In this week’s roundup:
Colleges and universities are taking a good, hard look at their budgets, academic cheating is on the rise and the Biden administration continues to make decisions which impact higher ed.
February 3 - 10
- The Biden administration made a number of new appointments to the U.S. Education Department last week, including well-known higher ed advocates, people who have worked on behalf of student loan borrowers, and several former aides to senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders.
- Democrats have proposed $40 billion in COVID-19 relief for higher education institutions.
- Meanwhile, public institutions are taking a hard look at their financials (as if they weren’t already) as the time for state budget decisions nears.
- The Justice Department dropped its lawsuit against Yale University for discriminating against Asian and white applicants. But Students for Fair Admissions, who is already pursuing litigation against Harvard and the University of North Carolina, vow to sue.
- New research suggests that there has been a rise in cheating since the move to remote learning as a result of the pandemic.
- Variants to COVID-19 have placed strains on colleges and universities who are already investing more time and money into increased testing.
- College fundraising fell flat last year, the first time since 2009 that contributions haven’t risen.
- Colleges and universities that received generous donations from Mackenzie Scott are excited about the possibilities that the unrestricted money can do for their institutions.
- Another casualty of the pandemic: snow days.
- The American Council on Education and other higher ed associations are backing the NCAA ahead of the Supreme Court’s review of a case about athlete compensation.
- Five University of Wisconsin campuses will put counselors in targeted high schools to help guide students to college.
- Colleges and universities must get creative with how they prepare their students for a fruitful career in fields with post-pandemic demand.
ICYMI: Check out our February installment of The Roundup: HBCU Edition.
