HEADLINES: Top Higher Education News for the Week

April 29, 2026

NPR covers yesterday's Senate Appropriations Committee hearing featuring testimony by Education Secretary Linda McMahon about her agency's proposed FY 2027 budget. . .Inside Higher Ed writes about a report by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), the Education Committee's ranking member, finding that in 2025 the Education Department's Office for Civil Rights reached the lowest number of resolution agreements in over a decade. . .The Washington Post reports on a new initiative by a group of HBCUs to achieve "R1" status. . .

Linda McMahon Punches Back at Senators Questioning Education Department Cuts
NPR | April 28, 2026

Civil Rights Office Resolved 1% of Cases in 2025, Report Finds
Inside Higher Ed | April 29, 2026

Historically Black Colleges Team Up to Pursue Top Research Status
The Washington Post | April 29, 2026

April 28, 2026

A court order means dozens more institutions won’t have to submit detailed race and sex data on their applicants and enrollees to the U.S. Department of Education while a lawsuit against the agency’s new survey plays out, reports Higher Ed Dive. . .Mike Sosulski, the new president of Lake Forest College, used his inauguration to deliver a clear message: higher education faces mounting challenges — from artificial intelligence to political division — but its core mission remains essential, writes the Chicago Tribune. . .Inside Higher Ed looks at how Heather Shotton, the new president of Fort Lewis College and the first Native American to head the institution, plans to continue work she helped launch. . .The White House's outer of the National Science Foundation leaves it with no board, director or deputy director. . .

Court Blocks Education Department’s Data Demands for Over 170 More Colleges
Higher Ed Dive | April 27, 2026

Fort Lewis Welcomes First Native President Amid Reconciliation Process
Inside Higher Ed (sub. req.) | April 28, 2026

Lake Forest College President Speaks of Challenges Facing Higher Education in His Inauguration Address
Chicago Tribune | April 27, 2026

Board Ouster Raises Further Concerns About NSF’s Future
Inside Higher Ed (sub. req.) | April 28, 2026

April 27, 2026

An op-ed in The Hill contends that colleges must be accountable for supporting students through graduation and into competitive careers—ensuring degrees translate into economic security and fulfilling lives. . .A pause on Optional Practical Training employment authorization applications means that soon-to-be graduates from the 40 countries and territories on the Trump administration’s travel ban list may lose their chance to work in the United States, reports Inside Higher Ed. . . Michigan State and the University of Michigan would each lose over $200 million under a Michigan House proposal one college official described as “shortsighted and harmful". . An op-ed in National Defense makes the case for better utilizing research universities resources in addressing national security challenges . . .

Opinion: The Case for College Hasn’t Changed — but the Narrative Has
The Hill | April 23, 2026

Pause on Some OPT Applications Has Left Students in Limbo for Months
Inside Higher Ed (sub. req.)| April 27, 2026

Michigan State, University of Michigan Face Over 60% Cut Under State Funding Bill
Higher Ed Dive | April 23, 2026

Opinion: U.S. Research Universities Underutilized National Security Assets
National Defense | April 24, 2026

April 24, 2026

The Chronicle of Higher Education looks at efforts to block a Trump administration proposal to gut the Minority-Serving Institutions grant program. . .Inside Higher Ed writes about a survey by Ithaka S+R found that one in 10 faculty members working in states that restrict academic speech are seeking jobs out of state, with six percent reported they are trying to leave the academy altogether. . .More Florida college and university presidents are coming from state government, reports Bay News 9. .

Latino Advocates Scramble to Block Trump Gutting $354-Million MSI Grant Program
Inside Higher Ed | April 22, 2026

Faculty Actually Are Trying to Flee Red States
Inside Higher Ed | April 22, 2026

Florida University Presidents Come More from State Government
Bay News 9 | April 23, 2026

April 23, 2026

Inside Higher Ed looks at whether some Grad PLUS borrowers will face loan caps. . .A coalition of organizations is suing over a directive that threatens to strip federal contracts from colleges over their diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, reports Higher Ed Dive. . .The Washington Post explores campus dinners held with the goal of repairing the Black-Jewish alliance in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. . .Institutions in Ohio are using campus food pantries to help students experiencing food insecurity. . .

Some Grad PLUS Borrowers Could Face Loan Caps
Inside Higher Ed | April 22, 2026

Higher Education Groups Challenge Trump’s Latest Anti-DEI Order
Higher Ed Dive | April 22, 2026

Campus Dinners Aim to Repair Black-Jewish Alliance, Frayed by the Gaza War
The Washington Post | April 22, 2026

Food Pantries on Ohio College Campuses Help Students Experiencing Food Insecurity
Ohio Capital Journal | April 22, 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

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