HEADLINES: Top Higher Education News for the Week

October 15, 2025

Inside Higher Ed and The Chronicle of Higher Education cover the Trump administration's invitation to all colleges and universities to sign its compact... The Trump administration's higher education cuts have especially hurt community colleges, reports The Washington Post... The Education Department's Office for Civil Rights and Office of Special Education Programs were slashed in the latest rounds of layoffs at the agency, The New York Times reports... West Virginia University Michael Benson outlined his vision for the institution in his first state of the university address, West Virginia Public Broadcasting reports.

Deciphering Trump’s Compact Invitation to All of Higher Ed
Inside Higher Ed | Oct. 15, 2025

Dartmouth’s President Balks at Trump Compact, Sources Say, as Feds Expand Offer to ‘Any Institution’
The Chronicle of Higher Education (sub. req.) | Oct. 14, 2025

Community Colleges Are Losing Millions in Funding Under Trump
The Washington Post (sub. req.) | Oct. 15, 2025

White House Guts Education Department With More Layoffs
The New York Times (sub. req.) | Oct. 14, 2025

New WVU President Establishes Lofty Goals For University
West Virginia Public Broadcasting | Oct. 14, 2025

October 14, 2025

ACE President Ted Mitchell is among those supporting MIT's decision not to sign the Trump administration's proposed "compact," reports Politico...The Wall Street Journal editorializes that MIT declined the federal compact on persuasive grounds... Bloomberg reports that the Trump administration is offering its compact to all U.S. higher education institutions... Inside Higher Ed looks at how the government shutdown is harming research at colleges and universities... Student support services are at risk of being eliminated after the Trump administration cut funding for Minority-Serving Institutions, the Los Angeles Times reports.

‘One-Sided Deal’: College Presidents See Trump Offer Rife With Peril
Politico | Oct. 11, 2025

Trump, Merit and MIT
The Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) | Oct. 10, 2025

Trump Offers All Colleges Preferential Funding Plan Rejected by MIT
Bloomberg (sub. req.) | Oct. 13, 2025

Already Battered by Cuts, Researchers and Colleges Face Federal Shutdown Impacts
Inside Higher Ed | Oct. 14, 2025

Student Programs in Peril After Federal Cuts at Latino-Serving Community Colleges
Los Angeles Times (sub. req.) | Oct. 14, 2025

October 10, 2025

ACE President Ted Mitchell joined AirTalk on LAist to discuss the compact that the Trump administration sent nine schools and the broader attacks on higher education... As the Supreme Court begins its new term, higher education cases are expected to feature prominently, Inside Higher Ed reports... Ohio State University President Ted Carter Jr. writes in The Columbus Dispatch that the university’s new strategic vision can strengthen Ohio’s workforce and expand higher education’s impact statewide... Colorado colleges are losing millions after the Trump administration ended federal grants for Minority-Serving Institutions, The Denver Post reports...

U.S. Colleges Asked To Sign Trump Administration Compact for Access to Federal Funding
LAist | Oct. 9, 2025

Higher Ed Will Likely Be a Key Topic for SCOTUS. Which Cases Will Make the Cut?
Inside Higher Ed | Oct. 10, 2025

OPINION: Ohio State President's 10-Year Plan is Taking Shape
The Columbus Dispatch (sub. req.) | Oct. 10, 2025

Trump Cuts Grants to Colorado’s Minority-Serving Institutions
The Denver Post | Oct. 9, 2025

October 9, 2025

The Senate has confirmed Kimberly Richey to lead the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights… Princeton University President Christopher Eisgruber writes in TIME that student activism helps students develop civic and leadership skills… Colleges are adding counselors in dorms and academic buildings to make mental health care more accessible for students, The New York Times reports… An op-ed in Inside Higher Ed highlights the strengths of Optional Practical Training programs… California has launched a statewide campaign to help students access financial aid, NBC Los Angeles reports.

Richey Confirmed To Lead Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights
K-12 Dive | Oct. 8, 2025

Why College Protests Make Better Leaders
TIME | Oct. 9, 2025

The Therapist Next Door
The New York Times (sub. req.) | Oct. 9, 2025

OPT Is Something to Emulate, Not End
Inside Higher Ed | Oct. 9, 2025

‘Cash for College.’ Statewide Program Offering Financial Aid for California Students
NBC Los Angeles | Oct. 8, 2025

October 8, 2025

Higher education leaders worry that President Trump’s new $100,000 H-1B visa fee will make it harder to hire foreign faculty and staff, The New York Times reports... Gary May, chancellor of the University of California, Davis, writes in Higher Ed Dive that public universities remain vital engines of opportunity and prosperity, and leaders must address critics’ concerns to preserve that mission... Higher ed organizations have raised alarm over the compact the Trump administration sent nine institutions, Inside Higher Ed reports, and an op-ed in USA Today criticizes the compact… The Trump administration is considering selling parts of the federal government’s student loan portfolio to private investors, Politico reports... Student support programs at community colleges are in jeopardy, after the Trump administration cut funding for Minority-Serving Institutions, EdSource reports... Cynthia Lindquist, former president of Cankdeska Cikana Community College, writes in The Conversation about the vital role Tribal Colleges and Universities play in helping Native students succeed in higher education.

Trump’s H-1B Visa Fee Could Strain Universities and Schools
The New York Times (sub. req.) | Oct. 8, 2025

Don’t Let Polarization Undermine the Vital Role Colleges Play in the US
Higher Ed Dive | Oct. 8, 2025

With Compact, Universities Weigh Whether to Give Up Freedoms for Unknown Payout
Inside Higher Ed | Oct. 8, 2025

Trump’s Higher Education Compact Isn’t Conservative. It’s Federal Intimidation.
USA Today (sub. req.) | Oct. 8, 2025

Trump Administration Considers Sale of Federal Student Loan Debt
Politico | Oct. 7, 2025

Student Support Programs in Peril After Federal Cuts at Hispanic-Serving Community Colleges
EdSource | Oct. 8, 2025

Tribal Colleges and Universities Aren’t Well Known, but Are a Crucial Steppingstone for Native Students
The Conversation | Oct. 7, 2025