Get the Daily Brief
Latest Higher Education News
Federal watchdog flags potential legal-function gaps after Education Department RIF
The Education Department’s Office of Inspector General said staffing reductions early in President Trump’s second term “appear” to have disrupted units performing statutory and oversight duties....
GMU boards extends president contract amid federal DEI dispute
George Mason University’s Board of Visitors extended President Gregory Washington’s contract through June 2031, despite last year’s federal probes into alleged racial discrimination and a...
U.S. international student status policy heads toward rule finalization
The White House Office of Management and Budget completed its review of a Department of Homeland Security rule that would end “duration of status,” a regulation that allows international students...
State budget cuts narrow access to Arizona higher education aid
Arizona’s fiscal 2027 budget, signed into law by Gov. Katie Hobbs, removes millions in state funding for public universities and eliminates scholarship and student-access programs. The budget...
Deepfake threats push colleges into new security and trust controls
Higher education institutions are stepping up defenses against deepfakes that can blur boundaries between cyberattacks, fraud, misinformation, and student harm. The coverage highlights how...
Cybersecurity-by-design meets higher-ed AI tool governance
A practical governance theme is emerging across higher education as institutions move from publishing AI policies to ensuring consistent implementation. A WCET-led event preview emphasizes that...
College labor and humanities program cuts intensify in UK institutions
The University of Exeter announced major job cuts targeting about 150 academic roles, with critics saying humanities are being disproportionately hit. The university said the reductions are needed...
University leadership transitions: SNHU president transition story and strategy
Southern New Hampshire University is using a leadership-transition playbook built around time for relationship-building, board planning, and listening. In a discussion with SNHU President Lisa...
College affordability: Whitman caps tuition at 10% of family income
Whitman College announced a new affordability pricing model that caps tuition at 10% of a family’s adjusted gross income. The policy is designed to simplify cost expectations for families and...
Student protest and academic freedom: arbitrator orders reinstatement in SJSU firing case
A California Faculty Association announcement says an arbitrator ordered the reinstatement of a tenured San José State University professor fired in 2025 after participating in pro-Palestinian...
Presidential leadership transition at Southern New Hampshire University
Southern New Hampshire University’s president transition continues to land in the spotlight following Lisa Marsh Ryerson’s return to her second-year leadership milestone. Ryerson took over as...
Board action and political conflict at George Mason University
George Mason University’s Board of Visitors granted President Gregory Washington a contract extension through June 2031, defying last year’s expectations that he could be fired amid federal...
Institutional finance stress and leadership appointment tensions at the University of Florida
The Florida Board of Governors moved to slow the University of Florida’s presidential hiring process over compliance concerns, but trustees appointed Stuart Bell as interim president anyway. The...
State budget cuts hit Arizona higher education and student aid
Arizona’s newly signed $18.29 billion fiscal year 2027 budget will cut millions in state education funding, including reductions for public universities and student-facing scholarship programs....
Wisconsin court ruling strikes down a minority student grant
The Wisconsin Supreme Court unanimously ruled that a state grant program for minority students is unconstitutional, affirming an appeals court decision that the Minority Undergraduate Retention...
Clinton College financial collapse risk
Clinton College, a small historically Black college in South Carolina, missed payroll and delayed paychecks for months, citing a “serious cash flow problem.” The Rock Hill Herald reported that...
Higher ed hiring and budget austerity in the UK: University of Exeter cuts humanities roles
The University of Exeter announced major job cuts—about 150 academic roles—while warning it needs to respond to rising costs, a real-terms decline in tuition fee income, underfunded research...
Student affordability experiment: Whitman College caps tuition at 10% of income
Whitman College announced a “10% Promise” that caps tuition at no more than 10% of a family’s parental adjusted gross income, using FAFSA-reported information as the pricing input. The college...
International student policy shift: duration of status rule change cleared
The White House Office of Management and Budget completed its review of a Department of Homeland Security rule that would end “duration of status,” a regulation that allows international students...
Workforce and enrollment policy: states align education to labor pipelines
States are restructuring education systems to build regional labor pipelines, aligning higher education governance with workforce development efforts and data-driven outcome tracking. With...