Nick Anderson
@higherednick.bsky.social
Fighting for higher education at the American Council on Education. Former Washpost education writer. If you want to talk shop or pass along a cool idea to improve or promote higher ed, hit me up: nanderson@acenet.edu #HigherEdBuildsAmerica
You can get Hot Takes on higher ed anywhere. But for What is Actually Happening in the policy chaos of Washington, you need Fansmith, Spreitzer and Gunja. Today 2 pm: season premiere of dotEDU! P.S.: #HigherEdBuildsAmerica www.acenet.edu/Pages/dotedu...
ACE's dotEDU Podcast
Join our hosts Jon Fansmith, Mushtaq Gunja, and Sarah Spreitzer as they delve into the policy aspects of issues that impact campuses, students, and higher education leaders.
acenet.edu
Important story on the detained Tufts graduate student, via Anemona Hartocollis of the NYT www.nytimes.com/2025/03/29/u...
Targeting of Tufts Student for Deportation Stuns Friends and Teachers
The Trump administration said she “engaged in activities in support of Hamas.” Her friends and lawyers say all she did was co-author an essay critical of the war in Gaza.
nytimes.com
Powerful stuff from Princeton’s president on the Columbia situation. Chris Eisgruber, in The Atlantic, writes that attacks on Columbia pose “the greatest threat to American universities since the Red Scare of the 1950s. Every American should be concerned.” www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
The Cost of the Government’s Attack on Columbia
American universities have given the country prosperity and security. The Trump administration’s attack on academic freedom endangers all of that.
theatlantic.com
"Colleges and universities have long worked with the government in countless ways to strengthen our economy, democracy, health and security. We cannot abandon that partnership. We must fortify it." --Ted Mitchell, president of @aceducation.bsky.social hechingerreport.org/opinion-here...
OPINION: Here’s why we cannot permit America’s partnership with higher education to weaken or dissolve - The Hechinger Report
Abrupt cuts in federal funding for life saving medical research. Confusing and misleading new guidance about campus diversity programs. Cancellation, without due process, of hundreds of millions of do...
hechingerreport.org
Today I ran 13.1 in the nation’s capital for higher education. For the faculty. For the staff. Above all, for the students. If you are a friend of higher ed, now is the time to stand up. Join us. Fight for it. We at @aceducation.bsky.social are with you! #HigherEdBuildsAmerica
If you believe, like me, that kids not born on third base deserve a chance to go to bat and play ball in the great game of life…If you believe in the value of federal programs to support disadvantaged students…If you believe in genuine efforts to improve schools…now is the time to stand up.
More from Mitchell: “This move … causes nothing but chaos and confusion.”
American Council on Education@aceducation.bsky.social · last yr.ACE President Ted Mitchell: "We call on the administration and Congress to move quickly to reverse this short-sighted effort and ensure that America’s students get the support they need, and that the law requires." Full statement: www.acenet.edu/News-Room/Pa...
"We stand against antisemitism. Period. But the Trump administration’s decision last week to arbitrarily cancel some $400 million in federal grants and contracts to Columbia University is not the right way to fight hatred." -- Ted Mitchell, president of ACE www.acenet.edu/News-Room/Pa...
Statement by ACE President Ted Mitchell Opposing the Trump Administration’s Cancellation of Grants and Contracts to Columbia University
We stand against antisemitism. Period. But the Trump administration’s decision last week to arbitrarily cancel some $400 million in federal grants and contracts to Columbia University is not the right...
acenet.edu
Due process: It matters. It is indispensable. My colleague Jon Fansmith at @aceducation.bsky.social has a few observations about that sudden $400m cut the government imposed on Columbia U. www.insidehighered.com/news/governm... And www.chronicle.com/article/trum...
Trump admin cancels $400M in grants at Columbia U
Higher ed and free speech advocates are deeply alarmed by the decision to cancel $400 million in contracts and grants at the university, saying it is yet another example of executive overreach.
insidehighered.com
Learn something every day. UVM is widely known to refer to University of Vermont. But do you know what the initials stand for? Until just now, I didn't know. I also didn't know it was founded in the 18th century (1791)
My view: Let's have college **opportunity** for all, at all points in life, from teenage years onward. That means all high school students filling out a FAFSA, so they know what financial aid is available. That means efficient transfer-credit policies. And more. www.nytimes.com/2025/03/06/u...
Some Schools Rethink “College For All”
The idea that every student should aim for a four-year college motivated a bipartisan movement for decades. Now even enthusiastic promoters of the idea are reconsidering it.
nytimes.com
Welcome news today from federal court in Boston: a nationwide preliminary injunction protecting biomedical research funding for colleges and universities across America. ACE (@aceducation.bsky.social) joined AAU and APLU as plaintiffs in one of the cases. www.nytimes.com/2025/03/05/u...
Federal Judge Extends Block on N.I.H. Cuts to Research Funding
The order is a temporary reprieve for hospitals and universities who have argued that the changes sought by the National Institutes of Health would devastate their budgets.
nytimes.com
What goes into that snazzy smartphone? "There's not one aspect of this iPhone 16 which has not been deeply empowered and enabled by, at one point or another, some academic research activity." Watch Michael Crow of ASU make a vital point. #HigherEdBuildsAmerica www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqfk...
University research is the "invisible hand" in advancing innovation
YouTube video by Dr. Michael M. Crow
youtube.com
If #HigherEdBuildsAmerica -- and yes, it does! -- then what in the world does this bill do? ... Asking for a few million friends. www.acenet.edu/News-Room/Pa...
Congress Moves to Slash Higher Ed Funding in Budget Showdown
Congress is advancing a budget bill that could impose deep cuts to programs that support students and colleges—while also introducing tax changes that could make it harder for students to afford colle...
acenet.edu
Fansmith, Spreitzer, and Gunja—None better at explaining what’s happening in Washington. And there’s so much to sift through! Join the American Council on Education on Tuesday for a live q-and-a on dotEDU zoom.us/webinar/regi...
Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: dotEDU Live: More Policy Shifts, More Uncertainty for Colleges. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar.
Join dotEDU Live hosts Jon Fansmith, Sarah Spreitzer, and Mushtaq Gunja as they break down the latest policy shifts from Washington, DC, their impact on campuses, and what to watch for next. This week...
zoom.us
On Saturday mornings lately, feels like there’s always more to discover about what happened on Friday
Zach Schermele@zachschermele.bsky.social · last yr.Tense times, no doubt, for higher education. But pride, not fear, is what animates colleges and universities. Chaos will not prevail. Check out your nearest campus. You’ll see. #HigherEdBuildsAmerica
$15 billion a year...Higher education builds the Washington region, and #HigherEdBuildsAmerica. Via Dan Rosenzweig-Ziff of the Washpost. www.washingtonpost.com/education/20...
How much money do D.C.-area colleges generate? $15B, report says.
With some nearly 300,000 students in the greater Washington area, local universities employ about 100,000 people, according to a new report.
washingtonpost.com
ACE, in collaboration with HERI at @uclaseis.bsky.social, released a report that highlights the growing diversity of first-year college students and explores the experiences, backgrounds, and other key features of the entering class of 2024. @cresstucla.bsky.social www.acenet.edu/News-Room/Pa...
ACE and UCLA Ed&IS Release HERI Report Highlighting Key Trends Among First-Year College Students
ACE, in collaboration with the HERI at UCLA, released a report that highlights the growing diversity of first-year college students and explores the experiences, backgrounds, and other key features o...
acenet.edu
I worked with Jim Gerstenzang. He is a pro’s pro. Read this. Nobody knows this issue better than Jim. www.nytimes.com/2025/02/22/o...
Opinion | Trump’s Ban on The A.P. Echoes Orwell’s ‘1984’
As a former White House reporter, I’m familiar with the conventional disputes between journalists and the president. This isn’t one of those.
nytimes.com
Absolutely crucial breaking news, victory for preserving research. #HigherEdBuildsAmerica www.nytimes.com/2025/02/21/u...
Judge Extends Block on N.I.H. Medical Research Cuts
A federal judge in Massachusetts indicated she would move quickly to consider a more lasting injunction after hearing a laundry list of potential adverse effects of the Trump administration move to cu...
nytimes.com
Enjoyed talking with USNews reporter Sarah Wood on the burning question: Is College Worth the Cost? www.usnews.com/education/be...
usnews.com
Not fear. Pride.
American Council on Education@aceducation.bsky.social · last yr."Diversity is central to our work. It’s central to our work of building America." ACE President Ted Mitchell joins the dotEDU hosts to discuss ED's letter on race-conscious policies as well as NIH funding cuts and Linda McMahon’s confirmation hearing. www.acenet.edu/Pages/dotedu...
Our colleges and universities serve the entire country -- every state, region, and community. What animates their work, even amid policy chaos, is not fear but pride. They will carry on regardless of any abrupt Friday-evening pronouncement from Washington. Remember this: #HigherEdBuildsAmerica
This stuff matters. Education research and data is indeed vital to the country. hechingerreport.org/proof-points...
DOGE's death blow to education studies
Researchers say students and schools will suffer without vital data
hechingerreport.org
ALL HANDS: Tune in TODAY (FEB18) at 1 pm Eastern. Mitchell, Fansmith, Spreitzer, & Gunja from @aceducation.bsky.social dissect the latest directive from the Education Department, banning race-conscious programs in higher education. Remember: #HigherEdBuildsAmerica zoom.us/webinar/regi...
Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: dotEDU Live: The Future of Campus Diversity and Student Support . After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar.
Late Friday night, the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights issued a sweeping directive declaring that all race-conscious student programming, financial aid, and support services violate ...
zoom.us
@aceducation.bsky.social Adopts a Fighting Stance At ACE’s annual conference, higher education leaders noted that they want to find common ground with Trump—but they’re also willing to fight back as he takes aim at the sector. #HigherEd #EDUSky #AcademicSky bit.ly/41g174E
ACE strikes a fighting stance at annual conference
At ACE’s annual conference, higher education leaders noted that they want to find common ground with Trump—but they’re also willing to fight back as he takes aim at the sector.
bit.ly
Roth and Meckler—Wonderfully insightful hour of conversation!
American Council on Education@aceducation.bsky.social · last yr.“Our schools need to defend our missions,” Wesleyan University President Michael Roth said in a discussion with @washingtonpost.com reporter @laurameckler.bsky.social on challenges impacting free speech and autonomy in #highered at #ACEx2025.
