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Small-college pressure: Iowa privates vow closures—Brandeis warns of mass exits
Iowa private colleges warned lawmakers that letting community colleges award bachelor’s degrees could force some private campuses to close. Gary Steinke of the Iowa Association of Independent...
Morris Brown reverses course: president rehired after board misstep
Morris Brown College reinstated President Kevin James one week after the board abruptly terminated him, saying the separation did not comply with contractual and procedural requirements. The...
Education Department pared down: postsecondary staff move to Labor — collections paused
The Department of Education has moved the Higher Education Programs Division into the Department of Labor as part of an interagency realignment emphasizing workforce outcomes. Officials described...
Faculty alarm: generative AI seen as a threat to critical thinking
Faculty across institutions are expressing deep concern about generative AI’s classroom impact. An AAC&U survey and related polling found large majorities of professors worry AI will erode...
Preparing students for an AI workforce: institutions urged to build literacy and tutors
Higher-education leaders and professional services staff are pushing institutions to build AI literacy and operationalize AI-assisted workflows. Opinion and guidance pieces call for staff-level AI...
Legal fallout: universities paid hundreds of millions as federal enforcement recedes
A United Educators analysis and related reporting show colleges faced hundreds of millions in settlements during 2025 across sexual-abuse, antitrust, cybersecurity and pandemic-era claims. The...
Leadership churn at MSIs: UNCF flags short HBCU presidencies as funding pressures mount
A UNCF Institute report found presidents at historically Black colleges and universities serve just over four years on average—shorter tenures than peers at other institutions. UNCF urged boards...
Microcollege push: former Northland faculty explore small, community‑focused model
Former faculty from the shuttered Northland College are exploring a microcollege model focused on small cohorts, work-integrated learning and community governance. The Northland Collaborative is...
Political squeeze: Trump’s first year reshapes higher ed—censorship laws spread
Industry analyses and sector roundups catalog how the first year of the Trump administration reshaped higher education: dozens of federal investigations, disrupted research funding, and new rules...
Appropriators Defy White House: Propose Boost to NIH, Keep Education Department Intact
Congressional appropriators released a bipartisan spending proposal that would preserve Department of Education programs and maintain or increase funding for research agencies, signaling a clear...
Nearly All College Leaders Say Federal Policy Uncertainty Is Disrupting Planning
An American Council on Education pulse survey found 98% of senior higher education leaders report federal policymaking has injected uncertainty into institutional planning. Presidents and campus...
OCR Pullback: Education Department Opens Far Fewer Sexual‑Violence Investigations
Investigations into campus sexual violence by the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights have dropped sharply since the Trump administration’s staffing cuts, according to AP reporting...
Colleges Face Large Liability: Settlements Top Hundreds of Millions in 2025
A United Educators analysis shows universities and affiliated hospitals paid hundreds of millions in settlements during 2025 across a range of legal exposures. The largest reported settlement...
University of Pennsylvania Rejects Federal Demand for Lists of Jewish Employees
The University of Pennsylvania publicly rebuked a federal request that sought lists of Jewish staff, framing the demand as a troubling effort that recalls ‘‘a frightening’’ history. The university...
Morris Brown Reinstates Turnaround President After Procedural Review
Morris Brown College reinstated President Kevin James just days after the Board of Trustees abruptly fired him, saying the initial separation ‘‘did not fully comply’’ with contractual and...
UNCF Finds Rapid Turnover at HBCU Presidencies—Calls for Board Training
A UNCF Institute for Capacity Building report found presidents at historically Black colleges and universities serve markedly shorter tenures than their peers—an average 4.22 years overall, with...
Education Dept. Pauses Involuntary Wage Garnishment as Repayment Rules Shift
The Department of Education announced a surprise pause on plans to garnish wages of defaulted borrowers while it implements sweeping repayment reforms under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act....
Judge Orders Reconsideration of Canceled TRIO Grants
A federal judge ordered the Department of Education to reconsider decisions that canceled TRIO grants, ruling the agency did not adequately explain the actions or follow statutory and regulatory...
Brandeis President Warns: Up to 25% of Colleges Could Close Amid Fiscal Strain
Brandeis University’s new president told an AEI event that 20–25% of U.S. colleges may close in coming years, citing structural challenges and a shifting market. The warning joins an industry‑wide...
Congress Rejects Trump Cuts — Keeps NIH, Education Funding Intact
Congressional appropriators released a bipartisan spending package this week that refuses the Trump administration’s proposed deep cuts to the Department of Education and the National Institutes...