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State Department freezes immigrant visas for 75 countries: campuses brace
The U.S. State Department announced a pause on immigrant visa processing for nationals of 75 countries effective Jan. 21, a step university leaders warned could disrupt the flow of future...
Former OpenAI policy chief launches AVERI — pushes independent AI audits
Miles Brundage announced the AI Verification and Evaluation Research Institute (AVERI), a nonprofit to advocate for independent, third‑party audits of frontier AI models and for audit standards...
AI in the classroom... Teachers split over promise and peril
K–12 educators and researchers remain divided on generative AI’s role in classrooms, with proponents citing efficiency gains for lesson planning and grading and skeptics warning of weakened...
Portland State to reinstate laid‑off faculty; Morris Brown president removed
Portland State University said it will comply with an arbitrator’s ruling and reinstate 10 nontenure‑track faculty members laid off last June, reversing an earlier administrative position and...
Record state censorship bills and new Texas complaint portal reshape campus oversight
A new report found state legislatures enacted a record 21 higher‑education censorship bills in 2025, measures that range from curricular control to limits on faculty governance. In Texas, the...
Presidential pay spikes and abrupt exits: Michigan contract, Nebraska departure
The University of Michigan’s incoming president, Kent Syverud, could earn up to $3 million annually under a contract that includes significant bonuses and retirement contributions — a package that...
State Department pauses immigrant visas: 75 countries affected
The State Department announced a freeze on immigrant-visa processing for 75 countries, effective Jan. 21, placing a sudden chokehold on a pipeline that sent more than 200,000 students to U.S....
Enrollment edges up: community colleges drive a 1% rise
U.S. postsecondary enrollment rose 1% in fall 2025 versus the prior year, driven mainly by gains at community colleges and public four-year institutions, the National Student Clearinghouse...
New endowment tax reshapes higher ed: institutions recalibrate
A new federal endowment tax enacted under recent legislation is already forcing colleges and university foundations to rethink investment, spending, and gift strategies, University Business...
California College of the Arts to close — Vanderbilt to acquire campus
California College of the Arts announced it will wind down operations by the end of the 2026–27 academic year after years of declining enrollment and a persistent structural deficit; Vanderbilt...
Education Department opens 18 Title IX investigations: transgender athlete policies targeted
The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights announced 18 separate Title IX investigations into K‑12 and higher‑education systems over policies that allow transgender students to...
DOJ report deepens MSI funding concerns — advocates warn of cascading risks
A recent Department of Justice report intensified worries among advocates for minority‑serving institutions (MSIs) by implying new legal and funding vulnerabilities after the Department of...
Big public pay packages and abrupt exits: governance under pressure
Two governance stories landed this week: the University of Michigan disclosed a contract that could pay incoming president Kent Syverud up to $3 million annually — a package that would rank among...
Faculty governance and leadership turnover: arbitrator orders reinstatements; HBCU president removed
Portland State University said it will comply with an arbitrator’s order to reinstate 10 nontenure‑track faculty members who were laid off last June, ending a months‑long labor dispute after the...
State censorship and accreditation shifts: lawmakers press universities on DEI and governance
A report found state lawmakers enacted a record 21 higher‑education censorship bills in 2025, covering curriculum controls and new limits on faculty governance; the vast majority came from...
Senate shields research spending — Education Dept. proposes earnings test across programs
Senate spending proposals advanced this week would largely preserve scientific research funding, rejecting deep cuts requested by the administration and proposing roughly $188.3 billion for...
Student deportations: courts, apologies and campus fallout
A federal court hearing has moved the spotlight onto a string of deportation cases affecting noncitizen students, triggering apologies from government lawyers and fresh litigation. In Boston...
International student pipeline... visa freeze and China’s new exam
The State Department announced a pause on immigrant-visa processing for applicants from 75 countries—many of them significant sources of international students—creating fresh uncertainty for...
Enrollment nudges: overall growth — but uneven and online surges
National fall enrollment rose roughly 1% in 2025, driven mainly by community colleges and public four‑year institutions, according to National Student Clearinghouse data and sector analyses. The...
Title IX probe: Education Dept. opens multiple investigations — court weighs bans
The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights launched 18 new Title IX investigations into policies that allow transgender students to compete on sports teams aligning with their gender...