HEADLINES: Top Higher Education News for the Week

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

July 11, 2025

The Washington Post explores civil rights investigations of George Mason University opened up by the Trump administration, and quotes ACE President Ted Mitchell stressing the need for the administration to follow due process... The State University System of Florida’s governing board is expected to approve the creation of a new accreditor today, according to Inside Higher Ed... Lake Forest College has selected Michael Sosulski as its next president.

Trump Administration Increases Scrutiny of Another Virginia University
The Washington Post (sub. req.) | July 10, 2025

Florida Board of Governors to Vote on New Accreditor
Inside Higher Ed | July 11, 2025

Lake Forest College Board of Trustees Chooses a Chicago Area Native to Be the Institution’s Next President
The Chicago Tribune (sub. req.) | July 11, 2025

July 10, 2025

President Trump’s broad cuts to diversity-related grants have impacted numerous researchers from rural and low-income backgrounds, The New York Times writes... The Trump administration is urging Harvard’s accreditor to reevaluate the university’s accreditation, WBUR reports... Inside Higher Ed examines the changes campuses and state governments will need to make before the One Big Beautiful Bill Act goes into effect... Microsoft said that it will spend over $4 billion to help organizations including community and technical colleges train people to use AI, according to The New York Times.

The Surprising Scientists Hit by Trump’s D.E.I. Cuts
The New York Times (sub. req.) | July 10, 2025

Trump Administration Takes Aim at Harvard’s Accreditation Status
WBUR | July 9, 2025

Trump Signed the ‘Big Beautiful Bill.’ What’s Next?
Inside Higher Ed | July 10, 2025

Microsoft Pledges $4 Billion Toward A.I. Education
The New York Times (sub. req.) | July 9, 2025

July 8, 2025

Higher education stakeholders worry about how the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will impact the field, Higher Ed Dive reports... The Department of Education has dismissed over 3,400 civil rights complaints since March, an unusually high figure, Inside Higher Ed writes... HBCUs are helping those impacted by the sudden closure of dozens of job training centers for low-income students... According to the Los Angeles Times, many California campuses fear that a lawsuit challenging Hispanic-Serving Institutions may threaten their funding.

‘One Big Mistake’: Higher Ed Sounds Warning Over GOP Budget Law
Higher Ed Dive | July 7, 2025

Court Filing Sheds Light on Civil Rights Complaints Under Trump
Inside Higher Ed | July 8, 2025

Black Colleges and Universities Reach Out to Students Left Stranded by Job Corps Cuts
NPR | July 7, 2025

California Colleges on Edge Over Suit Challenging Funds for Latino-Serving Campuses
Los Angeles Times (sub. req.) | July 8, 2025

News RoomACE In the News

Explore More

ACE Op-Eds

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

Explore More

ACE Op-Eds

Letters to the Editor

Higher Education News Links