National News Archives - University Business

Supreme Court won’t hear Christian college’s challenge to Biden ban on gender identity housing discrimination

UB Staff — Tue, 20 Jun 2023 18:36:55 +0000

The Supreme Court on Tuesday denied a private Christian college’s bid to revive its lawsuit challenging a federal directive prohibiting housing discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation.

In a brief, unsigned order, the justices declined to take up the College of the Ozarks’s appeal of a lower ruling that found the school had no legal standing to move forward with its pre-enforcement challenge.

Chris Cox to resign as president at Shelton State Community College

UB Staff — Tue, 20 Jun 2023 18:35:21 +0000

After leading Shelton State Community College for just one year, Chris Cox plans to step down from his presidential role.

Cox has accepted a position with the Alabama Community College System as systemwide vice chancellor of instruction, research and development. Cox’s resignation as Shelton State’s president will go into effect in the early fall, according to a news release from the system.

Ivey signs distressed college loan program bill into law, rescuing Birmingham Southern

UB Staff — Tue, 20 Jun 2023 18:33:46 +0000

Long-time colleges in Alabama can now secure state loans thanks to a new bill that was signed into law by Gov. Kay Ivey. It was an effort championed by Birmingham Southern College, which has struggled financially for years.

In December of 2022, Birmingham Southern sought a $37.5 million government bailout, warning it was under risk of closure after years of declining enrollment and financial troubles.

With student loan forgiveness in limbo, here’s how the GOP wants to fix college debt

UB Staff — Fri, 16 Jun 2023 18:03:33 +0000

The Lowering Education Costs and Debt Act, introduced on Wednesday by a group of Senate Republicans, would require colleges to provide clearer information about their costs, while prospective students would receive information about their likely loan repayment burden compared with their projected income.

The legislation would also cap borrowing for graduate students, with the lawmakers arguing that generous loans have encouraged colleges and universities to ramp up their tuition costs.

The new plan comes at a crucial moment for the 43 million people with student debt.

As college becomes more selective, admission officers are looking for well-rounded students

UB Staff — Fri, 16 Jun 2023 18:01:46 +0000

Gupta now joins an elite class of just a few thousand other students accepted to Stanford this year. The school had a historically low acceptance rate of just 3.6% of incoming freshmen.

The increase in college applications has put pressure on admissions departments. Colleges are now receiving record numbers of applications, and they have to be more selective in order to admit the best students.

Boston University bucks higher ed woes with 30% application boom

UB Staff — Fri, 16 Jun 2023 17:59:46 +0000

(Bloomberg)—Nearly 81,000 students applied to the school for the Fall 2022 first-year cohort, marking a 30% increase from 2019 before the pandemic upended college campuses.

The surge in applications caused BU’s student body to balloon as well. The school enrolled about 17,500 full-time undergraduates in the Fall of 2022, compared to 16,635 in 2019. That compares with broad undergraduate enrollment at US colleges, which is down 7% from 2019, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center’s Spring 2023 estimates.

Republicans delay vote on University of Wisconsin budget after promises to cut diversity funds

UB Staff — Thu, 15 Jun 2023 18:09:22 +0000

Republican state lawmakers on Tuesday suspended a vote on funding for University of Wisconsin campuses, just hours after a top GOP leader promised to slash the college system’s budget as part of an ongoing fight over diversity and inclusion initiatives.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, the state’s top Republican, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that he expected the GOP-controlled Legislature’s budget-writing committee to cut all funding that the university system would use for diversity initiatives. He estimated the cuts would total $32 million.

Sanders introduces bill to make community college free by taxing wall street

UB Staff — Thu, 15 Jun 2023 18:08:07 +0000

The College for All Act of 2023 would massively change the higher education landscape in the U.S., taking a step toward Sanders’s long-standing goal of making public college free for all. It would make community college and public vocational schools tuition-free for all students, while making any public college and university free for students from single-parent households making less than $125,000 or couples making less than $250,000 — or, the vast majority of families in the U.S.

Indiana University and Purdue officially are set to end IUPUI next summer

UB Staff — Thu, 15 Jun 2023 18:06:26 +0000

Indiana University and Purdue University are officially ending their 53-year-old partnership as Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis to go their separate ways after signing a historic agreement, according to press releases from the organizations.

Board of Trustees from both universities approved an agreement on Wednesday, June 14 to formalize the separation of IUPUI. The new agreement recognizes the creation of Indiana University Indianapolis and Purdue University in Indianapolis.

DEI programs in universities are being cut across the country. What does this mean for higher education?

UB Staff — Wed, 14 Jun 2023 17:40:00 +0000

Multiple states, like North Carolina and South Carolina, have introduced bills to track college DEI spending. In Virginia, Gov. Glenn Youngkin banned the teaching of “inherently divisive concepts” in public schools, and has spoken out against equity initiatives throughout his time in office. In Ohio, a controversial bill that would, among other things, abolish diversity training requirements at public colleges, is also steadily moving through the state’s legislative system.

Even as the academic year draws to a close, these fights against diversity, equity and inclusion are set to continue. And, to some, the future of public higher education is on the line.