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Inside Higher Ed | Higher Education Blog - Education & Personal Development
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The rise of multidisciplinary research stimulated by AI
A revolution is quietly taking place in academic and scholarly research prompted by the advent of AI research tools. This will reshape the very nature of our studies and greatly accelerate synergies and collaborations across academic fields. AI research tools such as OpenAI o1 have now reached test score levels that meet or exceed the scores of those who hold Ph.D. degrees in the sciences and a number of other fields. These generative AI tools utilize large language models that include research and knowledge across many disciplines. Increasingly, they are used for research project ideation and literature searches.
Q&A with retiring National Student Clearinghouse CEO
Ricardo Torres, who led the NSC for 17 years, talks about the challenges facing higher ed and the major data error that could upend his organization’s research arm. Ricardo Torres, the CEO of the National Student Clearinghouse, is retiring next month after 17 years at the helm. His last few weeks on the job have not been quiet.
Denise Carter selected as acting secretary of education
On day two of the new Trump administration, the president has only publicly announced an acting education secretary. Who else is running the agency on an interim basis is not yet clear. President Donald Trump tapped a veteran bureaucrat to lead the Education Department until the Senate confirms his appointee Linda McMahon, but he has so far held off on announcing other interim leaders for the agency.
Featured gig: chief education solutions officer at Michigan
Four questions for James DeVaney on this role at Michigan’s Center for Academic Innovation. James DeVaney and the Center for Academic Innovation at the University of Michigan are no strangers to this community. James has a number of titles at U-M, including special adviser to the president, associate vice provost for academic innovation and founding executive director of the Center for Academic Innovation.
Research shows academic alerts impact grades, withdrawals
Most universities have systems to alert students to low grades or high absence rates, but there’s been little evidence showing they change student outcomes. New research from Oklahoma State shows the notifications are worthwhile investments. A long-standing academic alert system at Oklahoma State University helps improve students’ grades and lessens withdrawal rates, according to a study published today in the journal Studies in Higher Education.
A murky setback for DACA but no immediate changes
An appeals court ruled that DACA is unlawful but limited the scope and stayed the ruling, so students shouldn’t see any immediate changes. Just a few days before President Donald Trump’s inauguration, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program was dealt another blow in its long legal saga—though it was a more convoluted and less hard-hitting blow than some undocumented students and their advocates were expecting. Still, the decision, handed down Friday, sparked a mix of tentative hope, disappointment and quite a bit of confusion among DACA supporters, uncertain about its implications. The decision could put DACA on a path back to the U.S. Supreme Court and raises questions about the program’s future.
Q&A on the experiences of DEI professionals under DEI bans
Kaleb L. Briscoe spoke with Inside Higher Ed about the effects of bans on DEI staff members and how they’re navigating this politically volatile time. At the start of a new year, anti-DEI bills and executive orders continue to sweep the country.
Three questions for UVA’s Anne Trumbore
A conversation with the author of The Teacher in the Machine: A Human History of Education Technology. The Teacher in the Machine: A Human History of Education Technology (Princeton University Press) will be published this May. I was lucky enough to receive an advance copy.
How wealthy universities prioritized rich applicants
Documents released in an antitrust lawsuit show how some elite colleges gave well-connected applicants a leg up in admissions. Are these practices ongoing? Late Friday, Johns Hopkins University and the California Institute of Technology settled in a federal antitrust lawsuit accusing 17 highly selective universities of illegally colluding to fix financial aid formulas and overcharge students.
Why small talk is a skill worth developing (opinion)
Small talk is a career skill worth developing, Kay Gruder writes. You walk into the conference networking event, feeling alone, aware of the steady chatter throughout the room. You look to find someone you might know, you sense your breath growing faster and you experience that all-too-familiar pit in your stomach. You walk deeper into the room, taking a few grounding breaths, and notice others standing alone. You approach another conference attendee, feeling as if you are stepping outside of your body, and in your friendliest tone you introduce yourself and ask, “Where did you travel in from?”
College costs have grown, but so has the return (opinion)
A shift to skills-based hiring is a good development, but don’t be fooled—the advantage for college-educated workers will continue to grow, Jamie Merisotis writes. What’s the biggest problem facing college students today? Cost is a big concern, of course, for good reason. But many would point to something equally troubling—misperceptions about the value of college degrees. That’s no surprise when reasonable questions are raised about whether graduates are job-ready—and if too many jobs unnecessarily require diplomas. There has long been a paper ceiling that penalizes applicants who lack degrees. And more companies are now taking a closer look at so-called STARs—people Skilled Through Alternative Routes.
Policymakers are recklessly banning DEI without evidence
Taxpayers deserve decisions based on credible, research-based insights, says Shaun Harper. One day after assuming office last week, West Virginia’s new governor, Patrick Morrisey, issued an executive order banning DEI in state agencies and all entities receiving state funds, including public educational institutions.
A short college course for students’ life, academic skills
A short course at DePaul University helps equip learners with life and learning skills that support their development and achievement within the institution and beyond, including active engagement, self-care, organizational abilities and resiliency. While many students experience growing pains in the transition from high school to college, today’s learners face an extra challenge emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Colleges were quiet after the Nov. election. Students don’t mind
A December survey by Inside Higher Ed and Generation Lab found half of students don’t think colleges should make statements about political events. Two experts weigh in on when an institution should or should not do so. Colleges can be hot spots for debate, inquiry and disagreement, particularly on political topics. Sometimes institutional leaders weigh in on the debate, issuing public statements or sharing resources internally among students, staff and faculty.
Higher ed's hopes and fears as Trump retakes the reins
We asked some of academia’s sharpest minds to identify their highest hope—and biggest worry—for the sector in the next four years. Their responses may surprise you. As Donald Trump returns to the White House on this Martin Luther King Jr. Day—with a GOP Congress behind him, a vice president who’s called universities “the enemy” and a WWE powerhouse tapped as his education secretary—it’s fair to say that the only certainty for U.S. higher education is uncertainty.
Prof. says he was fired for email calling U.S. racist, fascist
The tenured faculty member said Millsaps College argued that his email could be misconstrued as speaking on behalf of the institution. He’s appealing to the board. After Donald Trump was elected president in 2016, some faculty canceled classes to allow themselves and students time to process a result that shocked the media and academe. Campus responses to Trump’s re-election in November seemed more muted. But at Millsaps College, a private Mississippi institution of roughly 600 students, James Bowley said he canceled his Abortion and Religions class meeting the day after the election.
Students feel "spammed" by "overload" of university emails
Institutional communications branded “inconsistent, inauthentic and rather annoying” by study participants. Students feel that they receive “too many emails” from their universities, and they find their institution’s communications “inconsistent, inauthentic and rather annoying,” according to researchers.
Montana State president to lead APLU
The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities named Montana State University president Waded Cruzado as its next president, according to a Thursday news release. Cruzado, who has served as chair of APLU’s Board of Directors since 2021, will formally step into the top job at APLU on July 1. Cruzado has led Montana State University since 2010, and last August that she would retire in June 2025.
California colleges confront loss as Los Angeles burns
Although colleges in Los Angeles escaped serious fire damage, leaders say they face a long road ahead as hundreds of students and faculty were displaced. The past week has been a blur for Fred Farina, the California Institute of Technology’s chief innovation officer, who lost his home in the fires still tearing through Los Angeles. “Things turned on a dime. One evening we were sitting in our living room and within 10 minutes we had to evacuate,” said Farina, who lived in Altadena, one of the neighborhoods hardest hit by the Eaton fire. “The loss of everything you have is hard to deal with.”
Johns Hopkins, Caltech settle in antitrust lawsuit
Johns Hopkins University and the California Institute of Technology agreed to settle in a federal antitrust lawsuit that alleges 17 wealthy institutions, known as the 568 Presidents Group, illegally colluded on financial aid formulas and overcharged students for years. Late Friday, JHU settled for $18.5 million and Caltech for $16.7 million, according to court filings. Both were more recent additions to the group, which was established in 1998. Johns Hopkins joined in November 2021, and Caltech in 2019.
HBCU leaders prepare for "delicate dance" under Trump
Historically Black colleges are working with the incoming Trump administration to advance their legislative goals while bracing for change and addressing students’ fears. Mississippi Valley State University, a historically Black institution, proudly announced last month that its marching band was invited to perform at Donald Trump’s upcoming inauguration. The university’s president, Jerryl Briggs, described the invitation as a chance to “showcase our legacy” and “celebrate our culture.” A GoFundMe campaign was started in hopes of raising enough money for the Mean Green Marching Machine Band to make its debut on the national stage.
Historians' council vetoes Gaza scholasticide condemnation
American Historical Association convention-goers overwhelmingly passed the statement on Jan. 5, but the group’s top elected body has vetoed it without letting all AHA members vote. The American Historical Association’s top elected body has shot down a resolution opposing scholasticide in Gaza, after members who attended its annual convention approved the statement early this month by a 428-to-88 margin.
Turbulent times require both immediate and long views
This too shall pass, writes John Warner. I don’t remember where I heard this bit of wisdom, if I read it in a book or someone else told it to me, but it’s something I’ve carried around for a while now: There’s always going to be a next, until there isn’t. My interpretation is a kind of combination of “this too shall pass” with “time marches on,” along with a reminder of the certainty that at some point all things and all people cease to exist. (I find that last bit sort of comforting, but maybe I’m weird that way.)
Biden administration discharges $4.5B in loans for Ashford students
The Education Department is discharging any remaining loans for more than 260,000 borrowers who attended Ashford University and will move to bar a key executive at Ashford’s former parent company from the federal financial aid system, the agency
Illinois guarantees transfer for all state high school grads
Students who graduated from an Illinois high school, no matter where they’re currently enrolled, will soon be guaranteed transfer admission to any University of Illinois system institution—including the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, which has a regular acceptance rate below 50 percent.
Texas A&M won’t attend conference after Rufo, Abbott posts
The national conservative activist wrote on social media that a student recruiting conference violates the state’s DEI ban because it excludes whites and Asians. Governor Abbott then threatened to fire the A&M president. Texas A&M University said this week it’s no longer sending representatives to a conference aimed at recruiting prospective minority doctoral students after online accusations and threats—including from the governor.
What IHE will be following in the next Trump administration
If the comments about higher education that President-elect Donald Trump made on the campaign trail are anything to go on, it’s likely the Education Department in his second administration will be much more focused on postsecondary education than his first.
What could WNMU's ex-president's exit package pay for?
Western New Mexico University president Joseph Shepard received a lucrative payout when he resigned amid controversy. Here’s how it stacks up to other budget items at the college. The controversial exit package for former Western New Mexico University president Joseph Shepard could have funded multiple scholarships, according to one analysis, while the state’s governor says that the money could have helped feed hungry students at the university for a year.