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DOE rulemaking: community letters and AIM negotiator picks
Stakeholders weighed in on the Department of Education’s rulemaking and advisory structures this week with formal community letters and nominations tied to the Accreditation, Innovation and...
Boston University removes pride flags — free-speech fight spills to faculty
Boston University quietly removed pride flags displayed in outward-facing faculty office windows, prompting faculty criticism and a debate over institutional speech rules. University President...
Student media sues University of Alabama after sudden magazine suspensions
Student staffers at the University of Alabama sued the university trustees this week after officials abruptly suspended two campus magazines published for women and Black students. Plaintiffs...
Faculty labor escalates: NYU professors strike; Portland campuses closed
Two major faculty and staff labor actions hit higher ed this week: roughly 950 non-tenure-track NYU faculty staged a walkout seeking higher pay and job protections, and Portland Community...
Canvas and campuses test AI grading and assessment fixes
Canvas rolled out an AI teaching agent this week designed to automate low-value instructional tasks while stopping short of fully automating grading, and the University of Sydney published a...
Students and faculty worry critical thinking is eroding as AI use surges
A new RAND survey and campus initiatives capture mounting concern: nearly seven in 10 K–College students report worry that AI use is harming critical thinking, and institutions like Cornell are...
Leadership shuffle: new presidents and rapid transitions at dozens of colleges
Several colleges announced leadership changes this month as institutions balanced growth agendas and governance scrutiny. Ohio State named Ravi V. Bellamkonda as its 18th president following...
Accreditation and accountability: CHEA report and federal warnings hit accreditors
The Council for Higher Education Accreditation released its annual report as the Education Department escalated oversight of accreditors, issuing warnings to two agencies over lingering...
Boston University pulls pride flags: campus speech policy tests boundaries
Boston University removed pride flags from outward-facing faculty office windows this month, citing a long-standing policy barring signs visible to campus. President Melissa L. Gilliam framed the...
Education Dept. opens probes into Harvard – antisemitism and admissions under review
The U.S. Department of Education launched two new investigations into Harvard University this week: one into alleged harassment of Jewish students and another into continuing use of race in...
AIM committee nominations: proprietary, workforce and state negotiators named
Community letters surfaced this week nominating negotiators to the Department of Education’s Accreditation, Innovation, and Modernization (AIM) Committee. Michael Zimmerman was put forward to...
Department of Education rule comments mount: RISE, H.R.1 implementation in focus
Stakeholder letters and comment filings are converging on two major Education Department initiatives: the RISE (Reimagining and Improving Student Education) Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and the...
Universities pilot new assessment models as AI reshapes grading and academic integrity
Colleges are redesigning assessment to accommodate widespread AI use. The University of Sydney implemented an assignment menu that permits AI tools for much work outside class while preserving...
Faculty walkouts escalate: NYU and Portland campuses face major strikes
Two large faculty actions unfolded this week: roughly 950 full‑time non‑tenure‑track NYU professors walked out seeking pay and job protections, and Portland Community College’s classified and...
Program cuts and belt‑tightening spread: community college and humanities reductions
Fiscal stress is driving program and position cuts at multiple institutions. Lane Community College in Oregon proposed eliminating roughly 20 positions and suspending two programs to close a...
Accreditation oversight intensifies as CHEA report and ED warnings spotlight DEI standards
Accreditation and federal oversight returned to the top of higher‑ed agendas this week. The Council for Higher Education Accreditation published its 2024–2025 annual report reaffirming...
Enrollment signals shift: GMAC survey and graduate‑outcomes scrutiny
The 2026 GMAC prospective‑students survey reveals shifting priorities for graduate management applicants: prospective business‑school candidates now prioritize clear ROI and AI fluency over career...
Campus civic engagement under pressure: voter‑registration programs and in‑state policy disputes
Federal policy changes and state actions are constraining campus voter outreach and access. The Trump administration moved to limit a federal program that hires low‑income students to register...
Harvard under federal scrutiny: dual probes target antisemitism and admissions
The Department of Education and the Justice Department have opened concurrent inquiries into Harvard University this week. The Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights launched an...
Universities reshuffle leadership — new presidents, rapid turnover on several campuses
A wave of presidential appointments and leadership transitions swept multiple campuses this week as universities named new chief executives and replaced departing leaders. Ohio State University...