Top Higher Education News for Wednesday ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­    ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­  
Lumina

Lumina Foundation is working to increase the share of adults in the U.S. labor force with college degrees or other credentials of value leading to economic prosperity.

March 25, 2026

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From Shuttered Print Editions to Firings, Student Journalists Clash With Universities

Cathryn J. Prince, The Christian Science Monitor

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Students at the University of Texas at Dallas looking for print editions of The Retrograde might find themselves going on a scavenger hunt. The administration granted the newly established independent student newspaper four newsstands on campus. By contrast, The Mercury, the university-supported newspaper, was allowed 36 locations.

 

The controversy in Dallas is one example of mounting challenges student journalists face nationwide, from censorship to administrative stonewalling to the elimination of print editions.

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The 60-Year Degree: Why Universities Must Pivot From Recruitment to Perpetual Partnership

David Rosowsky, Forbes

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For more than a century, the “Admissions Office” has been the primary engine of the American university. It is the gatekeeper, the brand-builder, and the Chief Revenue Officer all rolled into one. Every spring, the national conversation fixates on acceptance rates and the frantic “yield” of 18-year-olds.

 

But as we move through 2026, that engine is stalling.

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New Survey: Most College Students Say Professors Encourage Them to Share Their Views

Mark Brodie, KJZZ

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Despite frequent headlines touting political bias in higher education and complaints that conservative-leaning students—and their opinions—are not welcome in today's classrooms, a new survey from Gallup and Lumina Foundation finds that up to three-quarters of college students of all political leanings say their professors encourage them to share their views. Another key survey takeaway: Roughly nine in 10 college students are confident that their coursework is teaching them career-relevant skills and that their degree will help them secure a job after graduation.

 

In this interview, Lumina's Courtney Brown shares more about the widening gap between Americans’ concerns about colleges and universities and the experiences reported by students.

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Sian Beilock's Star Turn

Eric Kelderman, The Chronicle of Higher Education

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Sian L. Beilock seems to be everywhere. You’ll find Dartmouth College’s president in the pages of The Atlantic, sharing her plan for “Saving the Idea of the University.” She's also in The Wall Street Journal, asking whether a four-year degree is worth it.

 

Beilock embodies a new type of college president who is unafraid to criticize her sector. Higher education, in her formulation, has lost its way by becoming too expensive and too political. She also believes it shoulders much of the blame for retribution from the partisan right and flagging confidence in colleges and the value of the credentials they provide.

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The Sports Betting Madness on College Campuses

Michael Horn and Jeff Selingo, Future U

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It’s March Madness, a prime time for college sports—and for sports betting. Some two-thirds of college students now bet on sports, and the meteoric rise in popularity brings a mix of tough challenges for campus leaders.

 

In this interview, two officials from the National Collegiate Athletic Association, Clint Hangebrauck and Mark Hicks, discuss why a rise in student gambling could become “the next big public health crisis” for today's college campuses.

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Tracking Trump's Crackdown on Higher Education

Cecelia Smith-Schoenwalder, U.S. News & World Report

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President Donald Trump wasted no time targeting higher education reform in his second term, kicking off a fight that often seemed personal. The battle—which, at times, has escalated into an all-out war—includes a focus on individual universities that refused to bend to his will, perhaps most prominently Harvard University.

 

Here's a look at the key areas of the Trump administration's agenda and some of the noteworthy moves it has made when it comes to reshaping colleges and universities.

HUMAN WORK AND LEARNING

Russell Sage President: Higher-Ed Messaging 'Hasn't Been Very Clear'

Andrew Waite, WAMC Northeast Public Radio

'Epic Disruptions,' AI and Higher Ed Work

Joshua Kim, Learning Innovation

Colleges Face a New Rival in Teaching: AI Chatbots

Alcino Donadel, University Business

AI Broke College Assessment. One University Believes It's Got a Fix.

Emmy Martin, The Chronicle of Higher Education

STUDENT SUPPORTS

Building a Career Advising Ecosystem: How States Are Redefining Roles for Student Success

Jerre Maynor and Leah Eggers, New America

MCC's New Focus on Academic Momentum

Jacob Schermerhorn, Rochester Beacon

How One Course Helps Students Find Their Major

Joshua Bay, Inside Higher Ed

COLLEGE COMPLETION

Mississippi Universities Get Green Light to Revive College Completion Program

Candice Wilder, Mississippi Today

Univ. of Northern Iowa Launches Three-Year Degree Pathways for More Than 30 Majors

KCRG

STATE POLICY

WIU Advocates to Rally for Equitable Higher Ed Funding

Rich Egger, Tri States Public Radio

State Legislation to Watch in 2026

American Council of Trustees and Alumni

IHL Adopts Financial Literacy Policy, Discusses Effort to Create New Funding Model for State Universities

Jeremy Pittari, Magnolia Tribune

Commentary: Missouri Lawmakers Want Higher Ed Funding to Follow the Student. It's Not That Simple

Ashley Burle, Missouri Independent

NEW REPORTS

Understanding the Student Loan Landscape

Brookings Institution

Artificial Intelligence, Productivity, and the Workforce: Evidence From Corporate Executives

National Bureau of Economic Research

Testimony on Internship, Career Readiness, and Work Experience Programs

MDRC

luminafoundation.org
Daily Lumina News is edited by Patricia Brennan.

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