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The U.S. Department of Homeland Security plans to propose a rule that would eliminate the 60-day grace period for workers with H-1B visas, which allow colleges and other employers to hire highly skilled foreign workers for certain positions. If the Trump administration eliminates the grace period, H-1B visa holders who experience job loss may have to leave the U.S. immediately.
Number of the week: $1.1M
That’s the price Assumption University plans to pay for Anna Maria College’s nursing program as the latter institution looks to liquidate its assets in bankruptcy. Anna Maria abruptly closed after its spring term this year, with board members citing “an imminent and severe financial crisis.”
The latest federal policy updates:
- The U.S. Department of Education proposed a rule Wednesday to overhaul the accreditation system, including by making it easier for new agencies to form and giving accreditors new duties aligned with the Trump administration’s policy priorities. Those include overseeing college policies to protect free speech and ensure intellectual diversity among faculty. The regulations will be open for public comment through Sept. 21.
- A former career attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice alleged in a whistleblower disclosure that the agency's investigations into three Ivy League institutions — Harvard, Columbia and Brown universities — were politically motivated and had outcomes predetermined by Trump officials. In response, Maryland Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin launched an investigation into the allegations via the House’s Judiciary Committee.
- A coalition of higher education groups and unions sued the Trump administration last week over a new rule to cap student visa stays at four years. They say the rule, set to take effect in September, would be “catastrophic for universities” and dissuade international students from coming to the U.S.
The latest college leadership updates:
- Broward College President Torey Alston won a court ruling forcing the Florida public college’s trustee board to delay a vote on whether to fire him until after both parties attend mediation. Alston said last week the mediation has been scheduled for Monday.
- The University of Michigan selected C. Cybele Raver, provost of Vanderbilt University, as its next president. The pick comes after U-M’s earlier selection, Kent Syverud, had to back out of the role because of a brain cancer diagnosis.
- Columbia University President Jennifer Mnookin last week appeared to jump into a heated controversy by liking a LinkedIn post sharing a lengthy essay about diversity, equity and inclusion and race in academia, The Chronicle of Higher Education reported. However, a Columbia spokesperson told the publication it was accidentally liked “in what one could call a case of ‘rapid scrolling with poor mobile phone reception.’”
