Most clicked story of the week:
Nearly three dozen higher ed groups pushed the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to exempt colleges from the new $100,000 fee for H-1B visa petitions. Large research institutions rely on the H-1B visa program to hire international scholars, and the higher ed groups noted in an Oct. 23 letter that those employees are often crucial to educating domestic students for high-demand occupations.
The letter also asked for clarification on the new policy, including if the payment would be returned if a petition is denied and if recent federal guidance exempts those with F-1 and J-1 visas — which each cover international students — who seek to convert to H-1B visas.
Number of the week: 45%
The share of Chegg's workforce that the beleaguered ed tech company is laying off. The firm expects the restructuring to save $110 million next fiscal year, it said last week.
Deals with the Trump administration
- New College of Florida on Oct. 27 volunteered to be the first college to sign the Trump administration’s higher education compact, which offers preferential access to federal grants in exchange for adopting a host of unprecedented policy changes. NCF, which has undergone a dramatic conservative makeover under Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, said it has already enacted several changes that reflect the compact’s principles.
- The following day, Valley Forge Military College similarly offered to sign the compact, according to conservative media outlets. In a letter to the U.S. Department of Education, leaders at the private Pennsylvania institution expressed "full support and enthusiasm for the Compact’s objectives" and said they would join in at the first opportunity.
- In Virginia, the state flagship university signed a different kind of agreement with the Trump administration — and Democratic lawmakers are not happy about it. Two top lawmakers in the state Legislature called for an independent audit of the University of Virginia's newly brokered deal with the U.S. Department of Justice. The deal, which requires UVA to adhere to the agency's anti-diversity guidance, potentially violates both state law and the U.S. Constitution, the state senators said.
Judge extends block on federal layoffs:
During the government shutdown that began Oct. 1, the Trump administration will not be able to enforce the sweeping reduction-in-force notices it issued to federal employees, including those at the Education Department, a federal judge ruled Wednesday. U.S. District Judge Susan Illston called the firings “likely unlawful.”
Quote of the Week
Discrimination was always a disqualifier for federal funds, but when it’s just a pretext to bend higher education to the federal government’s will, that’s a problem. To sweep every single grant off the table seems more like extortion.
Jodie Ferise
Partner at Church Church Hittle and Antrim
Legal experts weighed in on the Trump administration's wide-ranging application of Title VI law — which bans federally funded institutions from discriminating based on race, color or national origin — to levy fines and penalties against colleges over allegations they haven’t done enough to respond to antisemitism on campus.
