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Arbitrators Reject Saint Augustine’s Accreditation Appeal
Saint Augustine’s University has lost another appeal to maintain its accreditation status, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges announced Monday. But the historically Black university in North Carolina is continuing to fight to stay open, and leaders say recent loans and efforts to streamline operations are cause for optimism. Classes will be held online this fall but otherwise proceed as planned.
More Than a Hoodie: The Brand Power of Licensing
Why higher ed marketers need to pay attention to the brand power of licensing right now. For many colleges and universities, licensed merchandise has long been a quiet but steady source of revenue and brand visibility. From sweatshirts and baseball caps to water bottles and notebooks, these products not only generate income but also serve as walking billboards that boost school spirit and brand recognition far beyond campus. But lately, there’s been a shift. Higher ed marketers should be paying close attention to what’s happening in the licensing space, because the early warning signs of disruption are already here.
How Public Attacks on Harvard Harm All of Higher Ed
The administration’s use of public channels to herald funding freezes and federal investigations tells of a coherent agenda to remake higher ed, according to one political scientist. The Trump administration has waged its war on higher education on the battlegrounds of social media, press releases and on-air interviews. Shrouded in vague terminology and questionable legal authority, the public attacks are a stark departure from the channels the federal government traditionally uses to issue guidance and policy changes.
Student Success Resources for Academic Advisers
Five ways to boost academic adviser capacity and improve processes for students. Academic advising is key to helping students navigate their institution and critical for student engagement and retention. However, not every student receives high-quality advising.
Rufo, Shapiro, Others Ask Trump for New Higher Ed “Contract”
A conservative think tank called on President Trump Tuesday to “draft a new contract” that universities must follow or face “revocation of all public benefit.” Among other things, institutions would have to end “their direct participation in social and political activism,” abolish “DEI bureaucracies,” and publish “complete data on race, admissions, and class rank,” according to the statement put out by the Manhattan Institute.
Latest Legislative Directives: Cut Degrees in Low Demand
Republicans in multiple states passed laws this year pushing institutions to ax academic programs that graduate few students—and requiring them to appeal to state leaders if they want exemptions. Faculty lament the trend. In the past, lawmakers have pressured colleges and universities to cut the number of degrees they offer through measures such as publicly criticizing institutions or simply slashing funding and letting institutions figure out where to cut.
State Lawmaker Asks HHS to Investigate Texas A&M
Texas state representative Brian Harrison has asked the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to investigate his alma mater, Texas A&M University, for allegedly engaging in “discriminatory” student recruiting practices, The Dallas Express reported.
U.S. Universities Can’t Innovate in Isolation (opinion)
New federal policies and proposals to restrict international students and cross-border research collaborations are highly intrusive and ill-conceived, Neal McCluskey and Kayla Susalla write. In a paradoxical bid to “make America great again,” President Trump and congressional Republicans are pushing to restrict international research collaboration in U.S. higher education.
Who Benefits Most From New Admission Tactic? (opinion)
Jim Jump questions Cornell College’s ‘Save Your Seat’ initiative, which involves sending personalized aid estimates before students apply–and incentivizing deposits by Sept. 1. I am not currently on a 12-step program of any kind, but recently I felt the need to seek forgiveness for a transgression committed 50 years ago. This summer is the 50th anniversary of the release of Jaws, the movie that redefined the definition of blockbuster and made a whole generation think twice before stepping into the ocean for a quick dip.
One Big Beautiful Bill Is Big Betrayal of Students (opinion)
The law only puts the American dream further out of reach, Rachel Fishman writes. In late June, House Republicans aired a promotional video about their budget reconciliation bill, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, claiming it will “make the American dream accessible to all Americans again.” That dream—that anyone in this country can achieve prosperity and success through hard work and determination—is what leads people to come to America and stay. It’s no wonder that politicians invoke this promise as part of the reason for needed change.
SCOTUS Allows Mass Layoffs at Education Department
The decision paves the way for President Trump to continue dismantling the agency, including moving career and technical education to the Labor Department. The Supreme Court gave Education Secretary Linda McMahon the go-ahead Monday to proceed in firing half the department’s staff and transferring certain responsibilities to other agencies.
The Importance of Early Career Planning (opinion)
It’s never too early to start career planning, but it can be too late, Ellen Dobson and Anne-Sophie Bohrer write. It’s never too early, but it can be too late. This simple phrase has transformed our advising sessions with graduate students and postdocs, resonating deeply with those navigating the uncertain waters of career transitions. As career advising experts who have guided countless individuals through this journey, we have seen firsthand the power of early career planning and the pitfalls of procrastination.
College Connects Students to Creative Arts for Mental Health
Colleges have invested in creative partnerships to support student health and wellness, inspiring community and emotional intelligence. Poor mental health is one of the top reasons students leave college. National data shows that 40 percent of students believe their mental health impacts their ability to focus, learn and perform academically “a great deal”; an additional 36 percent believe mental health impacts their college experience at least somewhat, according to a 2024 survey by Inside Higher Ed.
Colleges Hire Title VI Coordinators Amid Federal Scrutiny
Experts say the wave in hiring of Title VI staff mirrors a similar surge in the early 2010s, when institutions changed how they respond to Title IX complaints. Following the recent surge of complaints of antisemitism and Islamophobia on college campuses—and increased scrutiny from the federal government—more and more universities are creating new jobs to lead the institutions’ response to these complaints.
University Leaders Propose New Research Funding Model
Some lawmakers and the Trump administration have criticized the government’s long-standing model for reimbursing universities for indirect research costs. After multiple government agencies moved to unilaterally cap indirect research costs—claiming that the current structure allows universities to waste government funds—a coalition of 10 research advocacy organizations unveiled an alternative plan Friday.
Peer Instruction Doesn’t Help Underprepared Students
Peer support can increase students’ engagement in a course, but one study found that peer instruction didn’t result in better grades or content knowledge for learners. Introductory STEM courses serve as a gatekeeper for students interested in majors or careers in STEM fields, and students from less privileged backgrounds are often less likely to succeed in those courses.
Satirical Essay on Restructuring Humanities (opinion)
The U of All People is restructuring the School of Social Sciences and Humanities, as David Galef writes. The administration at U of All People has suffered long enough with the underperforming School of Social Sciences and Humanities. Its various departments, programs and whatnot have grown arcane to the point where the students themselves no longer understand the difference between, say, philosophy and psychology, save that both begin with the letter p. And since many students no longer engage in reading or writing without the aid of AI, we should stop supporting distinct majors that encourage both.
Fla. Board of Governors to Vote on Creating New Accreditor
The State University System of Florida’s governing board will decide Friday whether to form a new accrediting agency with other state systems. The move would be controversial. The governing board of the State University System of Florida is set to vote Friday on whether to form a new accrediting agency focused on public universities, known as the Commission for Public Higher Education. While some accreditation experts say the move could be a positive development, they also worry it may lead to undue political influence in the accreditation process.
Despite Reservations, Florida BOG Approves New Accreditor
The State University System of Florida’s Board of Governors moved forward with plans to start a new accreditor. But the board has questions about how it will work. The Florida Board of Governors voted Friday afternoon to create a controversial new accrediting agency, in coordination with five other state university systems. The decision came after about an hour of heated discussion between board members and the State University System of Florida’s chancellor regarding details of the plan.
Senate Rejects Trump’s Cuts to NSF, Other Science Agencies
The Senate committee also protected the National Weather Service staff from mass layoffs. But a fight over the FBI has left the bill in limbo. Signs that Congress intends to push back on the Trump administration’s wholesale slashing of federal budgets emerged during a Senate meeting Thursday that kicked off the annual appropriations process.
Student-Led Teaching Doesn’t Help Underprepared Students
Peer support can increase students’ engagement in a course, but one study found that peer instruction didn’t result in better grades or content knowledge for learners. Introductory STEM courses serve as a gatekeeper for students interested in majors or careers in STEM fields, and students from less privileged backgrounds are often less likely to succeed in those courses.
Avoiding Work Has Always Been Part of College. This Is New.
AI has changed what it means when students dodge an assignment. In a recent piece in The New Yorker, “What Happens After AI Destroys College Writing?,” Hua Hsu tells a story that will be familiar to anyone working in higher education: students wrestling—to varying degrees—about when and how to use generative AI tools like ChatGPT in the completion of their schoolwork.
Rates of Admitted Students Who Are Black, Hispanic Have Decreased
Following the Supreme Court’s ruling on affirmative action, the share of college applicants who are Black or Hispanic has risen, while the percentage admitted has declined. In the wake of the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision to ban affirmative action in college admissions, no one knew exactly what the impact on Black and Hispanic enrollment might be going forward.
Federal Policy Uncertainty Impacting College Budgeting
In our forthcoming annual survey of college and university chief business officers, anxiety abounds. A majority say uncertainty is challenging their ability to conduct even basic financial planning. Economic uncertainty—the kind that dominated headlines for the first half of 2025—makes long-term financial planning difficult. But nearly two in three college and university chief business officers say that uncertainty surrounding federal policy for higher education is hindering their ability to conduct even basic financial planning. That’s according to Inside Higher Ed’s forthcoming annual survey of CBOs with Hanover Research.
George Mason Faces 2 Title VI Investigations
George Mason University in Virginia is under investigation for alleged violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, the Department of Education announced Thursday. Multiple university professors reportedly filed complaints that the institution “illegally uses race and other immutable characteristics in university policies, including hiring and promotion,” according to the news release.
ED Won’t Fund CTE, Dual Enrollment for “Illegal” Students
The Education Department said Thursday that federal money shouldn’t fund dual enrollment, adult education and certain career and technical education for “illegal alien” students, whether they’re adults or K–12 pupils who are accessing postsecondary education. Department officials said in a news release that they are rescinding parts of a 1997 Dear Colleague letter that had allowed undocumented students to access those programs.
NIH Plans to Cap Publisher Fees, Dilute “Scientific Elite”
Director of the National Institutes of Health says that capping research journals’ open-access fees will help rein in the $19 billion academic publishing industry and bolster scientific debate. The National Institutes of Health announced a plan Tuesday to implement a cap on the fees publishers can charge NIH-funded researchers to make their work publicly accessible.
ERC Head: Europe Must Do More to Protect Data Under Trump
Disappearance of U.S.-hosted data should be “wake-up call” for scientific community, conference hears. Europe “needs to do more” to protect scientific data threatened by the Trump administration, the president of the European Research Council has said.
Texas Law School Deans Fight to Keep ABA Accreditation
A group of Texas law school deans is urging the state Supreme Court to uphold American Bar Association accreditation standards for public law schools. The state’s highest court announced in April that it was considering dropping the ABA requirement for licensure, opening a public comment period on the matter that closed July 1.
Withheld Adult Education Funds Worry Community Colleges
The federal government paused about $716 million for adult education programs. Community college leaders fear they may have to cut staff and services. The Trump administration is holding up hundreds of millions of dollars slated for adult education programs as part of a review of education spending.
What’s Next After Trump Signed “Big Beautiful Bill”
Colleges should start communicating with students about the changes while bracing for state budget cuts, higher ed experts say. Since the passage last week of President Trump’s domestic agenda, the Department of Education now has less than a year to carry out what policy analysts are calling the most significant overhaul to federal student aid in more than a decade, raising questions about whether the agency can pull it off.
Podcast: Virtual Learning Supports Adult College Student Success
In the latest episode of Voices of Student Success, we discuss Wichita State University’s adult bridge program to support the transition into higher education. Research shows that adults often enter college with a goal in mind, such as a career pivot, additional education in their current industry or completion of a degree they previously started. But returning to the classroom can be challenging, particularly for first-generation students or those who haven’t been in school for a while.
They Will Not Stop With UVA (opinion)
Bonnie Gordon asks what the University of Virginia will look like in four years. Each summer I make a point of stopping by a first-year orientation session at the University of Virginia, where I have been a professor in the music department for 18 years. The sessions take place in the historic concert hall on the floor below my office. On June 30, members of the Class of 2029 danced their arrival wearing the university’s colors of blue and orange.