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Most clicked story of the week:
Workers with bachelor’s degrees earn a median salary of $81,000, around 72% higher than those who only have high school diplomas, according to new data from Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce. However, the report found that field of study had a large impact on median annual earnings.
Number of the week: 7
The number of colleges, among those initially invited to sign the Trump administration’s sweeping higher education compact, that rejected the offer. For the remaining two: Vanderbilt University Chancellor Daniel Diermeier neither committed nor refused to sign the compact, and the University of Texas at Austin has not publicly responded. The Trump administration set a Nov. 21 deadline for the institution's decisions.
Colleges turn to layoffs:
- Michigan State University is laying off 99 employees — including faculty, staff and executives — as part of a plan to address the institution’s budget issues. When announcing the layoffs Wednesday, Michigan State President Kevin Guskiewicz pointed to rising costs, including climbing healthcare expenses for employees.
- The University of Northern Colorado plans to lay off about 50 employees and eliminate some 30 vacant roles next month to address a roughly $7 million budget gap for the 2026 fiscal year. Officials blamed the shortfall on state funding reductions, lower-than-expected enrollment revenue and low rates of employee attrition.
- The University of Louisiana at Lafayette announced in an email it would cut 70 employees to address a $25 million budget deficit, according to The Acadiana Advocate. The layoffs are on top of six positions that officials eliminated last month.
Crackdown on professors:
- Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said in a recent social media post that the state is “targeting professors who are more focused on pushing leftist ideologies rather than preparing students to lead our nation.” The post came in response to news of UT-Austin removing a psychology professor from his role as a senior provost for academic affairs — a move the instructor attributed to “ideological differences.”
- The University of Arkansas at Little Rock fired a law professor over social media comments she made about the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, Reuters reported. U.S. colleges have fired over 50 professors for their comments about Kirk, according to the American Association of University Professors.
- Another professor, Candice Hale, has sued the University of Alabama and Auburn University, alleging that her free speech rights were violated when both institutions took disciplinary action against her for comments she made about Kirk, WVTM reported. The University of Alabama fired her and Auburn University put her on leave.
