Sara Custer

London

Editor-in-Chief at Inside Higher Ed

Editor-in-chief @insidehighered I Okie in DC | She/her | @saracuster.bsky.social

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Articles

Budget Cuts, Loss of Trust Threaten Higher Ed’s Workforce

5 days ago | insidehighered.com | Sara Custer

Hiring freezes, restricted travel budgets, salary caps, budget cuts—colleges’ responses to the uncertainty blanketing the sector are causing “ripple effects” across the higher ed workforce that observers say could lead to the loss of a generation of talent.
Ep. 161: Higher Ed’s Struggling Workforce

1 week ago | insidehighered.com | Sara Custer

During the first half of the year, several colleges have announced hiring freezes and budget cuts in response to the Trump administration’s slashing of federal researching funding and general financial instability across the sector. And these cuts come after years of stagnating pay for faculty and staff. A recent CUPA-HR analysis of salary data shows that across higher ed, employees are still being paid less in inflation-adjusted dollars than they were before the pandemic.
More Than 10,000 Alumni Urge Congress to Protect TRIO

3 weeks ago | insidehighered.com | Sara Custer

You have /5 articles left. Sign up for a free account or log in. More than 10,000 alumni of federally funded TRIO programs have urged the leaders of the House and Senate appropriations committees to reject budget proposals to cut the programs that help students get access to and complete college. “For more than 60 years, TRIO has helped low-income, first-generation students transform into colleges graduates. We are those college graduates,” 10,234 signatories said in a letter to Congress.
Ep. 159: Uncertainty, Disruption and Campus Mental Health

3 weeks ago | insidehighered.com | Sara Custer

How the political climate and economic uncertainty are increasing the mental health challenges on campuses. June 04, 2025 Anxiety and depression are on the rise among college students, driven, in part, by pressures to balance academics with personal, economic and family responsibilities.
Reconciliation Bill Would Block Access to Higher Ed

1 month ago | insidehighered.com | Sara Custer

You have /5 articles left. Sign up for a free account or log in. Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images The House GOP proposal to impose risk-sharing responsibilities on colleges and universities is the most concerning element of the budget bill that’s now in the hands of the Senate, according to the head of the leading higher education advocacy body.
Ep. 157: Is the Alliance Between the Federal Government and Higher Ed Forever Broken?

1 month ago | insidehighered.com | Sara Custer

The federal government’s attacks on higher education and losing trust in our institutions. May 21, 2025 Since the beginning of the second Trump administration, the American Council on Education has been early out of the gate in responding to the federal government’s onslaught of funding freezes, executive orders and threats to institutions.
Government Overreach Threatens Harvard’s Aims to “Improve Campus”

1 month ago | insidehighered.com | Sara Custer

You have /5 articles left. Sign up for a free account or log in. Harvard University president Alan Garber said in a letter to Education Secretary Linda McMahon that the federal government’s encroachment on institutional independence is diminishing Harvard’s efforts to end antisemitism on campus, promote viewpoint diversity and be a world leader in academic research. Garber was responding to a letter McMahon addressed to Harvard and posted on X a week ago.
Ep. 155: What's Going on With College Athletics (and Why You Should Care)

1 month ago | insidehighered.com | Sara Custer

The evolving role of college athletics and the coming impacts to institutions and students. May 08, 2025 Whether you’re a die-hard fan, sports curios or someone who sees college athletics as a very expensive distraction, you should know about the fundamental changes to NCAA policies because they will have profound impacts on institutions, students and even the future of U.S. Olympic teams.
Higher Ed Leaders Call for Defense of Board Independence

1 month ago | insidehighered.com | Sara Custer

You have /5 articles left. Sign up for a free account or log in. More than 200 college and university presidents, board chairs, sector association leaders, and heads of accrediting agencies have called on higher education leadership to uphold the independence of governing boards and institutional autonomy.
Harvard Faculty Pledge 10% of Salary to Defend Against Trump

1 month ago | insidehighered.com | Sara Custer

You have /5 articles left. Sign up for a free account or log in. Nearly 100 senior faculty members at Harvard have committed to taking a pay cut to support the institution’s legal defense against the federal government. The Trump administration has frozen more than $2 billion in federal funding, threatened to revoke Harvard's tax-exempt status and said it would end the institution’s ability to enroll international students.