In this week’s roundup:
Students are reportedly experiencing the highest rates of depression and anxiety in recent history, Dept. of Education delays the rollout of the streamlined FAFSA by a year and international student enrollment is on the upswing.
June 10 - 16
- Colleges and universities prepare this week for Juneteenth, a day which is coming closer to recognition as a federal holiday.
- Researchers who have tracked the moods of college students for four years say rates of depression and anxiety have soared since the onset of the pandemic and show no signs of improving.
- An increasing number of colleges are raising wages for their lowest-paid employees.
- With demand surging as higher ed institutions resume operations, in-person admissions tours are limited or fully booked at some colleges.
- The American Association of University Professors’ governing council voted to sanction six colleges over reports of governance violations, warning that faculty governance standards have been slipping during the pandemic.
- The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education is planning to merge six of its institutions into two and the public feedback is not positive.
- Western Michigan University received a $550 million gift from a group of alumni, the largest donation to a public university and one that will more than double the university’s endowment.
- If you were looking forward to the new FAFSA, we hate to disappoint but the Department of Education is delaying its rollout for another year.
- Students have been changed by the pandemic, Black Lives Matter and events such as the January 6 Capitol insurrection. Just how much remains to be seen, but many are forging new paths and committed to making societal change.
- A survey from the Institute of International Education finds that colleges and universities are seeing steep growth in international student enrollment as compared to 2020.
- This comes after states saw the steepest drop in enrollment in years, with California leading the pack in terms of declined enrollment.
- The Supreme Court has deferred the decision on whether or not they will hear the Harvard case on race in college admissions, kicking the can to the Justice Department for review.
- The Department of Education has made public new data on the federal student loan portfolio, which now stands at $1.59 trillion dispersed among 42.9 million people.
- MacKenzie Scott is continuing her giving spree, donating $2.7 billion to over 286 higher education groups. The best part? This gift comes with no stipulations.
