In this week's roundup:
The federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate raises questions of how it will affect higher ed, Harvard will divest from fossil fuels and the U.S. News Rankings were released.
September 9 - 15
- On Thursday, the Biden administration announced new federal rules mandating COVID-19 vaccination or testing for large private-sector employers, but it’s not yet clear how the plan will apply to private or public colleges.
- Many colleges who tried offering carrots to encourage vaccinations over the spring and summer are turning to sticks this fall.
- Democrats on the House Education and Labor Committee revealed their proposals last week for billions of dollars in new higher education spending, including free community college, expanded public service loan forgiveness and increased Pell Grants.
- Still, some of that funding wasn’t as high as advocates hoped.
- The first trial of parents involved in the Varsity Blues admissions scandal began Monday, with parents casting blame on consultant Rick Singer and the overall admissions process at elite universities.
- After years of pressure by students, faculty and alumni, America’s richest university will divest from fossil fuels.
- Howard University partially reopened last week following a ransomware cyberattack that suspended online and hybrid classes, offering a sobering lesson to other colleges.
- Are universities ready to support and accommodate young COVID-19 “long-haulers” returning to college?
- U.S. News released its 2022 rankings, with perennial winners taking the usual spots. The publication didn’t answer calls to drop SAT and ACT scores from being included in its ranking formula, but did make changes to its methodology to account for the growth of test-optional policies and the impact of the pandemic on the admissions process.
- And despite sustained criticism of the rankings, many public universities are still using them to measure their own success.
- Researchers have shown that food insecurity often leads to poor mental and physical health among students, along with a 43% likelihood that those students will not graduate from college.
- Blackboard has been acquired by Anthology, in a pairing that will enhance and expand the services offered via the platform.
