HEADLINES: Top Higher Education News for the Week

August 12, 2025

Inside Higher Ed looks at the outcomes and potential path forward of legal challenges to the Trump administration's attacks on higher education . . . The Hechinger Report assesses the ramifications for student veterans of cuts to the departments of Veterans Affairs and Education . . . The New York Times explores the financial difficulties facing a number of colleges and universities, which the paper reports are fueled only in part by Trump administration policies.

After Months of Lawsuits, Courts Stymie Some of Trump’s Higher Ed Agenda
Inside Higher Ed | August 12, 2025

‘Complete Nightmare’: Student Veterans, Advisers Say VA Cuts Are Derailing Their Educations 
The Hechinger Report | August 12, 2025

How College Financial Troubles Could Reshape the Student Experience
The New York Times (sub. req.) | August 12, 2025

August 11, 2025

ACE President Ted Mitchell notes that UCLA is in "uncharted territory" as part of an Los Angeles Times story exploring the Trump administration's attacks on the public university and demands for a $1 billion settlement...Inside Higher Ed looks at how the Trump administration is scrutinizing the use of geography in admissions...Michael T. Benson, the new president of West Virginia University, tells the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that he is optimistic for the future of the state's flagship university.

‘Uncharted territory’: Newsom and UC go to Battle Against Trump’s UCLA Sanctions
Los Angeles Times (sub. req.) | August 11, 2025

How Colleges Use Geography to Recruit Students
Inside Higher Ed | August 11, 2025

New WVU President Michael T. Benson Sees ‘Blue Sky’ Ahead for University 
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | August 9, 2025

August 8, 2025

The Washington Post and NPR are among the outlets covering President Trump’s order for colleges and universities to provide admissions data on race... President Trump also ordered yesterday that grant-making agencies appoint senior officials who will review new funding opportunity announcements and grants to ensure that “they are consistent with agency priorities and the national interest,” reported Inside Higher Ed... Davenport University President Richard Pappas has announced he will retire at the end of the upcoming academic year after 17 years leading that institution.

Trump Seeks to Force Universities to Turn Over Admissions Data on Race
The Washington Post (sub. req.) | August 7, 2025

Trump Orders Colleges to Share Admissions Data, With an Eye on Affirmative Action
NPR | August 7, 2025

Trump Puts Political Appointees in Charge of Federal Grant Decisions
Inside Higher Ed | August 7, 2025

Davenport President Richard Pappas Announces Retirement After 17 Years at the Helm
MLive (sub. req.) | August. 6, 2025

August 7, 2025

Inside Higher Ed writes that a new report from Gallup and Lumina Foundation shows that a majority of parents still want their kids to pursue more education after high school... The University of California will negotiate with the Trump administration to restore $584 million in grant funding to UCLA, reports the Los Angeles Times... CBS News looks at a commitment by Google to provide U.S. colleges and universities with $1 billion worth of artificial intelligence education and job training tools.

Survey: Most Parents Still Want Their Kids to Go to College
Inside Higher Ed | August 7, 2025

UC Says Trump’s Grant Suspensions at UCLA Total $584 Million, a ‘Death Knell’ for Research
Los Angeles Times (sub. req.) | August 6. 2025

Google to Spend $1 Billion on AI Education and Job Training in the U.S.
CBS News | August 6, 2025

August 6, 2025

The Trump administration has violated federal statute by withholding pre-appropriated grants from the National Institutes of Health, according to the Government Accountability Office, reports Inside Higher Ed... The New York Times writes that some legal scholars and academics say President Trump's use of Title VI to address antisemitism on campuses has parallels to President Obama’s efforts to prevent campus sexual assault under Title IX... The Chronicle of Higher Education talks with three college leades about how they are managing the constant upheaval on campus in 2025.

GAO Report: Trump Violated Federal Statute by Withholding NIH Funds
Inside Higher Ed | August 6, 2025

Trump Amps Up an Obama Strategy to Crack Down on Colleges
The New York Times (sub. req.) | August 6, 2025

Higher Ed’s Permanent Crisis Mode
The Chronicle of Higher Education (sub. req.) | August 5, 2025

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