HEADLINES: Top Higher Education News for the Week

July 18, 2025

President Trump is attacking institutions, and particularly their DEI policies, using a task force ostensibly formed to combat antisemitism, The Washington Post writes... Inside Higher Ed looks at the status of in-state tuition for undocumented students, as the bipartisan consensus around the policy recedes... The Chronicle of Higher Education explores what the Trump administration’s next steps may be to dismantle the Education Department and what effect it could have on student aid and grant funding... Harvard announced a new program to prepare students for public service careers, The New York Times reports.

How Trump’s Antisemitism Task Force Is Leading an Assault on DEI, Colleges
The Washington Post (sub. req.) | July 18, 2025

4 Things to Know About In-State Tuition Benefits for Undocumented Students
Inside Higher Ed | July 18, 2025

The Education Department Got a Green Light to Shrink. Here Are 3 Questions About What’s Next.
The Chronicle of Higher Education (sub. req.) | July 17, 2025

Harvard Creates New Public Service Program, as Trump Slashes Federal Jobs
The New York Times (sub. req.) | July 17, 2025

July 17, 2025

Inside Higher Ed looks at new survey data showing Americans’ confidence in higher education may be rebounding... The Chronicle of Higher Education examines how the One Big Beautiful Bill Act’s elimination of a nutrition assistance program affects campuses, while Inside Higher Ed considers the next steps for implementing the bill’s expansion of Pell Grant to short-term programs... A new analysis finds operating margins at private nonprofit colleges are at a 10-year low.

Americans Recognize Nuances of Higher Ed’s Value
Inside Higher Ed | July 17, 2025

Congress Cut a Federal Nutrition Program, Jeopardizing Campus Jobs and Community Services
The Chronicle of Higher Education (sub. req.) | July 16, 2025

Workforce Pell Grant Expansion Faces ‘Aggressive’ Timeline
Inside Higher Ed | July 17, 2025

Fitch: Private Nonprofits See Lowest Operating Margins in a Decade
Higher Ed Dive | July 17, 2025

July 16, 2025

The Chronicle of Higher Education covers a new survey that found that public trust in higher education has increased for the first time in a decade... Leaders of three universities testified before Congress yesterday on the state of campus antisemitism, The New York Times reports... According to Inside Higher Ed, President Trump is withholding funds from the federal College Assistance for Migrants Program and may discontinue the program next year.

For Once, Public Confidence in Higher Ed Has Increased
The Chronicle of Higher Education (sub. req.) | July 16, 2025

University Leaders Reject Republican Attacks on Campus Antisemitism
The New York Times (sub. req.) | July 15, 2025

Successful Program for Migrant Students Is on Trump’s Chopping Block
Inside Higher Ed | July 16, 2025

July 15, 2025

In separate stories, the Associated Press reports that the Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration’s sweeping Education Department layoffs to go forward and examines President Trump’s plans to wind down the Department of Education... 24 states and Washington, DC, sued the Trump administration over frozen education grants worth $6 billion, according to NPR... A Washington Post op-ed denounces two new Texas laws that restrict free expression for college students and faculty senates... Inside Higher Ed looks at recent state laws that obligate institutions to eliminate low-demand programs. 

Supreme Court Allows Trump to Lay Off Nearly 1,400 Education Department Employees
The Associated Press | July 14, 2025

How Trump Plans to Dismantle the Education Department After Supreme Court Ruling
The Associated Press | July 14, 2025

24 States Sue Trump Admin to Unfreeze More Than $6 Billion in Education Grants
NPR | July 14, 2025

OPINION: Texas Just Gutted Free Speech on College Campuses. Is Your State Next?
The Washington Post (sub. req.) | July 14, 2025

Legislatures Require Colleges to Cut Degrees in Low Demand
Inside Higher Ed | July 15, 2025

July 14, 2025

The Chronicle of Higher Education looks at a new model for funding indirect research costs proposed by a group of 10 higher education associations, including ACE... The Associated Press explores how President Trump uses intimidation to extract concessions, including in negotiations with higher education institutions... The New York Times examines the global impact of the Trump administration’s attacks on colleges and universities... Institutions are increasingly hiring staff to handle Title VI discrimination complaints, Inside Higher Ed reports... An op-ed in The Hechinger Report outlines ways to make transferring from a community college to a four-year institution easier.

Higher-Ed Associations Pitch an Alternative to Trump’s Cap on Research Funding 
The Chronicle of Higher Education (sub. req.) | July 11, 2025

From Tariffs to Universities, Trump’s Negotiating Style Is Often Less Dealmaking and More Coercion
The Associated Press | July 13, 2025

How Trump’s Crackdown on Universities Is Affecting the World
The New York Times (sub. req.) | July 13, 2025

Now Hiring: Title VI Coordinators
Inside Higher Ed | July 14, 2025

OPINION: It Should Not Be So Hard to Transfer From Community College, So Let’s Remove the Roadblocks
The Hechinger Report | July 14, 2025

ACE Op-Eds

Letters to the Editor