NEW! The Shakedown: How Trump's DOJ pressured lawyers to 'find' evidence that UCLA had illegally tolerated antisemitism. by me and @KatherineMangan w/ @chronicle.com www.propublica.org/article/ucla...

read @jasperjsmith.bsky.social: www.chronicle.com/article/just...

As the Trump administration seeks to overhaul higher ed, two Virginia universities have landed at the center of its war on diversity efforts I talk with Jack Stripling on this week’s College Matters about why Virginia has become ground zero in that fight www.chronicle.com/podcast/coll...

Trump, who said last year that he had “saved” historically Black colleges, has canceled $140 million in grants to them since March. Agencies told HBCUs “to change the language in grant applications that explicitly focus on Black people — or lose federal funding.” www.chronicle.com/article/hbcu...

It’s like telling a cancer institute to stop spending so much on cancer research. Here are a few of the many cuts. Via @jasperjsmith.bsky.social

In Clarksdale, there's limited transportation and no movie theater. The town inspired Sinners, but many can't travel to see it in theaters. They created a petition to invite Ryan Coogler & team to host a public screening and experience the Delta. MY LATEST: capitalbnews.org/clarksdale-r...

'This is a vast overstep': Trump's latest executive order limits what can be deemed as race and sex discrimination. Civil-rights lawyers say Trump's executive order will make it more difficult for students and employees to file complaints with OCR over systemic discrimination. chroni.cl/42O6NlX

If you're an NSF grantee who receives notice of cancellation per today's announcement, please get in touch here or via Signal mzahneis.09.

The Education Dept. Wants to End DEI. Does It Have the Staff? by @jasperjsmith.bsky.social www.chronicle.com/article/ed-d...

New from me: AAUP, Middle East Studies Association Sue Trump Administration Over ‘Ideological Deportations’ www.chronicle.com/article/aaup...

In signing an order to close Department of Education, President Trump called for returning authority over education to state and local officials, while punishing colleges for allegedly failing to combat antisemitism and allowing transgender athletes to compete. www.chronicle.com/article/afte...

I spoke to legal scholars and people in higher ed about a question I've had for the last few days. Why isn't Columbia suing? www.chronicle.com/article/why-...

(DOE is the Department of Energy, the Department of Education is ED)

Tennessee State is facing a financial shortfall and its interim president recently told lawmakers they would run out of money by May. Now, the HBCU expects to lose at least $14.4 million in federal grant funding. www.tennessean.com/story/news/e...

I had the privilege to produce the photos for @jasperjsmith.bsky.social's recent deep dive into the campus reaction to Dr. Ibram Kendi's new home at Howard University. Here's a few alternate images from the assignment, which included candids of Kendi at an event, and portraits of Dr. Greg Carr.

If you want the definitive story on what the heck has happened with expulsions, protests, and arrests at Barnard over the past couple of weeks — Maya Stahl, one of our ace spring interns, has got you covered:

President Trump continues to threaten an executive order to shutter the Education Department. Higher education experts say the department doesn’t have to be eliminated to be weakened substantially. chroni.cl/4iurMQG

@jasperjsmith.bsky.social has been crushing it. Check out this MUST read: www.chronicle.com/article/can-...

Conservative critics said the antiracism scholar would “no doubt find a receptive audience” at Howard. But some faculty are concerned about the hire. They worry that Kendi is using the HBCU's brand to repair his image: www.chronicle.com/article/can-...

Some exciting news for The Quad, @theassemblync.bsky.social's higher ed newsletter: We're hosting our first live event! Join us on 3/25 for an exclusive look at how the Trump administration’s first moves are playing out at North Carolina’s colleges and universities.

If you work in higher ed and haven't had a pay raise in many years, I'd love to talk to you for a story. Please reach out here or [email protected] Thank you! 🙏

A reminder to students / those working in #HigherEd - help The Chronicle report on changes to DEI practices and programs. Has your college closed an office? Removed a website? Revised DEI messaging? Let us know here!⬇️ docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

A legal challenge to OCR’s Dear Colleague letter argues that the department’s references to discrimination are too vague, and fail to give clear indication of what programs are illegal. chroni.cl/3EVYpsh

@jasperjsmith.bsky.social cuts through the clutter on the Dear Colleague letter and what it might mean for colleges @chronicle.com. #HigherEd #AcademicSky www.chronicle.com/article/ed-d...

Can shifting attention away from race to socioeconomic status provide the kind of diversity the U. of Michigan — and others — are seeking? Some are doubtful, but the pressure is intensifying www.chronicle.com/article/iden...

What Linda McMahon didn’t say during yesterday’s hearing was at least as interesting as what she did. I wrote about two such moments: newamerica.org/education-po...

Linda McMahon, Trump’s nominee for education secretary, said she’s not “quite certain” whether African American studies would be allowed under Trump’s executive order

Anyway, to put a finer point on it, the nominee to run the Department of Education is not willing to say schools won't be penalized for teaching Black history.

Trump has targeted diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts during his first weeks in office. But the anti-DEI movement swept through campuses long before then. chroni.cl/3EBtQYK

Some Democratic lawmakers said Thursday’s event had a strange dynamic, given that the department’s existence is in flux. “The whole hearing right now feels kind of surreal to me,” New Hampshire Sen. Maggie Hassan said. Highlights: www.chronicle.com/article/here...

New from me + @jasperjsmith.bsky.social Dozens of colleges altered or closed diversity offices/programs preemptively in the past two years, as lawmakers and the public increasingly turned against them. With Trump now in office, that number is likely to grow. www.chronicle.com/article/clin...

The new Carnegie research classifications are out today! Look up your institution here: www.chronicle.com/article/the-... The list includes some historic additions. Read @jasperjsmith.bsky.social's great reporting on Howard's return to R1 status here: www.chronicle.com/article/howa...

Higher ed folks, how have Trump's executive actions affected your role and your campus? Tell us more using the form or contact information in the story below. Your responses will be kept confidential unless you give us permission to publish them. www.chronicle.com/article/tell...

New Jersey lawmakers are calling on Seton Hall University to release an internal report on sexual-abuse claims. The demand will prove difficult as legislators don’t have authority over private universities. chroni.cl/42dupl8

About a year ago, I had a couple of sources tell me that rural white males were going missing from higher ed, which started an inquiry in our newsroom. But it looks like that may not be what's happening nationwide.

Really difficult, well-reported story on Knoxville College from @jasperjsmith.bsky.social. It is worth your time: www.chronicle.com/article/once...

An absolutely devastating, frustrating story about the past and potential future of Knoxville College, which @jasperjsmith.bsky.social reported the hell out of for the @chronicle.com.

Fantastic reporting from Jasper on a deeply complex story. Well worth your time.

For 30 years, Knoxville College has fought to keep its doors open. That’s despite accreditation loss, plummeting enrollment, and dead bodies found on the campus. This is a story about nostalgia, denial, and what happens when a college places its mission above all else. tiny.cc/b0oyzz