Scott Smallwood
@scottsmallwood.com
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Co-founder & CEO, Open Campus
http://www.opencampusmedia.org
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Scott Smallwood
Chris Geidner
7 months ago
Breaking: A federal judge in Massachusetts has blocked the Trump administration's effort to shutter much of the Education Department.
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
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Evan Torner
7 months ago
There is a false dichotomy drawn between "the ivory tower" and "the real world," and I'm here to report that in a post-industrial society, your real-world economy absolutely hinges on the university. University towns are factory towns. Universities drive economic activity, not the other way around.
add a skeleton here at some point
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Josh Marshall
7 months ago
Damn it’s like U Michigan had a Kim Philby type situation on its hands! Ono comes in from the cold in this oped.
www.insidehighered.com/opinion/view...
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Why I Chose University of Florida, by Santa Ono (opinion)
Santa J. Ono explains why he’s pursuing the University of Florida presidency.
https://www.insidehighered.com/opinion/views/2025/05/08/why-i-chose-university-florida-santa-ono-opinion
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Claire Rafford
8 months ago
Butler pres signs letter criticizing Trump administration’s ‘overreach’ He was one of just 3 Indiana college leaders to sign, incl. Rev. Dowd at Notre Dame and Katie Conboy from SMC.
mirrorindy.org/butler-unive...
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Butler president criticizes “government overreach” by Trump administration
James Danko was among 554 college presidents, including three in Indiana, to sign the letter.
https://mirrorindy.org/butler-university-james-danko-american-association-colleges-universities-trump-administration/
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Daniel Drezner
8 months ago
For all the claims that Americans are in a populist mood and therefore scornful of higher education it sure seems as though Trump’s War on College is super-unpopular.
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
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Joey Fishkin
8 months ago
University leaders need to understand: they are holding INCREDIBLY good cards. It is so rare in today's polarized era to have the support of 70+ percent of the public against the Trump admiministration on anything. Universities have that—AND winning legal arguments.
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Kevin R. McClure
8 months ago
My latest. It’s feelings-forward and was hard to write. “It’s an isolating experience when your industry, the source of your livelihood, is being uniquely targeted by your own government, and many Americans are either completely unaware or cheering on its demise.”
www.chronicle.com/article/high...
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Opinion | Higher Ed Is Adrift
While colleges duck and cover, their employees feel angry and abandoned.
https://www.chronicle.com/article/higher-ed-is-adrift
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Sarah J. Jackson
8 months ago
The Miami Herald is doing remarkable public service journalism on deported Venezuelans and the crimes being committed against them. Almost like news institutions that are located in and around the communities they serve end up being accountable for serving those communities
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Clara Jeffery
8 months ago
Ok Northwestern has signed up. If your college hasn’t joined up, call up the alumni or president’s office and ask why.
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This statement is quite strong. Signed by nearly 200 presidents, including about a third of them publics. But the headline is remarkably mild: "A call for constructive engagement."
www.aacu.org/newsroom/a-c...
8 months ago
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Daniel Engber
8 months ago
Is public media already giving up?
www.theatlantic.com/culture/arch...
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PBS Pulled a Film for Political Reasons, Then Changed Its Mind
A window into how the network is handling the new Trump era
https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2025/04/pbs-documentary-break-the-game/682495/?gift=gQT_wi7V_pNFqesY1yem2VQdBPTjlypdMpu42vNJ3iI&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share
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www.tampabay.com/news/educati...
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USF, UF campus police to partner with ICE on immigration enforcement
Other Florida college police departments have signed similar agreements.
https://www.tampabay.com/news/education/2025/04/10/usf-uf-campus-police-partner-with-ice-immigration-enforcement/
8 months ago
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www.alligator.org/article/2025...
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UF partners with ICE for on-campus immigration enforcement - The Independent Florida Alligator
The University of Florida is partnering with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in an effort to crack down on undocumented international students.
https://www.alligator.org/article/2025/04/uf-partners-with-ice-for-on-campus-immigration-enforcement
8 months ago
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Daniel Engber
8 months ago
Here's what RFK is saying in private to the family of a girl who died last week from a vaccine-preventable disease
www.theatlantic.com/health/archi...
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What RFK Jr. Told Grieving Texas Families About the Measles Vaccine
The nation’s top public-health official has been promoting suspicions of the shot even as he offers comfort.
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2025/04/rfk-measles-grieving-families-texas/682386/
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Julian Sanchez
8 months ago
The lesson for universities is you may as well fight back. You'll lose the money either way. The only question is whether you keep your dignity.
add a skeleton here at some point
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Terri Langford
9 months ago
Texas readers may not have known his name but the product they read every day for free – The Texas Tribune – was made possible by John. Rest in power. Remembering John Thornton, founder of The Texas Tribune
www.texastribune.org/2025/04/01/j...
via
@texastribune.org
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Remembering John Thornton, founder of The Texas Tribune
Thornton conceived of the idea of a nonprofit news enterprise to engage Texans with their government, and then helped support similar outlets across the country. He died Saturday at 59.
https://www.texastribune.org/2025/04/01/john-thornton-texas-tribune-founder/?utm_campaign=trib-social-buttons&utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social
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Scott Smallwood
Brendan Nyhan
9 months ago
This
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/22/n...
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We built a page that gathers up the specific actions the Trump administration is taking related to higher ed. Inspired by the NYT version that's for all topics. We needed a place to point our local reporters to when we talk about all that's going on.
www.opencampus.org/higher-educa...
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Higher Education Under Pressure: Administration Actions - Open Campus
A chronological list of major actions affecting higher education institutions by the Trump administration. More about our Higher Ed Under Pressure project. Filter by topic: All Actions Anti-semitism D...
https://www.opencampus.org/higher-education-under-pressure-administration-actions/
9 months ago
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Ted Mitchell, president of ACE talking today about
#PSLF
on webinar: "Another chapter in the book of break it now and the probabilities of fixing it later go way down." He worries that delay in processing will "take the heart out of program because people won't trust it."
9 months ago
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Jamal Greene
9 months ago
Some of my Columbia Law School colleagues and I offer our thoughts on legal issues with the Administration's March 13, 2025 letter to our University's president, and its threat to academic freedom.
balkin.blogspot.com/2025/03/a-ti...
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Balkinization: A Title VI Demand Letter That Itself Violates Title VI (and the Constitution)
A group blog on constitutional law, theory, and politics
https://balkin.blogspot.com/2025/03/a-title-vi-demand-letter-that-itself.html
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Appeals court lifts ban on Trump executive orders regarding DEI. Higher ed groups had won at stay at the district court. 1/
apnews.com/article/dei-...
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Appeals court lifts blocks on Trump's orders restricting diversity, equity and inclusion programs
An appeals court has lifted a block on executive orders seeking to end government support for diversity, equity and inclusion programs, handing the Trump administration a win after a string of setback...
https://apnews.com/article/dei-trump-administration-appeals-court-e7de20bbd41a6d5225c3c005efd0bec5
9 months ago
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Good story here from
@wyofile.com
about the U of Wyoming dropping its partnership with The Ph.D. Project. The Ed Dept announced on Friday that it was opening civil rights investigations in 45 universities that partner with the Ph.D. Project.
wyofile.com/university-o...
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University of Wyoming drops partnership amid Trump administration investigation into ‘race-exclusionary practices’ - WyoFile
School administration pledges to comply with investigation and eliminate all programs that promote differential treatment.
https://wyofile.com/university-of-wyoming-drops-partnership-amid-trump-administration-investigation-into-race-exclusionary-practices/
9 months ago
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Nick Dirks, the former chancellor of Cal, is spot on here: "Universities have made two general mistakes in the face of sustained right-wing criticism. ...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
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Academia Needs to Stick Up for Itself
American higher education would be in a much stronger position today if it had made a proactive case to the public for its own importance—and taken steps to address its very real shortcomings.
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/03/trump-columbia-universities/682012/
9 months ago
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The federal government is applying unprecedented pressure on universities. At
@opencampus.org
we've launched the Higher Ed Under Pressure project to expand beyond our network of local reporters and help ANY journalist cover what this means for their community.
www.opencampus.org/higher-ed-un...
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Higher Ed Under Pressure: Resources for Local Journalists - Open Campus
Universities face unprecedented federal pressure threatening funding, research, and independence. Access free resources to help your newsroom report on this moment.
https://www.opencampus.org/higher-ed-under-pressure
9 months ago
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Scott Smallwood
Jameel Jaffer
9 months ago
The subjugation of universities to official power is a hallmark of autocracy. No one should be under any illusions about what’s going on here.
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/13/n...
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Trump Demands Major Changes in Columbia Discipline and Admissions Rules
A letter outlining “immediate next steps” arrived less than a week after the administration said it was canceling $400 million in grants and contracts.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/13/nyregion/columbia-university-students-disciplined-hamilton-hall.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share
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Morgan Polikoff
9 months ago
American universities have been the envy of the world and the engine of our economy for decades. 🤷♂️
add a skeleton here at some point
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Scott Smallwood
Adam Harris
9 months ago
"While laid-off staffers are still technically employed until March 21, they had limited access to their email, phones and computers, making a response to the outage difficult"
apnews.com/article/stud...
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Federal student loan site down Wednesday, a day after layoffs gutted Education Department
Hundreds of users reported FAFSA outages to Downdetector starting midday Wednesday, saying they were having trouble completing the form, which is required for financial aid at colleges nationwide.
https://apnews.com/article/student-loans-education-department-outage-layoffs-5afb5a0a1b51bbe50e5961a63b419041?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=share <br>Federal
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Scott Smallwood
Volt
9 months ago
Another episode of Trusted Voices is live! 🎇
@tvparrot.bsky.social
and
@erinahennessy.bsky.social
talk with
@holdenthorp.bsky.social
about the role of transparency in leadership, speaking up in controversy, and the responsibility institutions have to the public 👇
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Dr. Judith Scott-Clayton
9 months ago
Of course they know this, and they have no magical plan to do all the core functions but this time Efficiently(TM). The plan is to break things, so government can’t help you anymore. So yes, absolutely you should worry about your financial aid being affected. It appears to me that is the intention.
add a skeleton here at some point
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Anna Kornbluh
9 months ago
attacking higher education is economic sabotage the largest employer in 10 states + 60 of the 100 top cities “The local impact would reach far and wide: In 2022, Johns Hopkins affiliates accounted for over 93,600 jobs+over $15 billion in economic output in Maryland.”
www.wsj.com/health/healt...
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Johns Hopkins Plans Staff Layoffs After $800 Million Grant Cuts
Local and international health research efforts are already winding down as the university braces for even more potential cuts.
https://www.wsj.com/health/healthcare/johns-hopkins-federal-funding-foreign-aid-cut-ca841d31?fbclid=IwY2xjawI9yLpleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHYLPWikPOtFYmNlK2W3tlGXa--BxiBd2OROOzKYdWB-7WTfrdTUXLLgn_Q_aem_wFFyGWbRY-jBzyXMT2L9SA
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Scott Smallwood
Katherine Knott
9 months ago
The Trump administration is planning to cut the staff at the Education Department by about 50 percent.
@liamknox.bsky.social
and
@jessicablake.bsky.social
on what we know now about the layoffs.
www.insidehighered.com/news/governm...
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Education Department to reduce staff by half
Ahead of the announcement, the department told staff that DC offices would be closed on Wednesday and reopen Thursday for “security reasons.”
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/government/politics-elections/2025/03/11/education-department-reduce-staff-half
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Ed Department plans to cut nearly 50 percent of its staff as part of what Linda McMahon calls "its final mission." Going from 4,133 --> 2,183.
www.ed.gov/about/news/p...
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U.S. Department of Education Initiates Reduction in Force
As part of the Department of Education’s final mission, the Department today initiated a reduction in force (RIF) impacting nearly 50% of the Department’s workforce.
http://www.ed.gov/about/news/press-release/us-department-of-education-initiates-reduction-force
9 months ago
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Adam Harris
9 months ago
among other serious issues here, if i'm reading this right, the administration has not found any violations but is pre-emptively pausing $100 million in funding because of "prospective violations"?
www.pressherald.com/2025/03/11/u...
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USDA halts more than $100M in funding for University of Maine System programs
The move temporarily pauses USDA funding for Maine's university system after President Donald Trump threatened to cut off the state over Maine's decision to allow transgender athletes to compete in sp...
https://www.pressherald.com/2025/03/11/usda-halts-funding-for-all-university-of-maine-programs/?link-source=announcement-bar
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Adam Harris
9 months ago
The Ed. Department's Office for Civil Rights sent letters to 60 additional institutions "warning them of potential enforcement actions" for "violations relating to antisemitic harassment and discrimination" including Harvard, Brown, Stanford, Princeton, UNC, and several UC's
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Jeremy Bauer-Wolf
9 months ago
The acting U.S. attorney for DC demanded Georgetown Law stop teaching diversity-related topics. It’s wrong (and illegal) for political appointees to try to dictate what colleges can teach. But institutions must also stand up to authoritarian actors. My latest:
www.newamerica.org/education-po...
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U.S. Colleges Should Not Abandon Their Principles
Institutions have the opportunity to be defenders of diversity efforts and academic freedom as the Trump administration assails those values.
https://www.newamerica.org/education-policy/edcentral/us-colleges-should-not-abandon-their-principles/
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Scott Smallwood
Carl T. Bergstrom
9 months ago
NIH just posted this news announcement. "Today the National Institutes of Health is announcing plans to centralize peer review of all applications for grants, cooperative agreements and research and development contracts within the agency’s Center for Scientific Review (CSR)"
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NIH centralizes peer review to improve efficiency and strengthen integrity
The proposed approach is expected to save more than $65 million annually.
https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/nih-centralizes-peer-review-improve-efficiency-strengthen-integrity
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Ryan Cordell
9 months ago
2 things can be true at the same time: 1. America’s universities are under attack & it is a crisis 2. OMG Harvard is NOT “the soul of higher education” & its crises pale in comparison—“pale” feels too weak a word— to what state, regional, & community colleges—ie the actual soul of US higher ed—face
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Robert Kelchen
9 months ago
This is a really thoughtful piece that used open records requests to look at why Ohio public university presidents stayed publicly quiet on the biggest legislation to affect the sector in years (and how they got a 0.1% increase in funding instead of the 2% they wanted).
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As Ohio Republicans Reshape Higher Ed, University Presidents Stay Quiet
The lobbying group for the state’s public universities advised them to sit on the sidelines to avoid picking a fight with lawmakers and instead push for more funding, records show.
https://www.chronicle.com/article/as-ohio-republicans-reshape-higher-ed-university-presidents-stay-quiet
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Scott Smallwood
Adam Harris
9 months ago
Ohio’s SB1 bans faculty strikes and eliminates diversity efforts, among other things. Ohio’s higher ed lobbying group told colleges to avoid picking fights over it and to try to get more funding instead Great reporting:
signalcleveland.org/ohio-univers...
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Here’s why Ohio university presidents stayed quiet on Senate Bill 1
The lobbying group for the state’s public universities advised them to sit on the sidelines over Senate Bill 1, records show.
https://signalcleveland.org/ohio-university-presidents-quiet-senate-bill-1-higher-ed/
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Open Campus
9 months ago
Join Open Campus this week in Austin at
#SXSWEDU
.
@charlottewest.bsky.social
will be speaking on Monday at 2:30 and
@shebel.bsky.social
will be speaking on Thursday at 10 am. We hope to see you there!
www.opencampus.org/2025/01/14/o...
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Open Campus journalists to speak on panels at SXSW EDU - Open Campus
Open Campus journalists will be speaking in March at SXSW EDU in Austin.
https://www.opencampus.org/2025/01/14/open-campus-journalists-to-speak-on-panels-at-sxsw-edu/
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Adam Harris
10 months ago
The Ed Dept is launching an “End DEI” portal and asking people to share “concerning practices”
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"Lead. Don't Follow." reads one sign in protest this morning outside the U of Cincinnati board of trustees meeting.
www.cincinnati.com/videos/news/...
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University of Cincinnati students, faculty protest after DEI dismantled
University of Cincinnati students, faculty protest the school's compliance with President Trump's executive order to dismantle DEI.
https://www.cincinnati.com/videos/news/2025/02/25/dei-changes-at-university-of-cincinnati-spark-protests/80247730007/
10 months ago
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Scott Smallwood
Usha Lee McFarling
10 months ago
SCOOP: The National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, arguably the nation's most powerful scientific organization, is bending to political pressure and removing terms like "health equity" from pending reports. Members are not happy. Story by me:
www.statnews.com/2025/02/20/n...
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National Academies is altering pending reports to appease Trump administration, some members say
Words such as “health equity” are being replacing with vaguer terms, and 100 members sent a letter of protest to NASEM leaders.
https://www.statnews.com/2025/02/20/national-academies-altering-pending-reports-to-appease-trump-administration-members-say/
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Legal scholars argue: "the J21 EO does not prohibit universities from using their own voice to proudly proclaim their commitment to egalitarian values like diversity, equity, and inclusion."
add a skeleton here at some point
10 months ago
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Jonathan Lambert
10 months ago
"I don't know what NSF is going to be now, but it's not more efficient. It's just a mess." My story on today's firings and their impact.
www.npr.org/2025/02/18/n...
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National Science Foundation fires roughly 10% of its workforce
NSF fired 168 employees, leaving the agency less equipped to fund a wide range of scientific research.
https://www.npr.org/2025/02/18/nx-s1-5301049/national-science-foundation-fires-roughly-10-of-its-workforce
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On webinar today, ACE president Ted Mitchell cautioned colleges to not engage in "over-compliance" or "anticipatory compliance" in face of what he termed a "ridiculous" Dear Colleague letter. 1/2
10 months ago
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Talking with our reporter in Ohio today about how various universities in the state are responding to the Ed Department's Dear Colleague letter from Friday night calling on colleges to immediately end all race-conscious policies and programming.
www.ed.gov/media/docume...
10 months ago
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Scott Smallwood
Brianna Atkinson
10 months ago
NC State University is pausing hiring of faculty and staff. Provost Warwick Arden announced the change in a memo to deans today. The freeze comes as the Trump administration has ordered several policies reducing federal research funding for universities.
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Government files first status report to federal judge (in suit filed by medical schools against NIH) confirming that they are abiding by the TRO and that NIH reimbursements are being made.
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
10 months ago
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