

Arbitrator orders reinstatement — Portland State reverses layoffs but faces deficit

January 18, 2026

Portland State University agreed to reinstate ten non-tenure-track faculty members after an independent arbitrator ruled the layoffs violated the collective-bargaining agreement. University...

Federal policy squeeze: ED staff shift and new earnings test threaten aid and grants

January 18, 2026

The Education Department is detailing higher-education grant staff to the Labor Department as part of an interagency move to outsource administration of several postsecondary programs. ED says...