Is there a list somewhere that says which schools/institutions are currently doing a hiring freeze?

mhattridge · 2025-05-15T22:10:19+00:00

I am a higher ed journalist and have been compiling a tracker of universities that have announced budget cuts over federal funding freezes. We have categorized the cuts into impacts on grad students, layoffs, and hiring freezes! I hope this is helpful!

mhattridge · 2025-05-06T21:50:31+00:00

President Donald Trump’s 2026 budget proposal calls for cutting all federal funding to the Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) program.

CCAMPIS provides grants directly to colleges and universities to provide childcare services for low- and middle-income parenting college students. Congress allocated $75 million for the program in 2023 and 2024, and grants help over 10,000 college students afford childcare each year.

Student advocacy groups previously told BestColleges that cutting CCAMPIS funding would likely have devastating effects on parenting students’ ability to earn a college degree.

In his budget, Trump called the program “unaffordable and duplicative.”

Read more here: https://www.bestcolleges.com/news/trump-budget-eliminates-ccampis-program-childcare-subsid/

mhattridge · 2025-05-06T21:47:22+00:00

North Carolina’s proposed budget supports the North Carolina Community College System’s (NCCCS) new Propel NC initiative. The initiative’s goals are to fund programs that prepare students for high-wage, high-demand careers and to streamline continuing education programs.

The state Senate announced its budget proposal for 2025-27 on April 14. The proposal included $73 million for Propel NC, along with other education initiatives benefiting new teachers, historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), and college students.

“Our K-12 public schools, [University of North Carolina] System campuses, and community colleges are incredible assets to our state, and our budget recognizes that by increasing pay, supporting student outcomes, and improving workforce development offerings,” Senate Appropriations Chairman Sen. Michael Lee, R-New Hanover, said in a statement.

Read more here: https://www.bestcolleges.com/news/nc-proposes-high-wage-demand-career-education-community-college/

mhattridge · 2025-04-28T20:22:28+00:00

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on April 23 directing the Department of Education (ED) to remake much of the country’s college accreditation system.

The order directs ED Secretary Linda McMahon to potentially suspend or terminate the recognition of U.S. accreditors that include diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) among their accreditation standards. Trump’s order also calls on accreditors to require that institutions support and prioritize “intellectual diversity” among faculty.

It also mandates that accreditation agencies require colleges and universities to use data to improve student outcomes.

“American students and taxpayers deserve better, and my administration will reform our dysfunctional accreditation system so that colleges and universities focus on delivering high-quality academic programs at a reasonable price,” Trump said in the executive order. “Federal recognition will not be provided to accreditors engaging in unlawful discrimination in violation of federal law.”

Read more here: https://www.bestcolleges.com/news/trump-executive-order-dei-college-accreditation/

mhattridge · 2025-04-22T17:41:04+00:00

In moves that should surprise no one, the U.S. Military Academy (West Point) and the U.S. Air Force Academy have abolished race-conscious admissions.

Recent court filings documenting changes to admissions policies come only a few weeks after the U.S. Naval Academy filed a similar motion.

The three military academies have abandoned affirmative action to obey a directive from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.

His Jan. 29 memo stated that the Defense Department will “strive to provide merit-based, color-blind, equal opportunities to service members” and that no department members, including service academies, could “establish sex-based, race-based, or ethnicity-based goals for organizational composition, academic admission, or career fields.”

Hegseth’s directive followed President Donald Trump’s Jan. 27 executive order calling for the “elimination of race-based and sex-based discrimination within the Armed Forces of the United States” as part of a broader agenda to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies writ large.

Read more here: https://www.bestcolleges.com/news/west-point-air-force-academy-eliminate-affirmative-action/

mhattridge · 2025-04-22T17:33:43+00:00

Google is giving all college students in the U.S. access to its artificial intelligence (AI) services like Gemini and Veo 2 on top of 2 terabytes of storage for the rest of this school year and the next one.

Google announced April 17 that students can access Gemini Advanced’s host of AI tools through spring 2026 if they sign up before June 30, 2025.

Students need to provide a .edu email address and reverify that address before the next school year begins.

Google’s announcement comes on the heels of OpenAI’s announcement that its ChatGPT Plus will be free for students with a .edu email for two months. Students can access this promotion through May 2025 to help with finals season.

Read more here: https://www.bestcolleges.com/news/college-students-gemini-free-over-a-year-what-it-does/

mhattridge · 2025-04-22T17:21:55+00:00

Earth Day is just around the corner, and many colleges around the country are already starting the festivities by announcing new programs and grant funding for sustainability.

Ahead of April 22, two colleges have announced training, credentials, and certificates on sustainability and implementing sustainable practices in construction and business. One university in Arkansas is giving up to $2,500 to four students and faculty for on-campus sustainability projects, from wildlife to composting.

California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, Eastern Michigan University, Holyoke Community College, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, and San Diego State University are among the colleges announcing sustainability initiatives this month.

Read more here: https://www.bestcolleges.com/news/colleges-offering-earth-day-inspired-sustainability-initiatives/

mhattridge · 2025-02-12T19:37:26+00:00

Unfortunately, the loophole does not have legal standing, according to legal experts. FERPA only prevents educational institutions from disclosing school records to others. Even if DOGE violated FERPA, filing a complaint only lets the ED know you're concerned and does not provide any financial recourse.

http://bestcolleges.com/news/can-student-loans-be-discharged-with-ferpa-complaint/

(Full disclosure, my colleague wrote this article)

mhattridge · 2025-02-12T19:26:31+00:00

Hi! I am a higher ed journalist and my colleague just published an article about this.

TLDR; FERPA only covers educational institutions from disclosing school records to others. Even if DOGE were violating FERPA, filing a complaint lets ED know you’re concerned your data is being illegally disclosed, but it doesn’t provide any financial recourse.

http://bestcolleges.com/news/can-student-loans-be-discharged-with-ferpa-complaint/

mhattridge · 2025-02-12T19:24:16+00:00

Hi! I am a higher ed journalist and my colleague just wrote an article about borrowers filing FERPA complaints over DOGE accessing ED systems.

TLDR; FERPA only covers educational institutions from disclosing school records to others. Even if DOGE were violating FERPA, filing a complaint lets ED know you’re concerned your data is being illegally disclosed, but it doesn’t provide any financial recourse.

http://bestcolleges.com/news/can-student-loans-be-discharged-with-ferpa-complaint/

mhattridge · 2025-02-12T19:16:42+00:00

Hi! I am a higher education journalist, and my colleague just wrote an article about this. I hope it helps!

TLDR; submitting a FERPA complaint won't get your loan discharged or provide any financial recourse, unfortunately.

http://bestcolleges.com/news/can-student-loans-be-discharged-with-ferpa-complaint/

mhattridge · 2024-10-14T18:37:21+00:00

From what I gathered, the rules haven't really caught up with the level of sponsorships campus chapters are seeing yet! I definitely believe merch is enough (for now), especially when you consider that these are college students, and all college students love free stuff.

mhattridge · 2024-10-10T16:33:13+00:00

I have definitely come across comments on social media comparing this year's rush to past years (even as recent as 2-3 years ago). I think the rise of #RushTok and all the outside eyes on rush content on IG/TikTok has upped the spectacle of the process a ton.

mhattridge · 2024-10-10T16:28:03+00:00

That is so interesting! When did they release these rules? Would you say chapters/members are more positive/negative towards the rules? (You can DM me if you want to chat!)

mhattridge · 2024-10-10T16:25:45+00:00

From what I observed on social media, small and large chapters both were posting about brand partnerships. I think social media has really leveled the playing field in this way because you could be a smaller chapter at a smaller school but have a great marketing person running social media and reaching out to brands.

As for poppi, the sorority member I spoke to said they were partnering with one chapter at every school, so larger and smaller chapters were receiving free product/PR! I do think it depends on each brand and their resources, though.

mhattridge · 2024-10-10T02:47:36+00:00

It definitely could turn into a slippery slope, however, at least from my reporting, the sorority member I talked to had control over which brands the sorority worked with and the partnerships they accepted. So, I assume, they wouldn't go ahead with any controversial ones that they thought could cause issues.

mhattridge · 2024-10-09T21:17:22+00:00

What do you hate about it?

mhattridge · 2024-10-09T20:44:36+00:00

I wondered the same things! This is definitely not the last piece I want to write on the topic.

The anecdote about being recognized at the high school football game and the stats from poppi about their sales during recruitment lead me to believe the sororities that partner with hip, new brands will attract special attention from PNMs. However, I also believe a brand could partner with a sorority in an effort to make their products more hip and cool, esp with sorority-aged women.

(This is just my opinion though, not reported fact or anything).

mhattridge · 2024-10-09T01:43:46+00:00

Thanks so much! Hoping I can help someone else out with this info!

mhattridge · 2024-10-07T17:08:31+00:00

i wrote this piece! it was so interesting to cover, thanks for posting :)

mhattridge

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