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Accreditation rewired: politics and a new Southern accreditor reshape standards
The accreditation landscape is becoming overtly political: ten institutions have filed letters of intent with a newly formed Commission for Public Higher Education, part of a push by six Southern...
Campus unrest turns personal: Berkeley protests trigger DOJ probe; presidents add security
Protests at UC Berkeley around a Turning Point USA event led to arrests and prompted a Department of Justice civil- and criminal-investigation response; DOJ officials publicly flagged alleged...
Education Dept narrows applicant-data push: four-year colleges in focus
The U.S. Department of Education refined a controversial plan this week, limiting a new IPEDS Admissions and Consumer Transparency supplement to four-year, selective institutions and exempting...
Accreditation goes political – new regional agency seeks federal recognition
Accreditation, long a technical compliance process, has become a political battleground. Six southern public university systems announced a new regional accreditor this year, and that effort has...
Spanberger asks UVA to pause search: governor-elect seeks board reset
Virginia governor-elect Abigail Spanberger urged the University of Virginia’s Board of Visitors to pause its presidential search until she takes office in January and appoints new trustees....
Texas A&M clamps courses on race and gender — academic freedom under strain
Texas A&M System trustees approved a new policy that restricts classroom teaching on race, gender and sexual orientation unless courses receive prior system approval, citing a viral video and...
UC San Diego report: incoming students’ gaps in basic skills spike
An internal UC San Diego faculty report found a sharp rise in incoming freshmen with severe math and writing deficiencies, with students lacking algebra-level skills increasing nearly thirtyfold...
Common App snapshot: underrepresented applicants rise; internationals slip
The Common App’s early-application brief shows growth in applications from Black, first-generation, low-income and rural students this cycle while international applications fell, led by declines...
Johns Hopkins makes attendance cost-free for most families — aid thresholds raised
Johns Hopkins University announced a sweeping financial-aid revision that eliminates tuition, fees and living expenses for Homewood undergraduates from families earning under $100,000; families up...
Small college collapses and program cuts deepen enrollment squeeze
Sterling College in Vermont announced it will close at the end of the spring semester, citing persistent financial and enrollment challenges; the small work-college had only 78 students in fall...
Faculty labor escalates — reinstatements and strike threats spread
Labor actions and arbitration rulings moved to center stage this week. An independent arbitrator ordered Portland State University to reinstate 10 faculty members, finding the university violated...
International enrollments dip — Gies leans on online growth
The University of Illinois’ Gies College of Business reported steep declines in international on-campus master’s enrollments this fall—some programs down 25–50%—largely tied to lower visa...
Texas A&M tightens classroom rules — faculty council says punishment violated norms
Texas A&M System trustees approved a sweeping policy restricting classroom instruction that “advocates” certain race- and gender-related ideologies, and faculty governance bodies immediately...
UC San Diego... remediation crisis — report flags collapse in math readiness
An internal faculty working group at the University of California, San Diego reported a sharp deterioration in incoming students’ math and writing skills, finding that nearly 12% of the fall 2025...
Spanberger wants UVA search paused: governor‑elect questions board’s legitimacy
Virginia governor‑elect Abigail Spanberger asked the University of Virginia Board of Visitors to pause its presidential search until she takes office and appoints new board members, arguing the...
Accreditation gets political: new regional agency courts colleges for recognition
Accreditation—long a technical exercise—has become a political flashpoint after six Southern public university systems formed a new regional accreditor this year, challenging the national...
Legal skirmishes and personnel limbo at Education Dept — grants and rehiring in dispute
A federal judge this week limited remedies in the legal fight over the Trump administration’s cancellation of teacher‑training grants, agreeing she lacks authority to order restoration of millions...
Enrollment cliff arrives: trustees told to plan for sudden revenue shocks
Boardroom briefings and industry reports are urging trustees to prepare for an overdue enrollment cliff as demographic declines and changing student preferences squeeze traditional undergraduate...
Governance and cuts collide: arbitrator orders rehires while program closures advance
Labor rulings and administrative retrenchment collided this week as an arbitrator ordered Portland State University to reinstate 10 laid‑off faculty, finding the university violated its...
Threats to campus leaders rise — personal security now part of presidential posts
University presidents, regents and other senior campus officials are increasingly receiving personal security details as threats and violent incidents around contentious campus protests escalate....