Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Colleen Flaherty @cflaihe.bsky.social · 9d

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...

Former Provost Sues UNC Chapel Hill

Colleen Flaherty @cflaihe.bsky.social · 14d

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...

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/news/quick-t...

Reposted by Colleen Flaherty

Emma Whitford @emmawhitford.bsky.social · 15d

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

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Colleen Flaherty @cflaihe.bsky.social · 15d

Special Report: Smarter Campus Systems

A new special report from Inside Higher Ed looks at how outdated campus systems threaten institutional missions, especially success for modern learners: first-generation, transfer and adult students. ...

www.insidehighered.com/news/global/...

Reposted by Colleen Flaherty

Inside Higher Ed @insidehighered.com · 15d

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

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Colleen Flaherty @cflaihe.bsky.social · 15d

International Enrollment Down at Small, Regional Colleges

Large, selective colleges enroll the greatest share of international students. But they’re not the institutions feeling enrollment drops so far this fall, early data shows.

U.S. Department of Education Places Harvard University on Heightened Cash Monitoring for Financial Responsibility Concerns

Colleen Flaherty @cflaihe.bsky.social · 19d

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...

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

Reposted by Colleen Flaherty

Ryan Quinn @ryanequinn.bsky.social · 19d

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

Texas A&M President Steps Down Under Pressure

Colleen Flaherty @cflaihe.bsky.social · 19d

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...

Mark Welsh resigned Thursday after state lawmakers accused the university of pushing “leftist DEI and transgender indoctrination” on his watch.

Judge Rules Harvard Funding Freeze Illegal

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Colleen Flaherty @cflaihe.bsky.social · Sep 3

Breaking:
www.insidehighered.com/news/governm...

A federal judge said the Trump administration violated the institution's First Amendment rights when it froze billions of dollars in research grants.

Survey: College Students’ Views on AI

Colleen Flaherty @cflaihe.bsky.social · Aug 29

Check it out: www.insidehighered.com/news/student...

Key findings from Inside Higher Ed’s student survey on generative AI show that using the evolving technology hasn’t diminished the value of college in their view, but it could affect their critical th...

www.insidehighered.com/news/student...

Colleen Flaherty @cflaihe.bsky.social · Aug 29

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.

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Colleen Flaherty @cflaihe.bsky.social · Aug 18

Survey: Students Link Trust in College to Affordability

In the first installment of our 2025–26 Student Voice survey series, most students express confidence in their institution—with clear room for improvement, especially when it comes to affordability.

Why College Deferred Maintenance Is a Growing Risk

Colleen Flaherty @cflaihe.bsky.social · Aug 18

"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

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Colleen Flaherty @cflaihe.bsky.social · Aug 6

"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...

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...

DOJ Declares Slew of DEI Practices Unlawful in Memo

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Colleen Flaherty @cflaihe.bsky.social · Jul 31

“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...

The nine-page memo builds on the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion programs.

Ep. 167: Reimagining Online Learning | Inside Higher Ed

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Colleen Flaherty @cflaihe.bsky.social · Jul 31

Stephanie Moore on rejecting the binary between online and in-person learning, plus engagement, what T&L practices are disruptable in the age of GenAI and which aren't, and more. It's a treat. www.insidehighered.com/podcasts/key...

How Public Attacks on Harvard Harm All of Higher Ed

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Colleen Flaherty @cflaihe.bsky.social · Jul 16

"I think the administration wants to weaken that accountability function that can be played by universities because it undermines, ultimately, their ability to exercise power in the service of that larger vision of what they believe America should be." www.insidehighered.com/news/governm...

The administration’s use of public channels to herald funding freezes and federal investigations tells of a coherent agenda to remake higher ed, according to one political scientist.

Federal Policy Uncertainty Impacting College Budgeting

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Colleen Flaherty @cflaihe.bsky.social · Jul 14

Recent history offers one comparison to the current financial uncertainty for higher ed—the early days of the pandemic. But the federal government at that time “quickly stepped in to provide support." Now, the federal government “is causing the uncertainty.” www.insidehighered.com/news/governm...

In our forthcoming annual survey of college and university chief business officers, anxiety abounds. A majority say uncertainty is challenging their ability to conduct even basic financial planning.

What’s Next After Trump Signed “Big Beautiful Bill”

Colleen Flaherty @cflaihe.bsky.social · Jul 11

ICYMI: Seeing the new higher ed provisions “run smoothly may be a little too much to hope for,” said Jon Fansmith of ACE. “Hopefully they don’t implode. That’s our guiding principle right now.” www.insidehighered.com/news/governm...

Colleges should start communicating with students about the changes while bracing for state budget cuts, higher ed experts say.

NIH Plans to Cap Publisher Fees, Dilute “Scientific Elite”

Colleen Flaherty @cflaihe.bsky.social · Jul 10

Ostensibly increasing access to publicly funded science while cutting science research funding... www.insidehighered.com/news/governm...

Director of the National Institutes of Health says that capping research journals’ open-access fees will help rein in the $19 billion academic publishing industry and bolster scientific debate.

A New Tool to Improve College Cost Transparency

Colleen Flaherty @cflaihe.bsky.social · Jul 10

Full table/deets here, via @insidehighered.com table czar @knottkatherine.bsky.social and team: www.insidehighered.com/news/governm...

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Colleen Flaherty @cflaihe.bsky.social · Jun 18

A Simple Tool Aims to Clarify College Cost

Economist Phil Levine developed his price calculator to help families understand the cost of a degree without deciphering complex aid formulas. Colleges are queuing up to use it. www.insidehighered.com/news/admissi...

Economist Phil Levine developed his price calculator to help families understand the cost of a degree without deciphering complex aid formulas. Colleges are queuing up to use it.

bit.ly

University Leaders Weigh Changes to Research Funding Model

Colleen Flaherty @cflaihe.bsky.social · Jun 18

“Unfortunately, something is going to change,” said Barbara Snyder, president of the Association of American Universities. “Either we will be part of it or it will be imposed upon us … Significant division in the research community is going to kill us.”

www.insidehighered.com/news/governm...

Two new models are geared toward creating a more transparent and accountable system to track costs indirectly related to research.