HEADLINES: Top Higher Education News for the Week

December 8, 2025

Inside Higher Ed previews this week's negotiated rulemaking panel that will consider regulations to expand the Pell Grant to workforce training programs... Seven college presidents and chancellors spoke at The New York Times' DealBook Summit about challenges facing colleges and universities... The Fort Worth Star-Telegram looks at the surge of first-generation students applying to college in Texas... The University of Kansas is expanding its credential program for students with disabilities.

Education Dept. Wants to Begin and End Workforce Pell This Week
Inside Higher Ed | Dec. 8, 2025

The Education of Higher Education
The New York Times (sub. req.) | Dec. 7, 2025

First-Generation College Applications Are Surging in Texas. Here’s Why.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram | Dec. 6, 2025

Kansas Scales Credential Program for Students With Disabilities
Inside Higher Ed | Dec. 8, 2025

December 5, 2025

Inside Higher Ed previews the Education Department's upcoming negotiated rulemaking session focused on accountability regulations... The Education Department’s move to exclude education from being considered a professional degree could disrupt the pipeline for future K–12 teachers and leaders, Higher Ed Dive reports, and a CentralMaine.com op-ed argues that blocking education and healthcare programs from qualifying as professional degrees risks significant harm to communities nationwide... Federal grant terminations have impacted research projects across Maine, the Portland Press Herald reports... The Minnesota Star-Tribune and Syracuse.com each cover how local institutions are grappling with steep declines in international enrollment.

Fate of Accountability for Undergraduate Certificates Likely to Loom Over ED Talks
Inside Higher Ed | Dec. 5, 2025

What Would Education’s Omission as a ‘Professional Degree’ Mean?
Higher Ed Dive | Dec. 5, 2025

Opinion: Federal Student Loan Reclassification Would Be Reckless
CentralMaine.com | Dec. 5, 2025

What Happens to Maine Research Grants Canceled by the Trump Administration?
Portland Press Herald (sub. req.) | Dec. 4, 2025

Mankato University Prepared Specially for 40 to 60 International Students. Just 4 Showed Up.
The Minnesota Star-Tribune | Dec. 4, 2025

How Plummeting International Enrollment Hurts Syracuse University and Its Bottom Line
Syracuse.com | Dec. 4, 2025

December 4, 2025

The New York Times explores the indispensable role of colleges in training workers for semiconductor manufacturing.... Tribal College and University leaders are bracing for challenges as the Department of Education prepares to shift some programs to the Department of Interior, Inside Higher Ed reports... The Trump administration has upended the longstanding government–university research partnership, and researchers and experts are now considering what comes next, STAT reports... Leaders in the House of Representatives have pulled a bill that would have overhauled college athletics following growing opposition, USA Today reports... The six-year college completion rate held steady, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center... Trinity College President Daniel Lugo spoke with Connecticut Public Radio about the value of higher education, the challenges of leading a college, and more.

A Growing U.S. Tech Hub Needs Workers. Colleges Try to Keep Up.
The New York Times (sub. req.)| Dec. 4, 2025

Tribal Colleges Brace for Disruption as Oversight Shifts to Interior Department
Inside Higher Ed | Dec. 4, 2025

Trump Has ‘Shaken the Hell’ Out of the 80-Year Research Pact between the Government and Universities. What Now?
STAT (sub. req.) | Dec. 4, 2025

Congress Pulls Major College Sports Bill after Bipartisan Backlash: ‘Not Ready for Prime Time’
USA Today (sub. req.) | Dec. 3, 2025

College Completion Rate Holds Steady above 61%
Higher Ed Dive | Dec. 4, 2025

Trinity College’s New President, Daniel G. Lugo, Reflects on the Transformative Power of Higher Education
Connecticut Public Radio | Dec. 3, 2025

December 3, 2025

The federal government funded less research in every area of science and medicine, The New York Times reports... FAFSA completion is up, Inside Higher Ed reports... Politico reports that the House is posed to vote on a bill to overhaul college sports... CBS News looks at efforts in California to assist people who are incarcerated in accessing higher education.

The U.S. Is Funding Fewer Grants in Every Area of Science and Medicine
The New York Times (sub. req.) | Dec. 3, 2025

FAFSA Completion Is Up
Inside Higher Ed | Dec. 3, 2025

College Sports Bill Heads to Final Vote despite GOP Defections
Politico | Dec. 2, 2025

Incarceration to College Program Gives Bay Area Youth a Chance at Higher Education
CBS News | Dec. 2, 2025

December 2, 2025

Higher Ed Dive reports on an amended lawsuit aiming to prevent the dissolution of the Department of Education, and Inside Higher Ed tracks the status of several key legal challenges to the Trump administration... The New York Times covers the rise in students majoring in artificial intelligence.

Education Department Outsourcing Is Unlawful, Amended Lawsuit Alleges
Higher Ed Dive | Dec. 2, 2025

Tracking Key Lawsuits Against the Trump Administration
Inside Higher Ed | Dec. 1, 2025

College Students Flock to a New Major: A.I.
The New York Times (sub. req.)| Dec. 1, 2025

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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Letters to the Editor

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