Get the Daily Brief
Latest Higher Education News
Mental‑health funding whiplash: Project AWARE grants canceled — then restored
The administration abruptly canceled up to $2 billion in school mental‑health and addiction grants, including Project AWARE awards that fund training, screening and referral services in K‑12 and...
U. of Arkansas rescinds law-dean hire — Lawmakers cite trans‑athlete brief
The University of Arkansas abruptly withdrew its offer to law professor Emily Suski after Republican state lawmakers raised objections to her signing of an amicus brief supporting transgender...
Education Dept. details higher‑ed staff to Labor — Grants pulled and restored
The U.S. Department of Education is transferring staff who run higher‑education grant programs to the Labor Department as part of an interagency detail intended to shift grant administration;...
Students favor community colleges and certificates — enrollment mix shifts
New data from the National Student Clearinghouse show overall postsecondary enrollment rose about 1% in fall 2025, but the increase concentrated at community colleges and in short‑term...
Education Department opens 18 Title IX investigations into trans‑athlete policies
The Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights launched investigations into 18 school districts and colleges over athletic policies that allow transgender students to compete on teams matching...
Harvard tenure fight lands in court — 'community standards' at issue
Former Harvard Business School professor Ben Edelman has sued HBS after the school denied him tenure despite faculty and administrative findings that he met intellectual and teaching standards....
Courts intervene in deportation fights — protections sought for academics and activists
Federal judges are increasingly at the center of disputes over immigration enforcement on college campuses. A Boston judge signaled plans to issue protections for noncitizen academics who testify...
AI reshapes assessment and instruction — detection tech and AI co‑teachers emerge
Colleges and faculty are recalibrating assessments as generative AI becomes ubiquitous. Some instructors argue reliable AI‑use detection tools would let them preserve analytic papers; others have...
Small colleges under strain — Hampshire audit warns of closure; CCA to close, Vanderbilt steps in
Hampshire College’s fiscal‑year audit warns the private Massachusetts college faces closure risk if it cannot refinance bonds and stabilize operations, citing covenant breaches, declining net...
Michigan hires Syracuse chancellor — $3M pay package and a campus in crisis
The University of Michigan is set to appoint Syracuse chancellor Kent Syverud as its next president with a contract that could push total compensation toward $3 million a year, a sum that would...
States roll back ABA gatekeeping — Florida ends ABA‑degree bar requirement
The Florida Supreme Court eliminated the state rule that required bar applicants to hold degrees from law schools accredited by the American Bar Association, joining Texas in scaling back the...
ED details higher‑ed grant staff to Labor — agency reshapes program delivery
The U.S. Department of Education is sending higher‑education grant staff to the Labor Department as part of an interagency agreement that shifts administration of several postsecondary grant...
Department unveils earnings test — programs could lose student‑loan eligibility
Federal officials advanced a proposed earnings metric that would force postsecondary programs to demonstrate graduate earnings above comparable peers or risk losing access to Federal Direct Loans....
Education Department opens 18 Title IX probes — transgender athlete policies targeted
The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has launched investigations into 18 school districts and colleges over policies that allow transgender students to participate in sports...
Courts and campuses collide: judges weigh protections for noncitizen academics
Federal judges and appeals panels are grappling with legal fights over the detention and deportation of noncitizen students and scholars involved in pro‑Palestinian activism. A federal judge in...
Small colleges under pressure — CCA to close, Hampshire warns of default risk
Financial distress at small private colleges intensified this week: California College of the Arts announced it will wind down operations after the 2026–27 year and transfer its San Francisco...
Portland State reverses layoffs — faculty governance and political recycling in play
Portland State University will reinstate 10 non‑tenure‑track faculty members after an arbitrator found the university violated its collective‑bargaining agreement. President Ann Cudd said...
Political pressure reshapes hiring and discipline on campus — Arkansas rescinds offer, dozens punished
State lawmakers’ scrutiny of campus hiring and faculty speech intensified as the University of Arkansas withdrew a dean offer after Republican legislators objected to the candidate’s prior...
Enrollment shifts accelerate — community colleges and short credentials gain ground
New data show students increasingly favor two‑year degrees and short‑term credentials: a National Student Clearinghouse report and sector coverage note that fall 2025 enrollment rose about 1%,...
GenAI co‑teacher and campus AI services scale — teaching, and student care, go digital
Indiana University launched GenAI 101 with an animated AI co‑teacher called Crimson and has enrolled roughly 107,000 learners across campuses and departments, demonstrating a rapid institutional...