#higher-education

#higher-education

This year's Banned Books Week (Oct. 5-11) comes at a moment when the threat of censorship is reaching alarming heights. According to a new report issued last week by PEN America, " Banned in the USA, 2024-2025," there were 22,810 instances of book banning in U.S. public schools from 2021 to 2025. As the coordinator of Chicago Banned Books Week, I can see a growing climate of fear where even some librarians are wary of promoting banned books.

For students at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania, alumni mentors are becoming embedded in their experience. A recently launched mentorship program pairs each rising junior with a graduate from the college to provide advice and encouragement as they finish their last two years of college. The initiative, part of Gettysburg's reimagining of career development, helps students build a professional network before they leave college and hopefully eases the transition into life after graduation, said Billy Ferrell, director of external relations in Gettysburg's Center for Career Engagement.

A Reagan-appointed judge has issued a scathing ruling rebuking the Trump administration's targeting of pro-Palestine students. Judge William G. Young called the case AAUP v. Rubio "perhaps the most important ever to fall within the jurisdiction of this district court" and ruled that contrary to the State Department's claims, "non-citizens lawfully present here in [the] United States actually have the same free speech rights as the rest of us."

Keir Starmer has joined a long line of ministers and prime ministers who have called time on Tony Blair's ambition for half of the nation's young people to go on to higher education. Rishi Sunak, Gavin Williamson and now Starmer have all declared an end to Blair's famous 1999 pledge as a policy priority, and done so on the grounds that the focus on universities has come at the expense of vocational education and training such as apprenticeships.

Officials at San Jacinto College, a community college in greater Houston, asked faculty to review student learning outcomes for their courses and ensure they adhere to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board's Academic Course Guide Manual and Workforce Education Course Manual, said Amanda Fenwick, a spokesperson for the college.

The Trump administration may be moving away from using individual investigations to try to force colleges into compliance with the president's agenda and instead encourage compliance by giving institutions that demonstrate adherence to his policies a competitive advantage in obtaining research funding. The new plan, which Post reporters heard about from two anonymous White House officials, would change the grant-application process and give a leg up to institutions that conform to President Donald Trump's agenda regarding admissions, hiring and other campus policies. If the plan takes effect, the Trump administration will no longer have to go after universities one by one through investigations and corresponding penalties, but rather can induce compliance from hundreds of institutions at once.

The Supreme Court's decision in 2023's Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard didn't just signal the end of affirmative action in higher education in the United States; it also launched a thousand lethal torpedoes at diversity and equity programs across the country. This case turbocharged a whole new way of thinking about colorblindness and the Constitution, and its ripple effects have been felt beyond education-in the C-suite, in the military, and more.

"Kirk became one of the most prominent voices in America, engaging in respectful, civil discourse across college campuses, media platforms, and national forums, always seeking to elevate truth, foster understanding, and strengthen the Republic,"

BART spent $6.75 million of taxpayers' money for the mistakes made by the BART police in the mediated prelitigation settlement with Jasmine Gao. It is a tragedy of just actions and how authority is abused. BART issued a notice of intent to terminate Officer Poblete. It was BART police Chief Kevin Franklin who issued a public statement that said Gao "is alleged to have assaulted a police officer." It looks like Poblete's actions had the full support of the police chief.

According to a poll the Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy published Thursday, 47 percent of 1,030 Americans surveyed said they have "a great deal" or "quite a lot" of confidence in higher education institutions, with a net positive rating of 33-up 13 percentage points since 2023. Survey respondents reported more confidence in higher education than in the police (44 percent), the medical system (38 percent) and large tech companies (25 percent).

The University of Arizona is quietly shutting down its four microcampuses in China at the end of this semester, in response to a government report released earlier this month that criticizes branch campuses of U.S. institutions in China.

One in three female students say they have endured sexual harassment during their time at university or college, with most of it taking place around campus, according to data published by England's higher education regulator. The results showed that nearly one in five women also experienced sexual assault or violence during their time as a student, often at the hands of other students or staff, with younger women, lesbian, gay or bisexual students and students with disabilities at higher risk.

Many professors in the US south, particularly in Florida, South Carolina and Texas, are considering leaving their state because of the impact the political climate is having on education, according to a new survey by the American Association of Professors. Of those interviewed in the survey, roughly a quarter of respondents said they applied for a job in higher education in another state since the start of 2023.

Cuts to civilian employees this summer threatened Reserve Officer Training Corps programs at dozens of colleges and universities, as well as the academic prospects of students at those institutions. This summer, the Army announced the closure of 10 host programs and nine extension campuses in an effort to realign units and the workforce. The changes were slated to take place at the end of this academic year.

"Together, we believe this transition is necessary to ensure Texas A&M is well positioned for the future, a future that demands bold leadership, continued innovation, and an unwavering commitment to the core values of this university to meet the challenges we face,"

Within days of 7 October 2023, much of Maryam's world had been wiped out: her home in Gaza City, her children's schools, and the Islamic University of Gaza, where she was a graduate student in physics, were all destroyed by airstrikes. In early December, Maryam's mentor Sufian Tayeh, a prominent Palestinian scientist and president of the Islamic University of Gaza was killed along with his family in an Israeli strike.

Responding to "exploding" demand, a college in Denver now offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mariachi music. Students learn music and culture, but also business skills to build viable careers. AYESHA RASCOE, HOST: Mariachi, the traditional Mexican folk music, is growing in popularity in the United States. In the last decade, at least 10 universities and colleges have started offering degrees in mariachi. The latest is Denver's Metro State University.

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that religious colleges are not under the purview of federal labor laws and need not recognize unions. Many religious colleges have chosen to do so voluntarily anyway. But in recent years, several educational institutions - now including Loyola Marymount - have claimed the religious exemption suddenly and without warning, effectively using it to shut down established faculty unions that they had previously recognized.

Despite the rising costs of college, weakened public support for higher education and the onslaught of political challenges facing colleges and universities, provosts remain optimistic about what their institution offers students. Nearly all provosts-99 percent-report that their institution provides a quality undergraduate education. They are generally happy about their jobs, too: 91 percent say they are glad they pursued administrative work, and 86 percent say they enjoy being a chief academic officer.

Lake: How does a 22-year-old become so filled with hate? Five years earlier I was told he was a Trump supporter and we send our kids off to college and they brainwashed them. I am making a plea to mothers. Do not send your children into these indoctrination camps. Do not do it pic.twitter.com/DC0d1S7043- Acyn (@Acyn) September 15, 2025

School is expensive, student loan debt is often onerous and job security for those with degrees has diminished - even more so with the advent of AI. Plus, at the moment new graduates are seeing higher unemployment rates. There's also growing interest and appeal for young adults in the skilled trades - becoming plumbers, electricians, etc. - especially as AI appears to threaten white collar work.

American colleges, especially the most selective ones, are confronting the dual problems of rampant grade inflation and declining rigor. At Harvard, as I wrote recently, the percentage of A grades has more than doubled over the past 40 years, but students are doing less work than they used to. Teacher evaluations are a big part of how higher education got to this point. The scores factor into academics' pay, hiring, and chance to get tenure.

We must fight against antisemitism, but we equally need to protect our rights, including our right to free speech, and neither goal should nor needs to be sacrificed on the altar of the other.