Trump’s latest immigration crackdown is self-sabotage for U.S. innovation and higher ed.​ Chasing away international students and researchers means fewer breakthroughs, weaker universities, and a talent pipeline handed to Canada, Europe, and China on a platter. www.theeduledger.com/internationa...

Trump’s second term gutted federal education research: mass firings, canceled contracts, slashed data programs, and stalled NAEP exams. Decades of progress and crucial data for schools and equity lost in one year. Public trust and student futures are now at risk. hechingerreport.org/proof-points...

Northwestern just agreed to pay $75M to the Trump admin to get $790M in federal research funds back and shut down antisemitism investigations. This is a warning shot about how federal power can be used to strong-arm universities on protests, DEI, and academic freedom. www.cnn.com/2025/11/28/u...

NIH quietly scrapped clear grant “paylines,” giving political appointees far more discretion over what science gets funded starting 2026—researchers are right to worry about transparency, crony hires, and councils stacked for ideology over evidence. www.science.org/content/arti...

New NAFSA data show steep new international enrollment drops this fall. 6% in U.S. bachelor’s and 19% in master’s programs. Restrictive visa/immigration policies are the top barrier, cited by 85–90% of colleges, threatening campus diversity and finances. www.highereddive.com/news/new-int...

Stonewalling of records on Trump’s Compact for Academic Excellence tells you everything about the deal: if it were about genuine academic freedom and student support, they’d be bragging about it, not hiding emails behind attorney‑client privilege & FOIA delays. www.insidehighered.com/news/governm...

Faculty senates are under attack from new legislation that sidelines faculty voices and undermines academic freedom. The latest AAUP report defends independent, representative governance as essential to higher ed’s integrity. @aaup.org academeblog.org/2025/11/18/i...

The Trump admin is breaking up the Department of Education, selling off programs to other agencies, leading to confusion and creating barriers for students and families, especially those who depend on federal support for college access, child care, and special education. 19thnews.org/2025/11/depa...

The Dept. of Ed’s new student loan rulemaking sets new limits for grad & professional students, tightens Parent PLUS borrowing, shifts repayment plans, & improves default rehab. Big changes coming July 2026. www.newamerica.org/education-po...

“If there is a message to be heeded in the legislative assault on governance bodies, it is that the enemies of higher education, nonetheless, still fear faculty authority. Why else would they be so insistent on silencing faculty members?” #DefendHigherEd

Legislators in states like TX, OH, IN & UT are passing laws to strip faculty governance, making it easier for politicians—not educators—to dictate curriculum. AAUP warns: Silencing faculty threatens academic freedom and the future of higher ed. www.theeduledger.com/faculty-staf...

Trump’s ED isn’t just laying people off; it’s hollowing out higher ed by shipping TRIO, HBCU/MSI, Fulbright-Hays, tribal college, and other grants to Labor, State, and Interior while moving to defund them as redundant. This is dismantling, not streamlining. www.insidehighered.com/news/governm...

US colleges saw a 17% drop in new international student enrollment this fall, driven by declining grad enrollment and harsh visa rules. That’s over $1.1B lost & 23,000 fewer jobs. International students fuel innovation and help campuses thrive. Policy matters. www.insidehighered.com/news/global/...

Trump's proposed $980M cut to federal work-study programs would slash support for students working to offset college costs, hurting access, equity, and campus jobs. Attacks on student aid threaten opportunity for those who need it most. theconversation.com/trumps-propo...

The AAUP condemns proposals before the Texas A&M Board of Regents that require the college president to approve “course content & materials” for courses that cover topics on “race, gender ideology, or gender identity.” Full statement: aaup-texas.org/blog/f/natio... @texasaaup.bsky.social

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act threatens academic health systems with tighter budgets, as patients lose coverage and hospitals bear more unpaid care. This could slow hiring and reduce staff, jeopardizing care & training. A grave concern for healthcare's future. www.theeduledger.com/leadership-p...

Federal higher ed data at risk: with the Dept. of Ed gutted & NCES threatened with relocation, collaboration is harder and quality could slip. Even small new grants, like the $4.5M “Seedlings to Scale” program, are just a drop in an $800M bucket. Data matters. hechingerreport.org/proof-points...

America’s longest shutdown is crushing higher ed. Research halted, SNAP cut, military students stranded, and faculty left with soaring costs. Exhaustion grows as students and staff face uncertainty, with no end in sight. www.insidehighered.com/news/busines...

"When we sound the alarm, we call others to take action alongside us. The time for urgent response is here. Together, higher education can take coordinated steps to defend our institutions & community members." Now is the time to speak out and build coalitions on our campuses! #defendhighered

Trump’s new EO lets political appointees decide which federal research grants get funded, threatening peer review, scientific innovation, & academic freedom. This drives scientists and vital research overseas, undermining the U.S. as a global leader in science.​ www.highereddive.com/news/researc...

States must step up as federal college aid collapses: new Ed Trust report exposes huge affordability gaps for Black & low-income students. With Pell Grants slashed and costs soaring, state investment is now crucial for access, equity, and economic growth. www.theeduledger.com/leadership-p...

The Trump admin’s Title VI crackdown on universities is more about ideological control than civil rights. Using antisemitism as a pretext to pull billions in funding sets a dangerous precedent, threatening research and academic freedom across higher ed. www.highereddive.com/news/title-v...

New FIRE survey reveals faculty targeted for speech face little public support from unions, admins, and colleagues leading to emotional distress, job loss, even fear for safety. Academic freedom feels increasingly insecure. Where’s solidarity when it counts? www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-t...

“By narrowing who counts, what knowledge survives, & whose voices are heard, it strikes at the very conditions of civic life. To dismantle universities is not simply to shutter classrooms or cut research; it is to strip away our collective memory of the past & narrow the horizons of the future.”

Higher ed leaders are fighting for an exemption from Trump’s new $100K H-1B visa fee, warning it will undermine international student access, research, and critical university functions. This policy threatens the excellence and innovation of US colleges.​ www.highereddive.com/news/higher-...

Despite headlines doubting its value, new data shows a college degree still delivers strong payoffs for students and all of society. College grads earn about $1.2M more over their lifetimes, boost the economy, give back more, and strengthen our communities. theconversation.com/despite-nays...

The Trump “compact” forces universities to surrender academic freedom, diversity, and student access—all for federal dollars. This is a corrupt, unconstitutional power grab that endangers the future of higher education in America. Reject this sellout.​ www.theeduledger.com/opinion/arti...

"7 of 9 top universities just told Trump’s so-called ‘Compact for Academic Excellence’ to take a hike. Merit over MAGA mandates, thanks. Free speech & real science > political pay-for-play. The era of academic autonomy isn’t up for auction. www.insidehighered.com/news/governa...

President Trump’s “Compact for Academic Excellence” is a direct threat to academic freedom with forced “viewpoint diversity” quotas and institutional gag rules. University independence shouldn’t depend on loyalty pledges or political litmus tests. www.insidehighered.com/opinion/view...

"If Kirk interacted with students in a classroom the way he does in the videos I watched, he would be exposed immediately as a terrible teacher. At any college or university that cared about quality teaching & the intellectual growth of its students, Kirk would have been sent packing in a hurry."

The US Chamber just sued the WH to block Trump’s outrageous $100K H-1B visa fee, calling it a “plainly unlawful” power grab that will choke off global talent & cripple American businesses, especially startups. This fee is an attack on innovation & economic growth! www.hrdive.com/news/us-cham...

Fishkin’s Inside Higher Ed piece argues that Trump’s compact is an authoritarian power grab over higher ed, demanding ideological conformity, banning “anti-American” students, and letting DOJ strip funding at will. Nonacquiescence = resistance. www.insidehighered.com/opinion/view...

The Trump administration’s compact offers federal funding priority but only if they freeze tuition, suppress protests, overhaul governance, and limit international students. Seven universities have already said no. “Nothing less than government control.” www.highereddive.com/news/trump-u...

Trump’s “Higher Ed Compact” demands universities freeze tuition, ban race/sex in admissions, slash intl enrollment, and pledge “neutrality” to keep federal funds. Six schools have already refused it as an attack on academic freedom and institutional autonomy. www.insidehighered.com/news/governm...

UPDATE: 4 Down 5 to Go Who’s Next? When students, faculty, & our communities are united, nothing can stop us. Join us for our national teach in on the growing resistance movement to Trump’s ‘Loyalty Oath’ Compact today at 2PM ET: us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi... #DefendHigherEd

4 universities have now said no—to Trump’s Faustian bargain- Penn, USC, Brown, and MIT. Standing up- by AAUP and AFT, our members, our students & our communities- is working. www.cnn.com/2025/10/16/u...

Trump’s “Admissions Compact” isn’t about merit—it’s a backdoor to resegregation. By coercing colleges into test-only admissions, his admin could erase decades of progress in campus diversity. MIT said no. Others must too. #HigherEd #AcademicFreedom www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

Ohio State is blocking funding for scholars to attend affinity group conferences under Trump’s DEI crackdown. Academic freedom shouldn't be a political casualty. Silencing diversity efforts just weakens our research and future scientific workforce. www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty...

MIT was the first to reject the compact — who will be the second? If you are an alum of 9 targeted schools, and you want your school to follow MIT's lead, please sign this petition: alumni.controlshift.app/petitions/tr...

MIT is the first university to reject the Trump admin’s “Compact for Academic Excellence,” refusing to trade academic freedom and inclusion for preferential funding. President Kornbluth: scientific merit, not political loyalty, must drive research and education. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/10/u...

Faculty and unions are rising up as the Trump admin’s “higher ed compact” threatens campus autonomy, academic freedom, and trans rights. Petitions and rallies grow, but universities must send a clear, united NO to this unprecedented attack on our core mission. www.highereddive.com/news/trumps-...

Over 100 Brown U students & 20 faculty members gathered outside the campus today to demand that the university reject Trump’s loyalty oath compact. Professors & students taped their mouths shut to symbolize the compact’s threat to free speech, #academicfreedom & diversity of thought. #DefendHigherEd

“If we aren't free to pursue research and teaching based on wherever the knowledge leads us, we are not truly working in the service of the public.” — Rana Jaleel, associate professor at UC Davis & Chair of the AAUP’s Committee A on Academic Freedom & Tenure

Universities must unite to reject President Trump’s partisan “Compact for Academic Excellence” which threatens academic freedom and diversity. Only bold, collective resistance can defend higher ed from ideological control and preserve critical thought on campus. wagingnonviolence.org/cnv/2025/10/...

International student arrivals to the U.S. dropped 19% this August, with sharper declines from India, Africa, and the Middle East. Policy, visa freezes, and new restrictions are taking a heavy toll on campuses and college towns. The damage may outlast 2025. www.insidehighered.com/news/global/...

Higher ed groups are suing President Trump over his abrupt $100K H-1B visa fee, which threatens research, international hiring, and U.S. innovation. This overreach isn’t just costly, it’s catastrophic for American higher ed and global talent. #HigherEd #H1BVisa www.highereddive.com/news/higher-...

Higher ed leaders unite to reject the Trump admin’s “Compact” calling it a direct attack on academic freedom, shared governance, and the right to teach truth. Faculty, presidents, and national orgs say: academic freedom is not a bargaining chip. www.theeduledger.com/leadership-p...

Universities must reject Trump’s so-called “loyalty oath” compacts. These demands threaten academic freedom, shared governance, and the independence of higher ed by coercing allegiance to a partisan agenda in exchange for funding. We must stand together! www.aaup.org/news/univers...

The Trump admin is using real flaws in academic publishing, like fraud, paywalls, and pharma influence, as a pretext for deep NIH cuts and tighter gov control. Scientists must lead reforms, not demagogues aiming to undermine trusted research. www.insidehighered.com/news/governm...

The Department of Ed is sticking to a narrow definition of “professional programs”—excluding fields like clinical psychology—leaving many grad students facing strict loan caps. This will shrink mental health and health-care pipelines fast. www.insidehighered.com/news/governm...