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Syllabi go public: UNC system to treat course materials as public records
The University of North Carolina System adopted a policy to treat course syllabi as public records as of Jan. 15 and will require instructors to post searchable syllabi online beginning in the...
CSU trade workers authorize strike: Teamsters push back over unpaid raises
Members of Teamsters Local 2010, representing roughly 1,100 skilled trades workers across the 22‑campus California State University system, voted to authorize a statewide strike after CSU declined...
Pomona and Claremont Graduate enter exclusive talks — merger option on the table
Pomona College and Claremont Graduate University confirmed exclusive, confidential talks about a potential transaction that could make CGU a legal subsidiary of Pomona while preserving CGU’s name,...
Graduate loan caps loom: analysis warns of talent pipeline damage
Analysts and academics warn that the One Big Beautiful Bill Act’s restructuring of federal graduate lending — eliminating Graduate PLUS and imposing lifetime borrowing caps ($200,000 for some...
Accreditation shake-up: Trump team moves to reshape oversight
The Department of Education and the Justice Department have taken coordinated steps this month to rewire higher-education oversight. At a Dec. 16 NACIQI meeting, Under Secretary Nicholas Kent...
Wage seizures return: Education Dept. to begin garnishing defaulted student pay
The U.S. Department of Education will start notifying defaulted federal student‑loan borrowers in early January that their wages can be garnished, the agency said this month. The first wave of...
Clery probe at Brown: Feds step in after deadly campus shooting
The U.S. Department of Education has opened a Clery Act review of Brown University following a campus shooting that left two students dead, Secretary Linda McMahon announced. The probe will...
Syllabi transparency vs. expression: UNC mandates public posting amid campus disputes
The University of North Carolina System has declared class syllabi public records effective Jan. 15 and will require faculty to post searchable syllabi starting in 2026–27. The policy specifies...
CSU trade crews vote strike: Teamsters authorize systemwide action
Members of Teamsters Local 2010, representing about 1,100 skilled trades employees across the 22‑campus California State University system, authorized a strike this week after the CSU declined to...
Court restores school mental‑health grants: Legal pushback mounts against ED rollbacks
A federal judge ordered the permanent reinstatement of school‑based mental‑health grants in 16 states, finding the Education Department unlawfully canceled multiyear awards this spring. Judge...
Small college consolidation talks: Pomona and Claremont Graduate enter exclusive negotiations
Pomona College and Claremont Graduate University confirmed they have entered exclusive, nonbinding talks about a potential transaction after months of confidential discussions. CGU said it seeks a...
Deepfakes in schools: AI‑generated sexual images force policy reckoning
Schools across the U.S. and elsewhere are confronting a surge in AI‑generated sexually explicit deepfakes of students. Reporting this season documents instances where manipulated images spread...
Faculty firing at Oklahoma: Instructor removed after zero on gender essay
The University of Oklahoma removed and later fired a graduate teaching assistant after an investigation concluded she graded a student’s psychology assignment arbitrarily, giving a zero to a paper...
Ransomware rampage: Universities face a new cyber front
Cybersecurity firms report a sharp rise in ransomware and related attacks against colleges and universities in 2025, with education organizations seeing thousands of attempted breaches weekly....
Accreditation under overhaul: Trump aides remake NACIQI
The Education Department moved this month to remake the federal advisory panel that oversees accreditation, signaling a wholesale shift in how colleges are judged. At a Dec. 16 NACIQI meeting...
DOJ memo: Key federal MSI grants unconstitutional
The Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel issued a memo this month concluding that several federal grant programs targeted to minority‑serving institutions (MSIs) run afoul of...
Judge orders restoration: ED must reinstate student mental‑health grants
A federal judge has permanently restored two multi‑year Education Department mental‑health grant programs in 16 states, ruling that the department’s April cancellation was unlawful. U.S. District...
Education Dept. to begin wage garnishments: Notices to start Jan. 7
The Department of Education announced it will begin sending wage‑garnishment notices to a first batch of borrowers in default the week of Jan. 7, a policy shift that restarts active collections...
Education Department opens Clery probe at Brown after campus shooting
The Department of Education opened a review of Brown University to determine whether the university met its Clery Act obligations after a campus shooting that killed two students. Secretary Linda...
UNC system makes syllabi public: Syllabi treated as public records
The University of North Carolina System adopted a policy requiring course syllabi to be treated as public records and posted to a searchable online platform beginning in 2026–27. The policy...