Hello! I’m your host, Jessica Blake, Inside Higher Ed’s federal reporter and you’re reading The Markup, IHE’s weekly roundup of all things higher ed policy.
This week, Trump Education and Labor officials were in Fort Dodge, Iowa, where they announced the first federally approved Workforce Pell program at Iowa Central Community College. It marked an important milestone in the new policy’s development. But, many states and institutions are still working through how to meet the government’s criteria to access the funding. It will likely be some time before more colleges join ICC and the aid program is truly up and running.
We also have updates on one of the many legal challenges to the Trump administration’s policies. This time, a coalition of nurses, teachers, therapists and public health experts filed an amended complaint in their lawsuit against the Trump administration’s regulatory definition of “professional degrees.” A district court judge had already issued a preliminary injunction, directing the department to determine who gets what aid based on a preexisting definition outlined by Congress. But now, the plaintiffs argue that ED isn’t properly adhering to that order. This time they’re calling for the judge to directly dictate which degrees ED must consider professional.
This Week’s Big Story
On Monday, the Trump administration made another attempt to reshape higher education. In a letter to college and university leaders, Education Secretary Linda McMahon called for public answers to a set of questions that she hopes will provide more transparency about how institutions operate and how they intend to rebuild trust with the public.
Many in the sector have described the Call to Action as a watered-down version of last October’s Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education. The department consulted with higher ed leaders, including from the Association of American Universities, in writing the letter. Others told us it is a more “measured and constructive approach” and one that is “far less belligerent than previous discussions.”
That said, though the letter does not mandate a response or lay out any penalties for those who do not respond, several experts noted Trump’s Office of Management and Budget is still working to codify a policy that would let political appointees deny or cancel grants awarded to any institution not in line with the president’s priorities. The Call to Action letter could be used formally or informally as evidence that prompts cuts in college funding, they explained.
So, despite the Secretary’s softer approach, the broader context is leaving many leaders skeptical of her offer. Some have described it as a new way to try and accomplish the same goal—greater federal control over independent institutions.
I’ll have more for you early next week on the difficult position this puts college leaders in and what legal experts, higher ed scholars and public relations specialists say university presidents and college boards should consider as they decide how to respond.
