Government

Recent reports from Moody’s Ratings, S&P Global and Fitch Ratings—taken together—offer a mixed outlook for the sector, particularly small, cash-strapped institutions.

This year featured high-profile scandals, resignations and protests but also showed the enduring value of colleges and universities.

The University of Texas at Austin has rapidly become one of the most selective colleges in the country. That’s partly due to a 30-year-old state policy attracting national attention as an affirmative action alternative. But Texans say it’s no perfect model.

Trump has promised to overhaul higher ed. What that means for the sector was a focal point of discussion at the Middle States Commission on Higher Education meeting.

The Michigan representative lost his bid for the chairmanship in 2023 but will pick up the gavel now as Virginia Foxx steps down.

The discussion focused on claims that DEI programs are silencing conservative students and faculty, reinforcing the GOP’s message that colleges and universities are liberal bastions and do not welcome intellectual diversity.

Backed by lawmakers and university leaders but opposed by hundreds of faculty, the initiative has hired professors with similar backgrounds—including a few who’ve expressed sharp political opinions.