Colleen Flaherty
cflaihe.bsky.social
Colleen Flaherty
@cflaihe.bsky.social
Editor, Special Content @insidehighered
Reposted by Colleen Flaherty
Moody’s Projects a Negative Outlook for Higher Education

Moody’s Ratings projects a difficult year ahead for the sector due to a mix of challenges driven by federal policy risks, rising costs, regulatory changes and lost grant funding. https://bit.ly/4pzLFtt

#EDUSky #AcademicSky #HigherEd
November 25, 2025 at 5:24 PM
“Obviously, it raises questions about academic freedom and the applicability of an executive order to a journal." @kathrynpalmer.bsky.social www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty...
Mistaken Anti-DEI Guidance Stokes Research Fears Under Trump
Scholars were outraged after The Excellence in Education Journal told authors to make sure their work didn’t violate Trump’s anti-DEI order. Days later, the journal’s editor-in-chief retracted the gui...
www.insidehighered.com
November 25, 2025 at 4:38 PM
Couldn't have imagined this 13 years ago when I started at IHE on the faculty beat. Now it's system policy. Lots of practical implications, not to mention the more philosophical: www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty...
Texas A&M Requires Approval for Courses That “Advocate” Certain Ideologies
Many faculty members decried the new restrictions on race- and gender-related courses as an assault on academic freedom. Meanwhile, the board also discussed a once-per-semester systemwide course revie...
www.insidehighered.com
November 14, 2025 at 6:42 PM
Enrollment up 2% compared to fall 2024. Biggest gains came from students studying for short-term credentials, while the number of students enrolled in associate and bachelor’s degree programs rose 3.1% and 1.2%. Grad enrollment stagnant. More: www.insidehighered.com/news/admissi...
Short-Term Credentials Bolster Enrollment Boom
Enrollment is up across the board this fall, except for graduate student enrollment, which remained stagnant. The biggest increase was among those pursuing short-term credentials, followed by those ea...
www.insidehighered.com
November 11, 2025 at 8:14 PM
Dr. Mordecai Brownlee good luck on your 71-mile walking journey for CC of Aurora's student emergency fund! Read about some of the why here: www.insidehighered.com/news/student...

www.coloradogives.org/story/eoh21f
Students Struggle With Surprise Costs, Don’t Know About Help
New Student Voice data offers insight into students’ financial vulnerability and their grasp of cost of attendance amid a broader push for cost transparency.
www.insidehighered.com
November 11, 2025 at 8:07 PM
For the AI literacy is a life skill file: Within 45 mins, "ChatGPT provided advice on getting drunk, hiding eating habits from loved ones or mixing pills for an overdose." www.insidehighered.com/news/student...
October 23, 2025 at 8:03 PM
💸 Just 27 percent of students have a clear understanding of the full cost of attendance, and this rate is lower still among students who have seriously considered stopping out.
More from Student Voice: www.insidehighered.com/news/student...
Students Struggle With Surprise Costs, Don’t Know About Help
New Student Voice data offers insight into students’ financial vulnerability and their grasp of cost of attendance amid a broader push for cost transparency.
www.insidehighered.com
October 7, 2025 at 1:31 PM
The U.S Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights announced Monday that it's moving to cut off Harvard University’s eligibility to receive federal funding. www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-t...
www.insidehighered.com
September 29, 2025 at 10:08 PM
According to the lawsuit, the BOT behind closed doors “engaged in a sweeping policy discussion about tenure’s institutional value and global costs,” and later communicated through Signal. UNC leadership allegedly asked Clemens to step down shortly thereafter. www.insidehighered.com/news/governa...
Former Provost Sues UNC Chapel Hill
Chris Clemens alleged in his lawsuit that some board members and a dean violated state open meetings and records laws. A professor says his suit is “hypocritical.”
www.insidehighered.com
September 24, 2025 at 6:58 PM
Reposted by Colleen Flaherty
Hey #AcademicSky, got parking woes? I want to hear about them. Tell me about your university's return-to-office plans, parking policies and any petty (or not petty) complaints about spot availability. Reach me here or on Signal: @ emmawhitford.96
September 23, 2025 at 6:53 PM
Reposted by Colleen Flaherty
How the Education Dept. Wants to Advance ‘Patriotic Education’

Professional historians say the department’s plan is part of the Trump administration’s broader attempt to create an Orwellian “truth ministry” and omit the more troubling aspects of the nation’s past. https://bit.ly/4nfvvVl
September 23, 2025 at 2:25 PM
This week's Friday surprise... We'll have a story, and I defer to my IHE colleagues in making sense of this step—but we got a few buttons closer to Nuclear: www.ed.gov/about/news/p...
U.S. Department of Education Places Harvard University on Heightened Cash Monitoring for Financial Responsibility Concerns
Today, the Department’s Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) announced that it has placed Harvard University (Harvard) on Heightened Cash Monitoring (HCM) status following growing concerns regarding th...
www.ed.gov
September 19, 2025 at 5:39 PM
Reposted by Colleen Flaherty
Judge Dismisses Trump’s Lawsuit Against The New York Times www.nytimes.com/2025/09/19/b...
Judge Dismisses Trump’s Lawsuit Against The New York Times
www.nytimes.com
September 19, 2025 at 5:36 PM
That strange space in which faculty members defend a president who fired a professor and unseated two administrators over an academic freedom dispute but/and he steps down under intense political pressure anyway... www.insidehighered.com/news/governa...
Texas A&M President Steps Down Under Pressure
Mark Welsh resigned Thursday after state lawmakers accused the university of pushing “leftist DEI and transgender indoctrination” on his watch.
www.insidehighered.com
September 19, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Is AI tanking college's value in students' eyes? No. They're definitely interacting with the technology but most often in ways that can augment their learning. And they have mixed views on faculty of use of AI for teaching... This and more from our new Student Voice: Amplified survey.
August 29, 2025 at 1:24 PM
"If I were advising a college president wondering what to make of this, I’d tell them to pair affordability with strong career-pathway programs and invest in faculty development to reinforce the classroom behaviors that matter most to students.”

—Richard Roman, founder of Trusted Arc Labs
August 18, 2025 at 3:14 PM
"I’ve worked with institutions where students are literally walking past shuttered buildings on campus tours, or sweating through admitted-student events due to outdated HVAC systems.”
www.insidehighered.com/news/institu...
Why College Deferred Maintenance Is a Growing Risk
A majority of colleges and universities were poised to fund less than a quarter of deferred maintenance needs last fiscal year, an IHE survey finds. Experts warn the backlog represents a growing enrol...
www.insidehighered.com
August 6, 2025 at 2:51 PM
“This highlights that every practice of colleges is under scrutiny, even ones that have been viewed as politically safe for years (such as top ten percent plans or even TRIO programs)." www.insidehighered.com/news/governm...
DOJ Declares Slew of DEI Practices Unlawful in Memo
The nine-page memo builds on the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
www.insidehighered.com
July 31, 2025 at 3:34 PM