Sara Weissman

5 days ago | insidehighered.com | Sara Weissman

The Maine Legislature’s budget-writing committee voted last week in favor of ending the state’s free college program, to the great disappointment of community college leaders. The move by Democrats on the Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee contradicts Governor Janet Mills’s proposal earlier this year to make the program a permanent fixture. The free college program, which Mills initially put forward, went into effect in 2022 to support students affected by the pandemic.

6 days ago | insidehighered.com | Sara Weissman

In a hearing on Monday, a federal judge put off making a ruling on whether to continue blocking President Trump’s proclamation banning Harvard international students and researchers from entering the country. The judge, Allison Burroughs of the District Court for the District of Massachusetts, agreed to decide within a week and extended an order to temporarily halt the policy until then.

1 week ago | insidehighered.com | Sara Weissman

The number of credentials offered in the U.S. has exploded in recent years—reaching more than 1.1 million, a 10 percent jump in the last year alone—as students question the value of traditional degrees and seek out shorter, more flexible options. But while some programs boost workers’ incomes by thousands of dollars and help them switch careers or advance within their fields, others offer little opportunity for advancement and earn graduates no wage gains at all.

1 week ago | insidehighered.com | Sara Weissman

Two years after its Supreme Court victory against Harvard and UNC Chapel Hill, Students for Fair Admissions has a new target in its sights: Hispanic-serving institutions. On Wednesday, the advocacy group joined the state of Tennessee in suing the U.S. Department of Education, arguing that the criteria to become an HSI are unconstitutional and discriminatory. The move is distressing HSI advocates, who hoped to see the institutions left out of the political fray.

1 week ago | asianamericans.einnews.com | Sara Weissman

Two years after its Supreme Court victory against Harvard and UNC Chapel Hill, Students for Fair Admissions has a new target in its sights: Hispanic-serving institutions. On Wednesday, the advocacy group joined the state of Tennessee in suing the U.S. Department of Education, arguing that the criteria to become an HSI are unconstitutional and discriminatory. The move is distressing HSI advocates, who hoped to see the institutions left out of the political fray.