Policy & Legal
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Harvard v. TrumpHarvard’s operations lost $112.6M in FY25 amid Trump’s pressure campaign
President Alan Garber called fiscal 2025 extraordinarily challenging for the Ivy League university "even by the standards of our centuries-long history."
By Ben Unglesbee • Oct. 17, 2025 -
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University of Pennsylvania rejects Trump’s higher education compact
The Ivy League institution became the third college to decline the offer of priority for federal research funding in exchange for sweeping policy changes.
By Natalie Schwartz • Oct. 16, 2025 -
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Court temporarily blocks overnight ban on expression at University of Texas System
A federal judge found “significant First Amendment issues” in a state law barring all free speech on public campuses between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m.
By Ben Unglesbee • Oct. 16, 2025 -
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Higher ed groups blast Trump plan to expand applicant data collection
A coalition led by the American Council on Education said the proposal would overly burden colleges and raise student privacy concerns.
By Laura Spitalniak • Oct. 16, 2025 -
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Brown University rejects Trump’s higher education compact
The Ivy League institution became the second prominent college, after MIT, to reject the deal over concerns about freedom and independence.
By Natalie Schwartz • Oct. 15, 2025 -
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Republican lawmakers ask McMahon to restore funding for Hispanic-serving colleges
Members of the Congressional Hispanic Conference pushed back on arguments that the programs discriminate by establishing racial quotas.
By Ben Unglesbee • Oct. 15, 2025 -
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Newsom vetoes bill allowing preference in college admissions for descendants of slaves
The California governor contended the legislation was unnecessary, writing that colleges can already determine whether to give such admissions advantages.
By Natalie Schwartz • Oct. 15, 2025 -
Permission granted by Antioch University
Q&AAntioch University’s president talks leadership and democratic education in uncertain times
Lori Varlotta took the helm of the nearly 175-year-old university this summer as it looks to raise its profile and grow the college coalition it co-founded.
By Ben Unglesbee • Oct. 14, 2025 -
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California governor signs Cal State direct admissions program into law
A pilot version of the program proactively offered thousands of students acceptance into the public university system.
By Ben Unglesbee • Updated Oct. 14, 2025 -
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MIT becomes first college to reject Trump’s higher education compact
University President Sally Kornbluth said Friday that some of the terms would restrict the institution’s free expression and independence.
By Natalie Schwartz • Updated Oct. 10, 2025 -
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Virginia lawmakers threaten state funding consequences if UVA signs Trump compact
Three leaders of the state’s Democrat-controlled Senate urged the University of Virginia to immediately reject the agreement.
By Laura Spitalniak • Oct. 10, 2025 -
Carnegie Mellon lays off 75 employees at engineering institute amid federal funding shifts
The cuts amount to 10% of the Software Engineering Institute’s workforce, which has taken a financial hit from recent policy changes.
By Ben Unglesbee • Oct. 10, 2025 -
Retrieved from U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education Labor and Pensions.
Richey confirmed to lead Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights
Kimberly Richey, who also served in President Donald Trump’s first term, steps into the role as the office faces a significant backlog and a halved workforce.
By Naaz Modan • Oct. 9, 2025 -
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Trump’s higher ed compact draws condemnation from faculty and college unions
At least two faculty senates have voted to oppose the proposed agreement sent to nine research universities, while other workers have publicly rebuked it.
By Laura Spitalniak • Oct. 8, 2025 -
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Pennsylvania lawmakers seek to bar state-funded colleges from signing Trump compact
Two Democratic state representatives said the agreement threatens institutions’ independence and cast their proposal as safeguarding academic freedom.
By Natalie Schwartz • Oct. 7, 2025 -
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Higher ed groups sue over Trump administration’s $100K H-1B visa fee
The surprise policy rolled out last month could cause “catastrophic setbacks” to research in the U.S., the lawsuit alleges.
By Natalie Schwartz • Oct. 6, 2025 -
DePaul University weighs budget measures amid cratering international enrollment
The private Chicago nonprofit is considering cutting executive pay and freezing staff hiring after new international graduate enrollment fell 62% from last year.
By Ben Unglesbee • Oct. 6, 2025 -
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Newsom vows to pull state funding from California colleges that sign Trump’s compact
A proposed agreement sent to nine institutions would give them priority for federal research funding in exchange for sweeping policy changes.
By Ben Unglesbee • Oct. 3, 2025 -
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Federal judge dismisses legal challenge to gainful employment rule
Although the Biden-era rule survived litigation, the Trump administration is considering making changes to the regulations.
By Natalie Schwartz • Oct. 3, 2025 -
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NIH temporarily restores UC grants under court order
But in court filings this week, the federal agency reported some difficulties identifying which of the researcher grants it canceled needed to be reinstated.
By Laura Spitalniak • Oct. 3, 2025 -
The image by Warren LeMay is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
Washington University lays off over 300 employees
The private St. Louis institution has also cut nearly 200 unfilled positions as it grapples with federal cuts, rising expenses and a heightened endowment tax.
By Ben Unglesbee • Oct. 2, 2025 -
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Harvard v. TrumpHHS moves to cut Harvard off from all federal grants and contracts
The agency's Office for Civil Rights on Monday recommended blocking the university's access to the funding to protect the public interest.
By Laura Spitalniak • Oct. 1, 2025 -
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Education Department can cut half of OCR staff for now, appeals court rules
The order comes as the agency was complying with a prior court order to return its laid-off Office for Civil Rights staffers back to work.
By Naaz Modan • Sept. 30, 2025 -
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California State University faces systemwide EEOC probe over antisemitism concerns
The federal agency has begun contacting faculty and staff members to “review allegations of antisemitism,” Chancellor Mildred García told the system.
By Natalie Schwartz • Sept. 30, 2025 -
The image by Johan Hendrikse is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
Texas Tech orders colleges to align instruction with Trump administration’s gender views
The directive from Chancellor Tedd Mitchell immediately drew backlash from free speech advocates, with one attorney describing it as “obvious censorship.”
By Laura Spitalniak • Sept. 29, 2025
