Industry analyses and sector roundups catalog how the first year of the Trump administration reshaped higher education: dozens of federal investigations, disrupted research funding, and new rules affecting admissions, DEI and Title IX. A sector summary framed the impact in eight headline numbers—spanning investigations, settlements, and program cancellations—documenting broad institutional disruption. At the state level, a record number of censorship laws and gag orders targeting curricula, campus operations and DEI initiatives were enacted in 2025, according to a PEN America study. Advocates say converging state and federal levers are producing a chilling effect on faculty governance, curricular autonomy and institutional risk-taking. University leaders are responding with legal challenges, policy advocacy and defensive governance changes. Trustees and presidents say they now face a complex triage: defend academic freedom, preserve federal funding streams, and retain donor and public confidence while operating in an increasingly politicized landscape.