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President contract and federal DEI probes at George Mason
George Mason University’s governing board extended President Gregory Washington’s contract through 2031, stepping around months of federal scrutiny tied to the university’s diversity initiatives...
New interim presidency at the University of Florida amid system governance concerns
The Florida Board of Governors moved to slow the University of Florida’s presidential hiring process over alleged compliance issues, but UF’s board still appointed Stuart Bell as interim...
UConn extends deficit-austerity plan while holding tuition flat
The University of Connecticut expanded budget-tightening measures to close a projected systemwide deficit of $29.2 million in fiscal 2027, plus an additional $54.3 million gap for its health...
Russell Group job cuts target humanities as University of Exeter faces unrest
The University of Exeter announced major job cuts expected to affect about 150 academic roles, with humanities positioned as the hardest hit area. The university said the cuts are needed to...
Humanities staffing pressure at a second UK university level: mathematics program suspension at Dundee
The University of Dundee said it will suspend recruitment for its undergraduate mathematics course as part of a plan to cut 190 jobs, on top of 675 roles lost since August 2024. The university...
Federal international student rule on duration of status cleared for 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 for international students. DHS can finalize the...
San José State professor reinstatement after firing tied to pro-Palestinian activism
An arbitrator ruled that San José State University professor Sang Hea Kil, a tenured faculty member fired in 2025 after participating in pro-Palestinian student protests, should be reinstated. The...
Policy and compliance: CHEA names Antoinette Flores to lead federal policy and accreditation engagement
The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) named Antoinette Flores as Vice President of Federal Policy and Government Relations. Flores will lead CHEA’s federal policy strategy and...
Admissions value and ranking pressure: business school candidates shift from rankings to ROI
A GMAC survey finds that prospective business school students are citing rankings as a top-three factor less than in the recent past. The share of global candidates who call rankings a top-three...
AI classroom rollout risk: failed LAUSD AI chatbot highlights governance and data issues
Leadership experts said Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho’s resignation—after a failed AI chatbot rollout and an FBI investigation—should serve as a cautionary...
University presidential security and federal DEI-related probes
George Mason University’s board has extended President Gregory Washington’s contract through 2031 after a Trump administration-related dispute last year put the leader under scrutiny. The...
Florida’s boardroom fight over a flagship presidency and governance compliance
Florida’s State University System chair Alan Levine delayed a vote on the University of Florida’s permanent presidential hire amid governance compliance concerns, but the UF Board moved anyway by...
K-12 AI rollout crashes—LAUSD superintendent exits under FBI probe
Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho resigned after an AI chatbot rollout collapsed and an FBI investigation continued into how the initiative handled student data....
International student policy—duration of status rule cleared for DHS finalization
The White House Office of Management and Budget has completed its review of a rule that would end “duration of status,” a key immigration regulation allowing international students to stay in the...
Federal education compliance transparency—foreign gifts dashboard raises context concerns
The U.S. Department of Education’s new public dashboard tracking foreign gifts and contracts to colleges is drawing scrutiny from higher education experts over how the data is presented. The...
College pricing simplicity—Whitman caps tuition at 10% of income
Whitman College announced a new pricing model that caps annual tuition at 10% of families’ parental adjusted gross income, using FAFSA income reporting. For families earning $100,000 or less,...
Faculty due process—arbitrator orders reinstatement for fired San José State professor
An arbitrator ruled that a tenured San José State University professor fired in 2025 after participating in pro-Palestinian protests should be reinstated, though the termination was reduced to a...
Enrollment, completion, and student success—completion gap framed as the real crisis
A new analysis argues the most urgent higher education challenge is not enrollment volume but degree completion, emphasizing that 43 million Americans have started college without finishing. The...
AI use in education—university credit and research support tools move forward
Two education-focused developments highlight how higher ed is operationalizing AI in student learning and credentialing. One story describes how some colleges are accepting transfer credits from...
Higher ed accreditation and quality policy leadership—CHEA appoints federal policy chief
The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) named Antoinette Flores as vice president of federal policy and government relations, placing her at the center of the organization’s...