Most-clicked story of the week:
The University of Minnesota aims to cut $225 million in expenses over two years as it navigates “shifting enrollment trends, unpredictable state and federal funding, and rising costs,” senior leaders said late last month.
A coalition of labor unions and faculty members raised alarms last week about the timing, noting the cuts would coincide with multiple bargaining contract expirations or negotiations. In a joint statement, the unions said they will fight to prevent “overwork and unjust firing, and push back against the narrative that the University can’t afford to take care of their workers, because put simply, it can.”
Number of the week: 31%
That’s the share of surveyed Americans who ranked college as “very important,” according to the latest Gallup data. That represents an all-time low since Gallup started asking the question in 1978 and a dramatic collapse in public opinion since just 2013, when 70% of people gave the same answer.
Student athletes bring in $1.8 billion:
- College athletes received a collective $1.8 billion in revenue-sharing payments during the first year of a new compensation framework, according to the College Sports Commission, an independent oversight organization. The College Athlete Payment System logged distributions to just under 35,000 college athletes across 307 institutions and 45 sports, CSC said Thursday.
- Both the commission and payment system grew out of the settlement to a class action lawsuit against the NCAA. The framework set an initial cap of $20.5 million that each college can distribute to its athletes.
- Last week, the U.S. Senate soundly passed the Protect College Sports Act in a 77-22 vote. The bill would codify and expand the caps on money colleges pay to their athletes. It would also put limits on college athletes’ age, transfers to other institutions and eligibility after playing in pro leagues. The House has its own version but is not expected to vote on the bill until after the midterms.
Trump administration appeals visa decision, targets more funding:
- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday appealed a court ruling that temporarily blocked the agency from implementing its new four-year cap on student visas. A district judge paused the regulations after concluding they lacked justification and violated the Administrative Procedure Act.
- President Donald Trump moved to revoke $70 million in international education funds already appropriated by Congress in a maneuver known as a “pocket rescission,” which has been deemed illegal by the U.S. Government Accountability Office. The education grants were part of a much broader attack on funding, the majority of which was earmarked for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, including for grants to major universities.
- Amid the administration’s continuing feud with Harvard University, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued the institution for extensive records as part of its investigation into whether the university discriminated against “white, Asian, male, or straight employees” and applicants.
Quote of the week:
“It’s hard to imagine partnering with an institution that’s engaged in a hostile takeover.”
Lori Varlotta
President, Antioch University
Varlotta and Antioch University’s board of governors have been fighting to preserve the independence of the institution. Their opponent? A coalition that Antioch leaders first conceived and later founded with Otterbein University in 2023. Higher Ed Dive recently examined how the Coalition for the Common Good became mired in litigation and a fierce governance dispute.
