Robert Kelchen
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robertkelchen.com
Robert Kelchen
@robertkelchen.com
5.7K followers 460 following 3.7K posts
Professor & department head, University of Tennessee, Knoxville. I study higher ed finance, accountability, and financial aid. Washington Monthly rankings data editor. Dad, gardener, and baker. Personal account.

https://robertkelchen.com/
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robertkelchen.com
I do annual performance reviews as a department head, and S. Dakota is going at post-tenure review the wrong way. If faculty doesn't meet expectations once, that shouldn't result in firing if the problem is fixed. Tenure means they have a history of success.

www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty...
South Dakota’s new tenure-review policy is part of the board’s response to the “immense pressure, from both internal and external forces,” on the national higher education landscape, according to an October board document. “These pressures include accountability (accreditors, state legislatures, and federal government), educational demand and market change, resource constraints, continuous improvement, incentivizing quality instruction, research, and service, etc.” Under the policy, if a faculty member received an annual performance rating of “does not meet expectations” or was placed on a faculty improvement plan in the previous five years, “tenure will be non-renewed, and the faculty member will be issued a one-year term contract for the following academic year.” The policy notes that the employee would still be eligible to apply for nontenurable positions within the system.
January 9, 2026 at 10:31 AM
robertkelchen.com
As a parent, I don't choose daycares based on having a "brand-new, highly qualified stall." That's an unfortunate typo...or their potties are truly something special.
A daycare ad in today's mail advertising "brand-new, highly qualified stall."
January 2, 2026 at 9:32 PM
robertkelchen.com
Expect there to be efforts to pull or restrict funding to Minnesota public colleges. Diane Jones served in the first Trump administration and has the ear of ED officials.
Diane Jones calling for restrictions to be placed on Minnesota public colleges because of fraud in social services programs.
January 2, 2026 at 5:50 PM
robertkelchen.com
Happy New Year! My 5:30 run this morning was a delight--the temperature difference going up and down hills is an underappreciated joy. And I got to see the first tiny bit of light on the eastern horizon as I finished up.

Then it was time to make French toast with sprinkles with the kids. So good!
French toast with sprinkles in the batter. Dad tested, kid approved!
January 1, 2026 at 1:58 PM
robertkelchen.com
A tidbit from yesterday's negotiated rulemaking data release: 18 programs of study saw students borrow $100 million in federal loans in FY25. Some programs are huge with small borrowing amounts (hi, SNHU!), and others have fewer students take out more debt.

www.ed.gov/laws-and-pol...
A list of 18 programs with at least $100 million in student loan volume in FY25.
December 31, 2025 at 2:30 PM
robertkelchen.com
I'll write a blog post on this at some point over the next few days, but a much larger share of programs at for-profit colleges are estimated to fail the new federal earnings test using newly released data. The level of program also matters, with undergraduate certificates being the main culprit.
35% of for-profit programs with data are estimated to fail the budget reconciliation law's accountability provisions, compared to 3.3% of nonprofits and 3.8% of publics.
December 30, 2025 at 8:43 PM
robertkelchen.com
I said this for the Chronicle's 25-year retrospective. But my more serious answer over the last quarter century was the move from college access to completion (around 2008) and then return on investment (around 2017). It encapsulates all the pressures around us.

www.chronicle.com/newsletter/d...
I said, "It's hard not to focus just on what happened in 2025, because it seems like this year alone has been 25 years long."
December 26, 2025 at 12:59 PM
robertkelchen.com
I got an entire book of dad jokes for Christmas. It's always good to keep building up my supply!
A couple of research scientists had twins. They named one John and the other Control.
December 25, 2025 at 5:14 PM
robertkelchen.com
Once again, good luck finding a deep pool of qualified applicants for college president searches. And judging by how many executive search firms fill up my and colleagues' inboxes, the challenges extend to the provost and dean levels.

www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...
With Trump set to remain in office until January 2029, higher education experts said few candidates are eager to assume leadership roles that come preloaded with political scrutiny. “A president may not be interested in taking the job and then potentially being under federal investigation and run out of town very quickly,” said Robert Kelchen, a University of Tennessee professor who studies educational leadership.
December 19, 2025 at 11:51 AM
robertkelchen.com
I pick my words carefully when describing colleges' financial situations, but sometimes the numbers are simply that bad. I hope that Webster can turn it around, but it doesn't seem like recruiting students from India and Nepal who immediately leave is the answer.

www.chronicle.com/article/webs...
Even after closing several of its international campuses, the university’s financial situation became dire two years ago. Robert Kelchen, a professor at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville who studies college finance, described Webster’s 2023 fiscal year as a “calamity.” The university lost nearly $40 million, pulled nearly $50 million from its endowment, and received a financial-distress designation from its accreditor, the Higher Learning Commission. Those kinds of challenges, Kelchen said, suggest a university may not be able to keep its doors open. “As I look at their financials, I’d be worried beyond about a three- to five-year runway,” he told The Chronicle. Webster decided to try and grow itself out of financial failure, a common strategy in higher education, Kelchen said. The university began accepting nearly every undergraduate-student application — 85 percent of applicants who applied to attend the St. Louis campus in fall 2024.
December 18, 2025 at 1:06 PM
robertkelchen.com
Workers are feeling increasingly anxious about losing their jobs in a tough labor market...and those with higher education levels aren't exempt. The prospect of AI being used for job cuts is scaring people.

www.wsj.com/economy/jobs...
A chart showing anxiety that workers face about possibly losing their jobs.
December 17, 2025 at 1:02 PM
robertkelchen.com
I'm also in wait-and-see mode on the effects of caps on grad student loans.

My big questions are:
(1) Can the private market scale up in time?
(2) Do students even want private loans?
(3) Will grad programs change admissions practices?

www.insidehighered.com/news/busines...
To better understand how universities are planning ahead, Inside Higher Ed reached out to 20 of the largest graduate programs in the nation. Most did not respond. Those that did emphasized a mix of increased corporate engagement and expanded loan options, among other measures. But for the most part, many appear to still be figuring it out. “We’re spending a lot of time this year looking at diversifying the streams of funding for graduate students,” said Bonnie Ferri, vice provost for graduate and postdoctoral education at Georgia Institute of Technology.
December 15, 2025 at 10:14 AM
robertkelchen.com
Once again, I'm a lot of fun at parties.
Most consequential trend: The shifting of a broad overall agenda for higher education, from college completion in the 2000s to a return-on-investment focus in the 2010s and early 2020s. "It's hard not to focus just on what has happened in 2025, because it seems like this year alone has been 25 years long."
December 11, 2025 at 1:49 AM
robertkelchen.com
Here is the portion on grading from the Trump administration's proposed higher education compact.
5 – STUDENT LEARNING Signatories commit to grade integrity and the use of defensible standards for whether students are achieving their goals, with each grade reflecting the quality, breadth, and depth of the student’s achievement. Signatories acknowledge that a grade must not be inflated, or deflated, for any non-academic reason, but only rigorously reflect the demonstrated mastery of a subject that the grade purports to represent. Signatories will use public accountability mechanisms to demonstrate their commitment to grade integrity, such as publishing grade distribution dashboards with multiyear trendlines, public statements that explain student outcomes and any unusual upward trends, and comparisons with peer institutions.
December 9, 2025 at 6:00 PM
robertkelchen.com
I would say that I'm a lot of fun at parties, but who am I kidding? I don't get invited to parties.

www.wgbh.org/news/educati...
Kelchen said schools are trying to avoid worst-case outcomes in the short term while preparing for the uncertain future — and he expects more cuts. “When even the wealthiest institutions in the world are making cuts, I expect other colleges to continue following suit,” Kelchen said. “Some of that is to avoid potential worst case outcomes like closures or massive cuts in the short-term. And some of it’s also to try to get back ahead of their financial situation.” “All the financial challenges coming from the Trump administration are real,” he added, “but they’re also a good cover for institutions that need to make other cuts.”
December 9, 2025 at 10:23 AM
robertkelchen.com
Hey @cantb.bsky.social, I'm right here on Rocky Top!
Social-media depictions of good times are a boon for SEC institutions, “which are, in fact, pretty-ordinary public universities,” says Brendan Cantwell, a professor of educational administration at Michigan State University. “I don’t mean to degrade them. They’re fine places, but you’re not getting anything educationally at Knoxville that is unavailable in Buffalo. But what’s unavailable in Buffalo is SEC football and that lifestyle and that aesthetic. Gray skies and concrete are available in Buffalo.”
December 4, 2025 at 1:46 AM
robertkelchen.com
The Secretary of Education met with an interesting group of participants this morning.

www.ed.gov/about/news/p...
Today, U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon participated in a roundtable discussion with university leaders, think tank professionals, and education advocates about the need for reforms to address the far-left ideological capture of American universities. The roundtable, entitled “Biased Professors, Woke Administrators, and the End of Free Inquiry on U.S. Campuses,” was hosted at the White House and included dozens of additional stakeholders. This is the second installment in the White House roundtable series addressing the problems eroding public confidence in higher education. ... “It was an honor to be at the White House today with this dedicated coalition of students, faculty, institutional leaders, and policy advocates to highlight the issue of woke ideology and the capture of our institutions of higher education. DEI policies have turned universities from free marketplaces of ideas to purveyors of manufactured ideological conformity, chilling free speech and undermining academic rigor,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. “We are committed to working with higher education leaders to reverse course from these decades of decline and create a golden age of academia – committed to reason, merit, and individual excellence.” Roundtable participants included Matthew Spalding, Vice President of Washington Operations and Dean of the Van Andel Graduate School of Government at Hillsdale College and New College of Florida board member; Nicole Neily, President and Founder of Defending Education; Dr. Christopher Schorr, Director of the America First Policy Institute’s Higher Education Reform Initiative; Trevor Tobey, Rice University Student Body President; Allie Coghan, Former University of Wyoming Student; Brette Powell, Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of the Office of Public Liaison; and Karalee Geis, White House Office of Public Liaison.
December 3, 2025 at 8:43 PM
robertkelchen.com
Graduate student enrollment is facing a lot of challenges right now, but my crystal ball is pretty foggy regarding where things will end up even a year or two down the road.

www.chronicle.com/article/has-...
What that barometer shows remains to be seen, said Robert Kelchen, a professor in and head of the department of educational leadership and policy studies at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. Programs that recruit lots of international students and that report higher debt-to-earnings ratios are likely to suffer most, he added. “The word of 2025 has been ‘uncertainty,’ and I don’t see that going away over the next several months. The range of possible outcomes is so broad,” Kelchen said. “It’s within the realm of possibility that the President of the United States posts on social media that all international students are heretofore banned from the country. Or it’s possible that the status quo largely continues, and institutions are generally OK.”
December 3, 2025 at 7:01 PM
robertkelchen.com
I'm making sure the kids get the best of the holiday season. This could have won an Oscar back in 1987.
A rare copy of Will Winton's Claymation Christmas, featuring the legendary California Raisins.
November 30, 2025 at 4:42 PM
robertkelchen.com
I celebrated Black Friday by jamming two beautiful Arkansas Black apple trees in between the kids in the back of my car. My local nursery ran a sale on all things black, and I also online ordered seeds for next year.
An Arkansas Black apple tree, joining a few other apple trees in my backyard.
November 28, 2025 at 7:58 PM
robertkelchen.com
Our kitchen is completely gutted for renovations, but I can put together a passable meal with a smoker and toaster oven.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
Smoked turkey, roasted broccoli, and baked sweet potato. Not shown: Costco pumpkin pie.
November 28, 2025 at 1:17 AM
robertkelchen.com
This is a fascinating piece on how Arizona State and Michael Crow have tried to stay in the good graces of the Trump administration.

www.wsj.com/us-news/educ...
ASU officials have no problem being alone or in a group working with the administration; they believe this would position ASU to help redesign what they see as a flawed system—and capture as much support and money from the federal government as possible, people familiar with the matter said.
November 26, 2025 at 10:54 PM
robertkelchen.com
The Secretary of Education just appointed five new members to the powerful National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI)--the organization that approves accreditors. Expect NACIQI to play a major role over the next several years.

www.ed.gov/about/news/p...
Robert Eitel is the president of the Defense of Freedom Institute. He previously served as Deputy General Counsel at the Department in the George W. Bush Administration and served as a Senior Counselor at the Department in the first Trump Administration. Eitel also held the role of the Department’s regulatory reform officer and was involved in several efforts concerning Title IX and the Higher Education Act. Joshua Figueira is the Deputy General Counsel and Managing Director of the Office of Compliance, Risk, and Legal Affairs at Brigham Young University - Idaho. Previously, he clerked at the U.S. District Court for the district of Utah and was an associate at a Utah law firm, specifically working in the First Amendment and Religious Organizations Practice Group. Dr. Jay Greene is a Senior Research Fellow for the Center of Education Policy at the Heritage Foundation. His research focuses on the effects of education on character formation and civic values; he also has covered a wide range of topics, from private school choice programs to the effects field trips have on students. Before he came to Heritage, Dr. Greene founded, and served as the Chair of, the Department of Education Reform at the University of Arkansas. Dr. Steven Taylor is a policy director and Senior Fellow in Economic Mobility at Stand Together Trust. There, he works to educate policymakers on reforms that empower individuals to develop and leverage their skills to pursue meaningful careers and contribute to society. Dr. Taylor previously worked at the American Council on Education and founded ED2WORK®. In 2024, Governor Youngkin appointed Taylor to a four-year term on the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, the Commonwealth’s coordinating agency for higher education. Emilee Reynolds is currently a student at Western Carolina University (WCU)...
November 25, 2025 at 6:17 PM
robertkelchen.com
Here are the key education leaders listed as participating in today's White House higher ed roundtable.

The mention of administrative bloat is one thing that unites Republicans and faculty unions, even though the reality is a lot more complicated.

www.ed.gov/about/news/p...
Roundtable participants included Casey Sacks, President of BridgeValley Community and Technical College and Senior Advisor at the U.S. Department of Education; Erin Valdez, Executive Director of the Incubator of the Center for Education and Public Service at the University of Austin and Director of Education and Workforce Policy at the Cicero Institute; Michael Bettersworth, Chief Marketing Officer at Texas State Technical College; Raymond “Ray” Rodrigues, Chancellor of the State University System of Florida; and Kimberly Fletcher, President of Moms for America. Each shared their expertise on higher education shaped by their leadership in the field.
November 20, 2025 at 1:18 AM
robertkelchen.com
As a department head, I send one-line e-mails and 1,500-word e-mails. There is very little in between.
November 19, 2025 at 7:36 PM