Get the Daily Brief
Latest Higher Education News
Manhunt ends in Brown and MIT killings — campus security and investigative lessons
A multi-state manhunt ended when authorities found the suspect in the Brown University lecture-hall shooting and the later killing of an MIT professor dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound inside...
Rising costs squeeze campuses and students — budgets tighten as student hunger spikes
Colleges face two converging cost pressures: rising institutional operating expenses and growing student need for basic supports. Commonfund’s Higher Education Price Index recorded 3.6% inflation...
Legal fights and academic freedom — courts weigh government pressure on campuses
Scholars and legal analysts say 2025 has featured an unprecedented wave of government actions and state laws aimed at reshaping campus speech, curriculum and administrative policy. Recent federal...
UVA board names Darden dean — pick lands amid board controversy
The University of Virginia’s Board of Visitors unanimously selected Scott C. Beardsley, dean of the Darden School of Business, as the university’s next president effective Jan. 1. The vote, taken...
Trump administration appeals Harvard ruling — fight over $2.2bn research freeze continues
The Trump administration filed an appeal with the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals seeking to overturn a federal judge’s decision that blocked the government’s roughly $2.2 billion freeze of...
Accreditation oversight under scrutiny: committee probes reforms but stalls major action
The National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI) met under the Trump administration amid partisan friction over leadership and the future of accreditors, but left...
AAUP raises alarm over Palantir contract — Education Dept. portal under scrutiny
The American Association of University Professors publicly criticized the Education Department’s use of Palantir technology on the foreignfundinghighered.gov portal, calling for transparency about...
2025 broke research trust — mass grant terminations shook universities
This year’s sweeping federal grant terminations and policy changes disrupted established research relationships and eroded trust between investigators and federal agencies. Multiple institutions...
Colleges face rising operating costs — HEPI inflation hits 3.6% in 2025
Colleges and universities reported higher-than-expected operating cost inflation in 2025, with Commonfund’s Higher Education Price Index at 3.6% for the year. Institutions cited volatile...
Christian Brothers U. to cut 16 faculty — financial restructuring continues
Christian Brothers University announced plans to eliminate 16 full-time faculty positions at the end of the spring semester as part of efforts to balance the operating budget and reposition the...
UNC plans to close area-studies centers — $7M in savings targeted
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is preparing to sunset six area-studies centers in 2026 as part of a plan to streamline centers and institutes and save roughly $7 million annually....
AFT sues over stalled loan relief processing — 800,000 applications backlog alleged
The American Federation of Teachers accused the Department of Education of failing to process a backlog of income-driven repayment (IDR) and loan-forgiveness applications, citing more than 800,000...
Teach Access fellowship expands accessibility training — faculty cohort model
The Teach Access Fellowship Program, launched in 2023, continues to scale as a year-long cohort initiative training faculty and academic staff to embed accessibility into curricula and digital...
UVA picks Darden dean – board ends search amid partisan fight
The University of Virginia’s Board of Visitors unanimously selected Scott C. Beardsley, dean of UVA’s Darden School of Business, to become president effective Jan. 1, 2026. The GOP-appointed board...
Trump administration appeals Harvard funding ruling – legal battle over research money continues
The Trump administration filed an appeal with the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals seeking to overturn a federal judge’s decision that blocked the administration’s roughly $2.2 billion freeze of...
Accreditation oversight… courts split on academic freedom
Federal oversight of accreditation and legal attacks on campus practices intensified this month, with the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI) convening...
Department and negotiators agree Workforce Pell framework – short-term aid rules set
Department of Education negotiators reached consensus on core regulatory elements for the new Workforce Pell Grant program, marking a major step toward expanding Pell eligibility to short-term,...
AAUP flags Palantir role on Education Dept. portal – transparency and surveillance concerns
The American Association of University Professors publicly raised alarms after reporting that Palantir, a data-mining and AI contractor with ties to defense and immigration agencies, was involved...
AFT says Education Dept backlog stalls IDR and PSLF applicants – union seeks enforcement
The American Federation of Teachers warned that the Department of Education has accumulated a backlog of more than 800,000 applications for income‑driven repayment (IDR) plans and related...
Christian Brothers trims faculty as finances stabilize – 16 positions cut
Christian Brothers University announced plans to eliminate 16 full‑time faculty positions at the end of its spring semester as part of a continued restructuring after severe budget stress. Interim...