Sara Hebel
@shebel.bsky.social
Co-founder & Editor-in-chief, @opencampus.bsky.social
INN newsrooms like @opencampus.org and @spotlightdelaware.bsky.social are rewriting the rules of beat reporting, writes INN's Alana Rocha. The key? Collaboration. news.inn.org/how-nonprofi...
How nonprofit newsrooms are rewriting the rules of beat reporting - INN News
From Arizona to Maine, INN members are proving that collaboration isn’t just a budget fix — it’s a better way to serve communities.
news.inn.org
Puerto Rico is one of the regions most affected by the global climate crisis. Local scientists are struggling with canceled research grants and funding cuts from federal agencies. By Víctor Rodríguez Velázquez for our local partner @cpipr.bsky.social www.opencampus.org/2025/03/17/t...
The Trump Administration’s Climate Policies Jeopardize Research in Disaster-Prone Puerto Rico - Open Campus
Puerto Rico currently has 107 active NIH-funded grants totaling $78.5 million.
opencampus.org
First they came for Columbia... "So far, America’s leading universities have remained virtually silent in the face of this authoritarian assault on institutions of higher education. That must change." www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...
First They Came for Columbia | Opinion | The Harvard Crimson
We must learn from the past. We cannot remain silent in the face of authoritarian attacks on our peers, even if they have not yet come for us.
thecrimson.com
We're offering free @opencampus.org reporting resources and support for local newsrooms to cover what's at stake for their campuses and their communities under Trump. Reporters and editors can sign up here: www.opencampus.org/higher-ed-un...
Higher Ed Under Pressure: Resources for Local Journalists - Open Campus
Universities face unprecedented federal pressure threatening funding, research, and independence. Access free resources to help your newsroom report on this moment.
opencampus.org
Open Campus@opencampus.org · last yr.The Trump administration is putting unprecedented pressure on America's universities. We want to help local newsrooms explain what's at stake for colleges in their communities. That's why we're launching Higher Ed Under Pressure. Read more: www.opencampus.org/higher-ed-un...
We love how Stephanie Wang of @luminafoundation.bsky.social described us during @sxswedu.com: "Open Campus is like a power-up in Super Mario Brothers. You're instantly supercharged...to cover higher education because of their deep expertise and understanding of the context across different states."
"We are trying to work to help people in communities have the information they need to understand what policy makers are doing, what that means for them, and giving them the power that they need to be active in the conversation [about higher education]." - @shebel.bsky.social at @sxswedu.com
I'll be headed to Austin in two weeks for @sxswedu.com to talk about new models for local news and how we're working at @opencampus.org to rebuild public trust in both journalism and higher ed. Come join the conversation at 10 a.m. Central on March 6. lnkd.in/eev3R5TE
Ted Mitchell of the American Council on Education urged college leaders not to engage in "over-compliance" in response to the Ed Dept.'s recent DEI guidance. But many college leaders aren't sounding all that ready for a fight. www.linkedin.com/posts/sara-h...
Sara Hebel on LinkedIn: Ted Mitchell of the American Council on Education urged college leaders…
Ted Mitchell of the American Council on Education urged college leaders this week not to engage in "over-compliance" or "anticipatory compliance" in response…
linkedin.com
Our reporters @texastribune.org detail the conservative vision the Texas Legislature continues to press for higher ed, with proposals that would limit what can be taught and who can be hired at the state's universities and end in-state tuition for undocumented students.
Texas Tribune@texastribune.org · last yr.Texas lawmakers may ban certain lessons at state colleges under expanded DEI crackdown
With Trump’s threats of mass deportations, Chicago-area students with undocumented parents are weighing whether to fill out the FAFSA, our reporter @lkpwrites.bsky.social writes. If they do, they risk outing their undocumented parents. But if they don’t, they could lose out on the chance at college.
WBEZ@wbez.org · last yr.High schoolers with undocumented parents are weighing whether it’s worth it to fill out the FAFSA. “It’s creating an additional barrier to keep brown kids out of college,” said Aidé Acosta, chief college officer for the Noble Schools charter network in Chicago. www.wbez.org/education/20...
Our @opencampus.org reporters are sorting through the possible effects of the latest executive orders in their communities, and it’s a reminder of just how far-reaching the work of higher ed is in society. www.linkedin.com/posts/sara-h...
Sara Hebel on LinkedIn: As we work with our Open Campus reporters across the country to sort…
As we work with our Open Campus reporters across the country to sort through the latest executive orders on federal funding, it’s a reminder of just how…
linkedin.com
Come join us in Austin! @charlottewest.bsky.social and @shebel.bsky.social are both speaking at #SXSWEDU2024 www.opencampusmedia.org/2025/01/14/o...
Open Campus journalists to speak on panels at SXSW EDU - Open Campus
Open Campus journalists will be speaking in March at SXSW EDU in Austin.
opencampusmedia.org
We're hiring an editor to work with our local network of higher ed reporters, now in 17 locations across the country. We're looking for a bilingual journalist who can help us expand our capacity to serve Spanish-speaking communities across the U.S. www.opencampusmedia.org/2025/01/07/o...
We're adding 3 new partners to our Local Network: @wisconsinwatch.bsky.social, @sareport.bsky.social, & Centro de Periodismo Investigativo in Puerto Rico. That means we now support 20 reporters in 17 newsrooms, reaching more than 18 million readers a month. www.opencampusmedia.org/2025/01/08/o...
We're adding a 5th Texas location, partnering with @sareport.bsky.social to add a full-time higher ed reporter there. This person will join our growing Open Campus Local Network, now in 17 places across the country. To work with us in San Antonio, apply here: www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/41...
We see the power of beat reporting across our Local Network every day. It reminds leaders of their public duty & makes them more responsive to community needs. In 2024, @opencampus.org reporters wrote more than 500 stories. They spurred action & helped people understand how they can press for change
Open Campus@opencampus.org · 2y agoThe stories our Local Network reporters told in 2024 changed institutional practices and the course of public policy debates. And they connected with new audiences, helping people understand how they can press for change. bit.ly/4gpj6KS
We're expanding in the Midwest. Come work with us @wisconsinwatch.bsky.social.
Open Campus@opencampus.org · 2y agoWe're excited to be working with @wisconsinwatch.bsky.social on a new beat, focused on the role of higher ed in meeting the needs of the state's changing economy. They become the 15th partner newsroom in our Local Network. Apply for the full-time reporter job: jobs.gusto.com/postings/wis...
5 years ago we started @opencampus.bsky.social with the goal of improving the coverage Americans get of the colleges that matter most to them: the ones in their back yard. We're now in 15 locations & plan to be in all 50 states. Our year-end fundraising helps us get there. donorbox.org/open-campus
Open Campus@opencampus.org · 2y agoHigher ed shapes the future of every community in America. That’s why we put people on the beat in local newsrooms across the country. Help us continue to do this important work. Donations to Open Campus are matched up to $1,000 per person through Dec. 31. donorbox.org/open-campus
“All you hear is, ‘We used to have this, because we used to have more students.’” Across the country, regional publics in rural areas are scrapping degree programs to ease budget shortfalls. Our local reporters collaborated with @hechingerreport.org: www.opencampusmedia.org/2024/11/26/e...
‘Easy to just write us off’: Rural students’ options shrink as colleges slash majors - Open Campus
As enrollments fall, rural-serving universities are shedding degree programs from music to chemistry.
opencampusmedia.org
Rural colleges and universities continue to cut dozens of majors, leaving rural students with far fewer choices than urban and suburban students get. tinyurl.com/56uas5vx @hechingerreport.org @opencampus.bsky.social
‘Easy to just write us off’: Rural students’ choices shrink as colleges slash majors - The Hechinger Report
Rural Americans already have less access to higher education than people in cities and suburbs. Now the comparatively few universities serving rural students are cutting large numbers of programs and ...
tinyurl.com
Arizona is the only state with an English-only law still in effect. Many of the state's Republican leaders are committed to it, but evidence shows it's not working for the thousands of students who are English learners. We collaborated on this story with @azluminaria.bsky.social
Arizona Luminaria@azluminaria.org · 2y agoRepublican education superintendent Tom Horne is back and reigniting his push for the outlier English-only policy. “It’s terrible. It’s the worst thing you could do to kids. It really truly is,” says one expert.
A tuition freeze can be a double-edged sword for students, who may see smaller bills but also reduced services as universities, especially regional publics, face rising costs. Two of our reporters, Kate McGee and Shomial Ahmad, teamed up to tell this story: www.opencampusmedia.org/2024/11/22/a...
A tuition freeze without more state aid could leave Texas universities strapped - Open Campus
Regional colleges rely more on tuition revenue to operate than flagship campuses. Gov. Greg Abbott’s desire to pause increases could create tight financial conditions.
opencampusmedia.org
Our @opencampus.bsky.social newsletter focuses on the role of higher ed in society and how it shapes the communities where we work. Sign up here: www.opencampusmedia.org/category/new...
Bill DeBaun@billdebaun.bsky.social · 2y agoNew from @opencampus.bsky.social: "A FAFSA bright spot We've entered a new FAFSA cycle, and the stakes are high after last year's challenges. A new analysis shows progress in getting low-income students to complete the financial aid application." open-campus-dispatch.beehiiv.com/p/a-fafsa-br...
The latest from our Mississippi reporter @mintamolly.bsky.social. This move, Molly writes, comes after several Miss. universities renamed their diversity offices. The U. of Southern Mississippi’s mission and vision statements also were changed to remove the words “diverse” and “inclusiveness.”
Mississippi Today@mississippitoday.org · 2y agoMississippi’s Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees , which oversees the state's public universities, voted Thursday to delete the word “diversity” from several policies. buff.ly/3ZsK8eB
A great opportunity. Let me know if you have any questions about the fellowship from someone who has gone through it. Also, related to the HE topic, this is still one of the more important stories I've reported here in Colorado: www.chalkbeat.org/colorado/202...
Two Hispanic brothers aimed for college. Why only one of them made it.
The brothers’ divergent paths highlight the challenges Hispanic men face in getting into college — and in getting through.
chalkbeat.org
@emilysays@emilysays.bsky.social · 2y agoEducation journalists: Get up to $10,000 for your next big story with the Education Writers Association's Reporting Fellowship! Deadline Dec. 10. We're looking for stories on men of color in #highered, and #K12 stories on principals, arts ed, and after-school learning. ewa.org/members-news...
New: The University of Texas System is expanding its free tuition program. Undergraduate students whose families make $100,000 or less will receive free tuition and fees starting next fall. www.texastribune.org/2024/11/20/u...
UT System will expand free tuition and fees to all undergraduates whose families make $100,000 or less
The Board of Regents is lifting the income threshold to expand eligibility across all nine of its UT System campuses.
texastribune.org
From the business office to the higher ed beat, meet the newest members of Public Source's team. Each lend their passion, skills and experience to telling stories for a better Pittsburgh.
PublicSoure brings on new reporting and business pros
From the business office to the higher ed beat, our new additions lend their passion, skills and experience to telling stories for a better Pittsburgh.
buff.ly
I write a newsletter about the intersection of two major systems shaping our society: criminal justice and higher education. www.opencampusmedia.org/college-insi...
College Inside - Open Campus
A biweekly newsletter about the future of postsecondary education in prisons. Written by Open Campus staff reporter Charlotte West. Know someone who doesn’t have email? Sign up for a print copy of Col...
opencampusmedia.org
Higher ed shapes the future of every community. That's why we're focused at @opencampus.bsky.social on covering it as a local story. Follow our reporters and partner newsrooms who are joining us in this mission.
Open Campus@opencampus.org · 2y agoGreat to be connected with all of you here. For those new to us, we cover higher ed where it matters most: at the local level. And we do it in partnership with more than a dozen newsrooms across the country. Here's a list of our partners on this platform so far: bsky.app/profile/did:...
