Most-clicked story of the week:
Texas Christian University Chancellor Daniel Pullin resigned abruptly from his position in October without offering a reason. Pullin’s departure was one of several leadership comings and goings last month tracked by Higher Ed Dive.
Number of the week: $12,000
That’s the upper end of a “tax bomb” some borrowers will face next year once their student loans cancellations under income-driven repayment plans are treated like income, according to a recent analysis from the legal and advocacy nonprofit Protect Borrowers. Those borrowers — most of whom make under $60,000 a year — have already “endured significant financial hardship for a majority of their adult lives” and could functionally trade student debt for tax debt, Protect Borrowers said.
College budgets in volatile times:
- Washington University in St. Louis’ endowment grew a whopping 37.3% during fiscal 2026. Harvard University’s endowment added $11 billion in value. They and some of their wealthy peers got even wealthier during the previous fiscal year as their investments ballooned, generating extra funds that could pad their budgets.
- Columbia University recently reported its endowment grew by 18.3% to $17.9 billion — a little behind some of its Ivy League peers but not a bad haul overall. And increases in tuition revenue helped Columbia more than double its operating surplus, to $259.2 million, during fiscal 2026 despite declines in federal research funding.
- Iowa’s three public universities collectively posted $9.5 billion in revenue for fiscal 2026, a 1.4% bump over the previous year. However, a report for the institutions’ governing body warned of looming enrollment pressures and other fiscal challenges ahead.
- The University of Oregon is considering a proposal that would eliminate over 100 staff positions — two-thirds of which are filled — and slash nearly 20 academic programs as the institution wrestles with a $65 million structural deficit. The plan would also consolidate some academic departments.
Quote of the week:
"This is the transformation of the very mission of public education, and it can’t just be implemented one way from the top."
Robert Ovetz
San José State University professor
Ovetz is among those in higher ed sounding the alarms about universities integrating artificial intelligence into curricula and on campus with little to no input from faculty or their unions.
