Deep Dive
Industry insights from our journalists
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Is University of Idaho’s acquisition of University of Phoenix a good idea?
Higher education experts warn that the public institution’s leaders will have to contend with the for-profit’s checkered past and take on unknown liabilities.
Natalie Schwartz • May 22, 2023 -
The image by Kenneth Green is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
California becomes battleground over bachelor’s degrees at community colleges
Two of the state's higher ed systems are clashing over the right to offer students four-year degrees.
Laura Spitalniak • May 11, 2023 -
George Washington University’s plan to arm campus police ignites concerns over racially motivated violence
Students and faculty have highlighted the role of armed campus officers in fatal shootings nationwide, a renewed conversation since George Floyd’s murder.
Jeremy Bauer-Wolf • May 8, 2023 -
HBCUs level up: Funding pours in to tackle critical needs and rewrite history after George Floyd
Historically Black institutions also saw an influx of pandemic money from government and philanthropy. But they say it's not enough.
Danielle McLean • April 14, 2023 -
Why Vermont State’s digital library idea is so controversial
Digital-first libraries already existed in higher education. But librarians have concerns about adopting them for all disciplines and materials.
Lilah Burke • March 8, 2023 -
A year later, governor’s revitalization plan for SUNY still getting off the ground
Kathy Hochul wants to burnish some institutions’ research profiles and reverse the system’s declining enrollment to grow to 500,000 students.
Jeremy Bauer-Wolf • Feb. 14, 2023 -
Free college keeps growing — at the state level
Elected officials are calling for new programs and expansions. Policy wonks sometimes critique design choices, but free remains a powerful hook.
Lilah Burke • Feb. 9, 2023 -
What can work colleges teach the rest of higher ed?
Amid high worries about higher ed's value in the job market, work colleges offer lessons on integrating classroom learning with employment opportunities.
Laura Spitalniak • Updated Feb. 17, 2023 -
7 higher education trends to watch in 2023
Federal financial aid will continue to hog the spotlight, but we're also waiting for the U.S. Supreme Court's decision on race-conscious admissions.
Jeremy Bauer-Wolf • Jan. 4, 2023 -
What the UC strike meant to the academic workers who walked the picket lines
Before a recent agreement, strikers spoke of hope for relief from crushing living costs and a growing sense of connection to others in their shoes.
James Anderson • Dec. 22, 2022 -
The image by Bestbudbrian is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Why one Ivy League university joined the move to ditch enrollment deposits
University of Pennsylvania was waiving its $400 deposit for about a fifth of its students. Abandoning it aims to reduce barriers for low-income students.
Jeremy Bauer-Wolf • Updated Dec. 15, 2022 -
Women’s colleges are going co-ed to survive. Does it threaten their missions?
The number of women's colleges has dwindled, raising questions about the best way to adapt to a changing enrollment and social climate.
Lilah Burke • Nov. 7, 2022 -
OPMs are having a rocky time. Is a ‘culling of the herd’ next?
Regulatory and enrollment changes heap pressure on online program managers. What happens next matters for the companies and colleges.
Natalie Schwartz • Sept. 20, 2022 -
8 big questions as colleges start fall 2022
Will higher ed’s financial picture clear? Can campuses innovate? Is a new generation of presidents ready to rise to the moment?
Rick Seltzer • Sept. 6, 2022 -
Greek life chapters are rejecting their colleges. Here’s what it means.
Fraternities disaffiliating from the University of Southern California exemplify an emerging — and dangerous — trend nationwide, experts say.
Jeremy Bauer-Wolf • Aug. 23, 2022 -
What’s the outlook for college fossil fuel divestment?
This year hasn't had 2021's high-profile announcements, but trends say colleges are likely avoiding coal, oil and gas — whether they trumpet it or not.
Lilah Burke • Aug. 15, 2022 -
Here’s what colleges should know to prepare for monkeypox
Health experts say institutions should work with groups that support gay and bisexual men, who are disproportionately contracting the virus.
Jeremy Bauer-Wolf • Aug. 10, 2022 -
Colleges dabble in development as high-priced housing markets squeeze their employees
Local conditions vary, but from Vermont to California, college leaders are seeking ways to make sure their students and employees can afford housing.
Lilah Burke • June 6, 2022 -
'Waiting for the next thing': What it's like teaching after a mass shooting
Educators are expected to teach through emotional and psychological side effects reaching far beyond communities impacted by tragedies.
Naaz Modan • May 26, 2022 -
Colleges twist in the wind with foreign gift requirements in limbo
Higher education is struggling to understand its current legal requirements, even as Congress debates changes to those laws.
Jeremy Bauer-Wolf • April 14, 2022 -
Free college didn't die with federal inaction. It moved.
Free college's momentum shifted from the federal level to state and local programs, signaling the movement's durability. How will it change institutions?
Lilah Burke • April 4, 2022 -
Colleges seek better ways to rename buildings
Campuses consider policies for renaming buildings as higher ed reexamines who deserves to be honored. Has a shared framework emerged?
Laura Spitalniak • March 22, 2022 -
North Carolina expands its $500 tuition program. Will it keep paying for it?
NC Promise adds Fayetteville State, overcoming resistance to lawmakers cutting HBCU tuition. State funding has so far compensated other colleges.
Liz Farmer • March 15, 2022 -
Is $318M enough to fix underfunding at Tennessee's only public HBCU?
The state's governor is pitching new spending after a report revealed decades of underfunding, but experts say it doesn't go far enough.
Natalie Schwartz • March 11, 2022 -
Behind U of Arizona's decision to strengthen its ties to its Global Campus
Faculty members have questions after the university took joint responsibility for the online college's federal financial aid eligibility.
Natalie Schwartz • Feb. 18, 2022