Should College Presidents Criticize Political Candidates?

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Higher education is under deep scrutiny from America’s 2024 presidential contenders. For example, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has tried to defund all Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs in Florida’s public universities. Many college leaders feel that academic freedom is under threat, and that they have to speak out to save it. But many others have remained silent. Josh Moody of Inside Higher Ed dives into their anxieties and motivations. (June 2023) …

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What Can a Hit Netflix Show Teach Us About Elite College Admissions?

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The show Never Have I Ever follows an Indian American girl growing up in Los Angeles, and a major plot point in its final season is her attempts to get into Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey. The show explores the difficulties of getting a good recommendation letter, and the agonizing choice of whether to apply “early decision” or at the regular deadline. Scott Jaschik for Inside Higher Ed explores what the show gets right and what it doesn’t. (June 2023) …

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Scholarships Help Afghan Students Find Homes at Universities Across US

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DALLAS — As the Taliban swept back into power in Afghanistan, in the summer of 2021, Fahima Sultani and her fellow university students tried for days to get into the Kabul airport, only to be turned away by gun-wielding extremists. “No education, just go back home,” she recalled one shouting. Nearly two years later, Sultani, now 21, is safely in the U.S. and working toward her bachelor’s degree in data science at Arizona State University in Tempe on a scholarship. When she’s not studying, she likes to hike up nearby Tempe Butte, the kind of outing she enjoyed in hermore

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Why Are US Teens Struggling Academically?

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The latest “nation’s report card” saw large declines in math and reading for 13-year-olds. Math scores, in particular, saw the biggest decline in 50 years, and fewer teens than ever say they like to read for fun. Lauren Camera summarizes the findings for U.S. News and World Report. (June 2023) …

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More International Students Eligible for US STEM Work Program

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The United States will add eight new fields of study for international students looking to acquire practical work experience in the country, the Department of Homeland Security announced last week. The eight new fields of study include: landscape architecture; institutional research; mechatronics, robotics and automation engineering technology/technician; composite materials technology/technician; linguistics and computer science; developmental and adolescent psychology; geospatial intelligence; and demography and population studies. The new fields will all be added to the science, technology, engineering, mathematics Optional Practical Training, or STEM OPT, program. Announced in a July 12 Federal Register notice, the additions will provide international students withmore

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Can Higher Ed Convince the Public That Sciences and Humanities Are Worthwhile?

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In the United States, degrees are usually split between academic ones (English, math, physics, dance) and professional ones (law, nursing, business). The public can often be skeptical of academic degrees because they seemingly don’t lead directly to a career. But Rick Van Kooten, the dean of arts and sciences at Indiana University, writes in The Hechinger Report that the sciences and humanities are essential in a world fueled by AI artificial intelligence and automation. (June 2023) …

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How Are ‘Talent Visas’ Used to Lure International Students to the US?

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Foreign students educated in the United States are often bright, hardworking and eager to land a job. But the backlog for U.S. work visas has created an opportunity for other countries to snag talented workers. Britain, Canada and Australia offer streamlined visas for graduates with in-demand skills or prestigious degrees. As one immigration lawyer in London put it: “We are the beneficiaries of the failures of the U.S. system.” Jon Marcus of The Hechinger Report has more. (June 2023) …

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White House, Congress Disagree About Proposed US Missile Defense Plan

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Differences are emerging between Congress and the White House concerning missile defense policy, as outlined in the proposed annual defense bill known as the National Defense Authorization Act. The $874 billion budget passed by the House on Friday calls for the military to maintain a “credible nuclear capability” to deter adversaries, while developing and deploying layered defense systems that can defeat complex missile threats “in all phases of flight.” In a statement last week, the White House criticized this section of the proposed NDAA on grounds that it would “undermine U.S. strategic deterrence” with China and Russia. “The Administration stronglymore

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What Will Biden’s New Plan Mean for Borrowers Set to Begin Paying Back Their Student Loans?

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Following the Supreme Court’s decision to effectively kill Biden’s earlier student debt forgiveness proposal, the White House is trying again to ease the burden on those carrying student loans using a different legal approach. Biden’s original plan would have canceled up to $20,000 in federal student loans for 43 million people. Of those, 20 million would have had their remaining student debt erased completely. With repayments set to begin in October, many borrowers are wondering if they still have to pay. Here’s what to know about where the new Biden plan stands. What is the new plan and how ismore

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Founder of Student Aid Startup Frank Appears in Court

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The founder of student aid startup Frank shook her head repeatedly Thursday as a prosecutor claimed that she tricked J.P. Morgan Chase into paying $175 million for her business by lying about its client base. Assistant U.S. Attorney Micah Fergenson described criminal charges against Frank founder Charlie Javice and codefendant Olivier Amar, the company’s chief growth officer, to a federal judge at a pretrial hearing during which each of them entered pleas of not guilty to an indictment unveiled Wednesday. Fergenson said the deal two years ago was consummated only after Javice and Amar “created a fake data set” inmore

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FBI Director Rejects Claims of Political Bias Within the Bureau 

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FBI director Christopher Wray defended his agency against Republican accusations of political bias Wednesday, dismissing claims he was “protecting” Democratic President Joe Biden’s family while going after former President Donald Trump, a Republican, and other conservatives.   “Absolutely not,” Wray retorted during a combative House Judiciary Committee hearing when asked by Republican member and staunch Trump supporter Matt Gaetz if he was “protecting the Bidens.”   “The FBI does not, has no interest in protecting anyone politically,” Wray said.   The hearing marked Wray’s first appearance before the oversight panel since Republicans recaptured the House of Representatives following the 2022 midterm elections.   Wray,more

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Former Trump Supporter Sues Fox News for Defamation

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A former Donald Trump supporter who became the center of a conspiracy theory about January 6, 2021, filed a defamation lawsuit against Fox News on Wednesday, saying the network made him a scapegoat for the U.S. Capitol insurrection.  Raymond Epps, a former Marine who said he was forced from his Arizona home because of threats, is asking for unspecified damages and a jury trial.  He filed his lawsuit in Superior Court in Delaware, the same court where Dominion Voting Systems sued Fox for lies broadcast following the 2020 presidential election. Shortly before a trial was to begin this spring, Foxmore

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Chinese Student Hurt in Campus Shooting to Sue Michigan State U.

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A Chinese student injured at a shooting at Michigan State University intends to sue, MLive.com reports. Yukai “John” Hao alleges that the school “acted with gross negligence and failed to take reasonable steps to protect students and visitors on its campus from harm,” the site reports. The shooting left him paralyzed from the chest down, his lawyers say. Three students were killed and five more were injured Feb. 13 when a 43-year-old man allegedly came on campus and opened fire. (June 2023) …

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Iowa Republicans Pass Bill Banning Most Abortions After About 6 Weeks; Governor to Sign Friday

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Iowa’s Republican-led Legislature passed a bill banning most abortions after roughly six weeks of pregnancy during a marathon special session Tuesday that continued late into the night. Governor Kim Reynolds immediately said in a statement she would sign the bill Friday.  The bill passed with exclusively Republican support in a rare, one-day legislative burst lasting more than 14 hours over the vocal — and sometimes tense — objections from Democratic lawmakers and abortion rights advocates protesting at the Capitol.   Just after 11 p.m., lingering protesters in the gallery booed and yelled “shame” to state senators in the minutes after themore

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Trump Can Be Held Liable in Writer’s Defamation Lawsuit After Justice Department Reverses Course

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The Justice Department on Tuesday said that Donald Trump can be held personally liable for remarks he made about a woman who accused him of rape — a reversal of its position that Trump was protected because he was president when he made the remarks.  In a letter filed with the judge presiding over a defamation lawsuit that columnist E. Jean Carroll brought in Manhattan federal court in 2020, the department says it no longer has “a sufficient basis” to conclude that Trump was motivated in his statements about Carroll’s claims by more than an insignificant desire to serve themore

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Applying to US Universities: What You Need to Know

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The Teen Mag has a guide for international students considering applying to U.S. schools. The article says it “aims to provide a comprehensive overview of key considerations for international students applying to U.S. universities.” Topics covered include scholarships, safety on campus and immigration and visa regulations. Read it here. (June 2023)    …

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Are the Humanities Really Dying?

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The U.S. media has run several stories recently on the “death of the humanities,” with undergraduate enrollments dropping by more than 50% at some schools. But Karin Beck, an associate dean at Lehman College in New York City, says this is misleading. Elite schools’ humanities programs are declining – but her school, which mostly serves low-income and first-generation students, is graduating more humanities majors than ever before. She argues that culturally sensitive and rewarding humanities classes can captivate anyone, even students who are assumed to lack interest. Weigh her arguments in Inside Higher Ed. (June 2023) …

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Biden, Sunak to Discuss Ukraine Ahead of NATO Summit

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The war in Ukraine will be high on the agenda Monday as U.S. President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak meet in London as allies prepare for the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania.  It will be the leaders’ sixth meeting in six months. In June, Biden hosted Sunak at the White House, committing to the Atlantic Declaration to cooperate on advanced technologies, clean energy, and critical minerals to counter China’s clout around the world.    Biden is also due to meet Monday with Britain’s King Charles before traveling to Vilnius, where it remains unlikely NATO will welcome Sweden as itsmore

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Biden Heads to UK, Seeks to Bolster ‘Close Relationship’

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THE WHITE HOUSE – President Joe Biden will seek to grow his “close relationship” with the United Kingdom, the White House says, when he pays his first visit to newly crowned King Charles III and meets with Britain’s political leader to strengthen the bond between the two nations ahead of a critical NATO summit that could determine the course of the conflict in Ukraine. London is the first stop on Biden’s three-nation tour, which begins Monday. He will then go to Vilnius, Lithuania’s capital, for a summit of NATO leaders, and then to Helsinki, the capital city of NATO’s newest member,more

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