HEADLINES: Top Higher Education News for the Week

March 19, 2026

The Chronicle of Higher Education covers the heavy toll the Trump administration's expanded admissions reporting requirements is having on colleges and universities... The Education Department is considering making it easier for colleges and universities to merge, Inside Higher Ed reports... A new STAT survey of federally funded researchers reveals that many academic scientists are reeling... Inside Higher Ed covers the Department of Agriculture and historically Black land-grant universities' agreement to reaffirm and deepen their collaboration... DeRionne Pollard, president of the American Association of Community Colleges, writes in The EDU Ledger about the importance of including student voices in workforce planning... Chantae Recasner, interim president of Seattle Central College, will be Olympic College's next president.

How Trump’s Demand for Admissions Data Is Burdening Your College
The Chronicle of Higher Education (sub. req.) | March 18, 2026

ED Plans to Ease Merger Pathways
Inside Higher Ed | March 19, 2026

National Survey of NIH-Funded Researchers Shows Precarious State of U.S. Science — ‘This Is like the Titanic’
STAT | March 19, 2026

Historically Black Land-Grant Universities Celebrate USDA Agreement as ‘Big Win’
Inside Higher Ed | March 19, 2026

The Missing Link in the Talent Pipeline: Why Student Voices Matter
The EDU Ledger | March 18, 2026

Olympic College Names Candidate to Become Next President
Kitsap Sun | March 18, 2026

March 18, 2026

The Republican-led House Education and Workforce Committee passed bills aimed at addressing waste, fraud and abuse within the federal student aid system, Inside Higher Ed reports... Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s cancellation of fellowships for senior military officers at some universities has caused confusion among members of the armed services and colleges and universities, NOTUS reports... The Labor Department is soliciting applications for a TRIO grant program on the Education Department’s behalf, the latest action in ED's transferring of duties to other agencies, Inside Higher Ed reports... Large majorities of college students believe their education is beneficial and will help them secure a job after graduation, Bruno Manno writes in The 74... Despite increased supports, student mental health continues to be a challenge for higher education, The Hill reports.

House Ed Panel Tackles Alleged Truman Scholarship Bias, Financial Aid Fraud
Inside Higher Ed | March 18, 2026

Hegseth’s Turn on Elite Universities Has Confused Service Members
NOTUS | March 17, 2026

Labor Soliciting Applications for TRIO Grant on ED’s Behalf
Inside Higher Ed | March 18, 2026

As Confidence in Higher Ed Erodes, Students Still Say Their Degrees Are Worth It
The 74 | March 17, 2026

Colleges Struggle to Keep up with Growing Mental Health Problems
The Hill | March 18, 2026

March 17, 2026

Inside Higher Ed reports Congress' challenge in addressing the Pell shortfall... NIH is far behind on grant spending, STAT reports... A new apprenticeship program in Michigan is helping educators earn degrees at no cost, and a new law in Washington will increase financial aid for youth who have experienced homelessness or foster care.

What Will It Take to Address the Pell Shortfall?
Inside Higher Ed | March 17, 2026

NIH Grant Awards Are Again Lagging Far behind Historical Averages, Analysis Shows
STAT | March 17, 2026

Michigan Apprenticeship Helps Early Educators Earn Degrees, Stay Paid
Detroit Free Press | March 15, 2026

More WA Foster, Homeless Youth to Get Tuition Help
The Seattle Times | March 14, 2026

March 16, 2026

A federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration from requiring universities to report expanded admissions data, Reuters reports... The New York Times reports on the turmoil inside a Harvard research lab resulting from the Trump administration’s federal funding cuts... Inside Higher Ed looks at Neumann University’s service initiative that gives students hands-on opportunities make a difference in their community.

U.S. Judge Temporarily Blocks Trump Effort to Secure Race Data from Colleges
Reuters | March 13, 2026

His Harvard Lab Was Thriving. Then Came the Cuts.
The New York Times (sub. req.) | March 13, 2026

Students Build Belonging Through Service
Inside Higher Ed | March 16, 2026

March 13, 2026

The Chronicle of Higher Education is tracking higher education policy developments in state legislatures... Inside Higher Ed and Higher Ed Dive analyze trends in this year's college application data... Ravi Bellamkonda, Ohio State University provost, will be the institution's next president.

State Policy Live Updates: Indiana Approves Earnings Test, While Missouri Weighs Funding Change
The Chronicle of Higher Education (sub. req.) | March 11, 2026

3 Things to Know About This Year’s Application Data
Inside Higher Ed | March 13, 2026

Black Students Are the Fastest Growing Demographic for Common App
Higher Ed Dive | March 13, 2026

Ohio State Names Provost as Its New President after Predecessor’s Abrupt Resignation
The Associated Press | March 12, 2026

News RoomACE In the News

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ACE Op-Eds

Trump’s ‘Compact’ Is Bad for Colleges – And Bad for America
U.S. News | Oct. 20, 2025
Americans Need to Work Together to Fix Education. We’ve Both Done It Before on Opposite Sides
Fox News | July 9, 2025
Here’s Why We Cannot Permit America’s Partnership With Higher Education to Weaken or Dissolve
The Hechinger Report | March 18, 2025
The Only Certainty Is Uncertainty
Inside Higher Ed | July 2, 2024
Protect, Teach, Enforce
Inside Higher Ed | June 25, 2024
AI Can Transform the Classroom Just Like the Calculator
Scientific American | April 17, 2024
There’s a Temporary Fix to the FAFSA Mess — All Colleges Must Extend Decision Deadlines
The Hechinger Report | March 26, 2024
Answering the Call
Inside Higher Ed | March 19, 2024
Every FAFSA Delay Puts College Further Out of Reach
The New York Times (sub. req.) | Feb. 8, 2024
Don’t Dash Opportunity for America’s College Students
The Hill | Aug. 16, 2023
‘Fire the Accreditors’ Is a Bad—and Illegal—Idea
Inside Higher Ed | June 28, 2023
This Is How To Keep Academic Freedom Alive in America
Newsweek | March 23, 2023
Why U.S. News May Have to Rethink How It Creates College Rankings
The Washington Post (sub. req.) | Sept. 14, 2022
Canceling Student Loan Debt Is Just the Start
The Hill | July 1, 2022
Want to Reduce Hunger Among College Students? Stop Taxing Their Pell Grants
The Hill | Feb. 10, 2022
Doubling the Pell Grant Invests in America's Future
The Hill | Sept. 3, 2021
Making Equity Everyone’s Work
Diverse: Issues In Higher Education | March 31, 2021
Dropping the Ball
Inside Higher Ed | March 4, 2021
The Quickest And Most Effective Way Biden Can Help Millions of Americans Go to College
The Washington Post (sub. req.) | Jan. 30, 2021
Liberal, Conservative or Somewhere in the Middle?
Inside Higher Ed | Oct. 19, 2020
Should Congress Provide Additional Pandemic Relief for Colleges and Universities?
CQ Researcher | Sept. 11, 2020
The Biggest Danger to U.S. Higher Education? Losing 20 Years’ Worth of Gains in Access for First-generation and Minority Students
The Hechinger Report | Aug. 11, 2020
Our Country's Future Education Depends on Actions Congress Takes
The Hill | July 20, 2020
Why Trump’s Move to Force International Students to Take In-person Classes This Fall Is Being Blasted as Harmful
The Washington Post (sub. req.) | July 8, 2020
Supreme Court Has Ruled on DACA, Now It's Time for Congress to Act
The Hill | June 20, 2020
College Closings, Economic Upheaval Make a Case for Blockchain Adoption
Education Dive | June 18, 2020
Are Campus Leaders Prepared for the Impact of the Racial Crisis?
Inside Higher Ed | June 15, 2020
College in a Pandemic is Tough Enough — Without Reliable Broadband Access, It’s Nearly Impossible
The Hechinger Report | June 9, 2020
How College Students Can Help Reopen America
Inside Higher Ed | May 18, 2020
A Call for Ideas to Help Student Parents Succeed During and After COVID-19
Education Dive | May 6, 2020
The Courage of Medical Students
Inside Higher Ed | April 20, 2020
University Research is Key to COVID-19 Breakthroughs, Serving the Public Good
The Hill | March 23, 2020
Safeguarding Research on Campuses Against Foreign Threats
Inside Higher Ed | March 9, 2020
In Appreciation of a Public Servant
Inside Higher Ed | Dec. 9, 2019
Mental Health Challenges Require Urgent Response
Inside Higher Ed | Oct. 29, 2019
Guns on America's Campuses: Let the Colleges Decide
The Hill | Sept. 9, 2019
The Invisible China Threat: University Intellectual Property
The Hill | July 30, 2019
Ending the Stigma for College Students With Learning Disabilities
The Hechinger Report | July 16, 2019
Providing Prisoners With Expanded Access to Higher Education Is the Smart Thing to Do
The Hill | July 5, 2019
No Retreat
Inside Higher Ed | June 10, 2019
Ted Mitchell: Congress Must Act to Protect Dreamers Still Living in Legal Limbo
Fox News | May 21, 2019
Taxing College Scholarships: A Travesty to Low-income and Middle-class Students
The Hill | May 20, 2019
Black Students' 'Unprecedented and Unequal' College Debt Should Cause Alarm
The Hechinger Report | Feb. 19, 2019
Congress Must End the Purgatory for ‘Dreamers’
The Washington Post (sub. req.) | Nov. 9, 2018
Higher Education Must Clean Out Its ‘Front Porch’
The Washington Post (sub. req.) | April 25, 2018
Only in America
Inside Higher Ed | Feb. 15, 2018
FCC’s Proposed Internet Rules Could Raise College Costs and Hinder Free Exchange of Ideas
The Washington Post (sub. req.) | Dec. 8, 2017
The House GOP Tax Bill Would Raise the Cost of College. We Can’t Let That Happen.
The Washington Post (sub. req.) | Nov. 6, 2017
Why Most Republicans Don’t Like Higher Education
The Chronicle of Higher Education | July 19, 2017
History, Moral Leadership, and Georgetown
The Washington Post | April 26, 2017
The Supreme Court Frees Colleges to Sensibly Pursue Diversity
The Chronicle of Higher Education | June 24, 2016

Letters to the Editor

Higher Education Must Rediscover Its Purpose
The Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) | Jan. 29, 2024
Don’t Blame Student Loan Debt on the Few Schools With Large Endowments
The Boston Globe (sub. req.) | Sept. 11, 2022
College Is Worth It
The New York Times (sub. req.) | Oct. 29, 2021
The Harsh New Reality Schools Are Facing on Title IX
The Washington Post (sub. req.) | May 24, 2020
The Flaw in a Higher Education Bill
The New York Times (sub. req.) | Dec. 1, 2019
How Long Will ‘Dreamers’ Have to Live in Limbo?
The Washington Post (sub. req.) | July 30, 2019
Readers Critique The Post: Ageism, Skateboarding, and the International Space Station
The Washington Post (sub. req.) | July 5, 2019
Blame the NBA, Not the NCAA, for Big-Time Athletes’ Dilemma
The Washington Post (sub. req.) | Feb. 25, 2019
Weighing the Value of College
The New York Times (sub. req.) | May 26, 2018
Feds Must Help Colleges Reform and Change
The Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) | May 23, 2018
Making College More Diverse Takes Hard, Customized Work
The Washington Post (sub. req.) | April 2, 2018
How to Assess What Students Have Learned
The New York Times (sub. req.) | Feb. 26, 2018
Tulane’s 41% Student Sexual Assault Rate
The Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) | Feb. 15, 2018
Should Rich College Endowments Be Taxed?
The Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) | Nov. 20, 2017
Proposed Tax on Private College Endowments Will Hurt Students
MinnPost (MN) | Nov. 16, 2017
The Dreamers Are a Good Part of America’s Future
The Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) | July 25, 2017

HEADLINES: Top Higher Education News for the Week

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ACE Op-Eds

Letters to the Editor

Higher Education News Links

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