#higher-education

#higher-education

When it comes to cheaping out on social programs, the UK government might be a world leader. Once a shining example of what social spending can bring to a country, the UK has spent the past few decades gutting government programs, leading to a crumbling rail system, the destruction of child services, and rising education costs. And just as old programs are gutted, new initiatives seem doomed before they even start.

As the stated deadline to sign the "Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education" arrived Friday, multiple universities have already rejected the deal while only a few institutions have expressed interest. But among the public universities that were either formally invited to sign the compact or that participated in a call with the White House to provide feedback on higher education issues, none are willing to discuss their deliberations about the proposal or interactions with federal officials.

Christine Lovely, vice president and chief human resources officer, is leaving Cornell to become the inaugural vice chancellor for campus human resources and chief people officer at the University of California, Los Angeles. Lovely's last day at Cornell will be Dec. 15. Sean Moeller, associate vice president for human resources, will take over as interim vice president and chief human resources officer.

Students who fail math are much likelier to drop out than students who don't, and tutors help students pass. Librarians are crucial for students to learn to do research, especially in the age of AI. Academic advisers help students avoid wasting time on courses that won't help them. Financial aid staffers enable students to get the money they need to go to college. They're all helpful, and they're all important.

When I first began teaching Islam, there was no road map. In 2001, I was a visiting assistant professor of Islamic and Middle Eastern studies at the University of Iowa-the first full-time professor of Islam in the history of the state. I was in my 20s, still finishing my dissertation, when the attacks of Sept. 11 unfolded. Suddenly, I found myself trying to explain a 1,400-year-old religion to students who had watched the Twin Towers fall on live television.

The University of Pennsylvania has launched Climate and Environment Journalism: Truth-Telling in the Trump Era through its English department and American Conservatism From Taft to Trump for political science students. The New School's Donald Trump as History module will aim to explore the "Trump phenomenon" and how it alters views of U.S. history, while the University of Washington offers a special Trump in the World module.

It's cohabitation. I think you start with a degree, there's a foundation that comes with a degree, but you need the skills to be relevant in the workplace,

Students, faculty and staff at more than 100 campuses across the US rallied against the Trump administration's assault on higher education on Friday the first in a planned series of nationwide, coordinated protests that organizers hope will culminate in large-scale students and workers' strikes next May Day and a nationwide general strike in May 2028. The day of action was organized under the banner of Students Rise Up, a network of students including both local groups and national organizations like Sunrise Movement and Campus Climate Network.

Under the current administration, we have witnessed a dangerous cascade of immigration policies and actions. These developments are impacting our students, employees, campuses and communities in real time, imperiling the future of our colleges and universities. It's time for us in higher education to pull the fire alarm. Pulling the fire alarm does not mean panic. This is a call to respond, mobilize and act.

"Due to the severe budget constraints currently facing UC, the PPFP faculty hiring incentive is sunsetting as of fall 2025," the spokesperson said in a statement. "While the University will continue to provide five years of salary support to PPFP fellows hired by summer 2025 and in earlier years, no new incentives will be provided going forward. Campuses will still be able to hire PPFP fellows as part of their normal search and hiring processes, but the additional financial contribution from the incentive program will no longer be available."

Our Greek forebears, as early as Hippocrates, coined the term "kρίσις" to describe a "turning point"; kρίσις, a word related to the Proto-Indo-European root krei-, is etymologically connected to practices like "sieving," "discriminating" and "judging." In fact, the most widely mentioned skill we humanists offer our students, critical thinking, originates from the same practice of deliberate "sieving." Thus, when we call ourselves critics and write critical theory, we admit that crisis might just be our natural habitat.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping higher education at an extraordinary pace. From personalized learning assistants to analytics dashboards, colleges are investing in AI faster than ever before. Yet one truth remains constant: no amount of technology will transform learning without human readiness. Faculty members are the heartbeat of any innovation. Their willingness to explore, experiment, and evolve determines whether AI becomes an empowering co-educator or an underused novelty. Building faculty readiness, therefore, isn't a side project; it's the foundation of sustainable AI integration.

In July the University of Pennsylvania was the first to strike a deal, in its case to resolve a Title IX investigation. Penn agreed to erase former swimmer Lia Thomas, a transgender woman, from its record books; bar transgender athletes from future competition; and send personal apology letters "to each impacted female swimmer," among other concessions. In exchange, the Trump administration restored $175 million in federal research funding frozen amid the investigation.

Two years after the Supreme Court ruled to end affirmative action in college admissions, Black student enrollment at highly selective institutions is backsliding. This fall, some colleges reported shrinking Black populations, which in some cases now comprise less than 2 percent of the student body, the Associated Press reported. The AP analyzed enrollment data from 20 selective colleges and universities, including Columbia, Cornell, Emory, Harvard, Princeton, Tulane and Yale Universities.

The 2030 Plan calls on the university to expand the reach of its educational programs-both in person and online-and to make UVA more accessible, including to learners across and beyond the Commonwealth. The University of Virginia's Office of the Vice Provost for Online Education and Digital Innovation is a key part of advancing this charge on behalf of the university, helping our schools and institutes design, deliver and scale high-quality online and hybrid programs that extend UVA's reach and impact.

Gen Zers were raised on an American Dream that's slowly disappearing from view. They followed in the footsteps of their parents, who were once told that excelling in school and landing a spot at a top college would lead to success, a house, and a six-figure career-but broadly speaking, that's no longer the case. People are pointing fingers at universities, demanding that they ease costs and provide students with the skills they need to find jobs.

The Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA is giving a presentation about the Wildlife Care Center in Saratoga on Nov. 1. The care center opened in March. Staff will be presenting about the wildlife programs and facilities they use to treat sick, injured or orphaned animals before releasing them back into the wild. The presentation is scheduled from 1-2 p.m. in the Maple Room of Saratoga Library.