Welcome back to After the First 100 Days, Inside Higher Ed’s weekly roundup of news from the Hill to the Oval Office. I’m your host, Katherine Knott, IHE’s news editor.
It’s Day 200 of the second Trump administration, and yes, we’ve made it another 100 days. And no, we still aren’t changing the name of the newsletter. In week 29, the top higher ed official at the Education Department took the helm, another university decided to negotiate with the administration and the president signed a pair of executive orders that could have significant consequences for admissions and grant funding.
Let’s start with the most recent news: the orders. One will require colleges to report new data on their admissions decisions. But what exactly they will have to turn over is not clear.
The order was light on specifics but made clear its aim: to target anything that seems like race-conscious admissions decisions. Such practices, the order says, “are not only unfair, but also threaten our national security and well-being.” Trump also wants to revamp IPEDS despite the fact that Education Secretary Linda McMahon laid off most of the staff who work on the system.
The other order puts political appointees in charge of doling out grant funding. Trump officials have sought to reform the grant-making process, from cutting funding for projects that they say violate the president’s orders to slowing down the pace of awards. But this move will give the administration much more control over what research will get money.
In Other News: We learned more this week about the top priorities of Under Secretary Nicholas Kent, who was confirmed to the post late last Friday night. He’s aiming to shake up higher education and overhaul the federal student loan system, according to a note he sent to department staff. Some outsiders are cautiously optimistic that he’ll focus on policy rather than culture-war issues.
That’s it for Week 29. And as always, I want to hear what’s on your mind. What do you want to know about what’s happening in D.C.? I’m at katherine.knott@insidehighered.com.
If, or when, news breaks this afternoon or over the weekend, you can find the latest at InsideHigherEd.com. In the meantime, I’ll be moving into my new house and finally watching the new Superman movie. Have a good weekend!
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