Dan Bauman

And of course there is Boy Scouts of America v. Dale. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boy_Sco...

Legal nerds: Need a refresher on SCOTUS rulings weighing civil rights vs. freedom of association, per OCR's demands of the U. of Kentucky re:PhD Project? pres.uky.edu/news/importa...

@johninazu.bsky.social's paper answered many Qs. digitalcommons.lib.uconn.edu/cgi/viewcont...

Two Chancellors Push Back Against Claims They’re Dividing the Sector Amid Trump Threats They argue that this is a moment of structural change for higher ed’s relationship with the government.

NEW @chronicle.com: I sat down with the chancellors of Vanderbilt and WashU to talk about how they believe #HigherEd should respond to Trumpism, and the pushback that stance has gotten from their peers. #AcademicSky

On all days — but especially TODAY — a book recommendation relevant for the moment ... www.amazon.com/Amusing-Ours...

Ah, nothing like being the main character in your own modern-day morality tale -- for choosing to engage with someone online, and then immediately regretting your role in 'feeding the beast ...'

Apologies, everyone. You all know who you are.

Siena Heights closure announcement.

Inbox: Siena Heights University in Michigan to close next year.

What a Harvard Deal Would Mean for Higher Ed Some faculty and outside observers fear there are no good deals to be made with the federal government. Others hope for a path forward that safeguards university research and teaching.

In light of this morning's letter from the White House antisemitism task force to Harvard — which found Harvard "in violent violation of Title VI" — here's @franciediep.bsky.social and @erickelderman.bsky.social on what a deal between the parties might mean for #HigherEd. #AcademicSky

6 State University Systems Are Partnering to Create a New Accreditor. Most Details Are TBD. The announcement, made Thursday by Gov. Ron DeSantis, comes after President Trump’s executive order took aim at streamlining the accreditation process.

www.chronicle.com/article/6-st...

Thursday’s announcement didn’t offer many specifics — including about how the organization would work, when it might be operational, and whether the campuses in participating university systems would even seek accreditation from the new commission.

HBCUs Reel as Trump Cuts Black-Focused Grants: ‘This Is Our Existence’ HBCUs’ mission-driven effort to serve Black communities could now result in severe budget cuts under Trump’s crusade against DEI. It’s all a big misunderstanding, advocates say.

Trump, who said last year that he had “saved” historically Black colleges, has canceled $140 million in grants to them since March.

Agencies told HBCUs “to change the language in grant applications that explicitly focus on Black people — or lose federal funding.”

www.chronicle.com/article/hbcu...

Any idea on the limiting principles here, @stevevladeck.bsky.social, @edlawdude.bsky.social, or other legal eagles? If all DOJ needs is an agreeable state AG and district judge to invalidate a passed state law, that seems like pretty easy loophole for any prez to exploit. bsky.app/profile/did:...

Texas agrees with feds to end in-state tuition for undocumented students Almost 20,000 undocumented college students in Texas will likely lose in-state tuition after this sudden policy reversal.

Texas agrees with feds to end in-state tuition for undocumented students, from @eklib.bsky.social and @jessicapriest.bsky.social www.texastribune.org/2025/06/04/t...

AND JUST LIKE THAT: US DOJ, Texas AG Ken Paxton & judge Reed O'Connor have permanently enjoined enforcement of a 2001 state law allowing immigrants to pay in-state tuition at Texas public colleges. Texas lawmakers failed earlier this week to repeal the law. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

National Science Foundation Begins Canceling Grants on DEI and Misinformation The federal government is reshaping its relationship with the nation’s colleges. Here’s the latest.

We've got the latest on what's happening with the National Science Foundation in @chronicle.com's Trump tracker:

The Trump Administration Is Scrutinizing Colleges’ Foreign Gifts. It’s Not the First Time. Harvard University received a letter on Thursday demanding a host of records on its overseas contracts. The roots of that fight stem from President Trump’s first term.

NEW: The Trump administration is accusing Harvard of not being “fully transparent or complete” in its disclosure of foreign gifts and contracts to the federal government. Here’s what you need to know about the new foreign-funds investigation. www.chronicle.com/article/the-...

A Little-Known Loan Program Meant to Help Rural Colleges May Actually Be Hurting Them For some colleges, the feds are the lender of last resort. Their help may just dig campuses deeper into debt, a <em>Chronicle</em> investigation has found.

A Chronicle investigation has found that a federal loan program for rural colleges can threaten their long-term survival by saddling them with new debt and not delivering enrollment increases. chroni.cl/3YtzZ0j

After Echo Kellum Very Important People ep, if @pftompkins.bsky.social @brennanleemulligan.bsky.social @scrambieggs.bsky.social took it personally, I'd understand ...

DHS Secretary Noem threatens to terminate Havard's Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certification if it doesn't turn over student records.

Harvard faculty are suing DOJ, challenging "the Trump administration’s unlawful and unprecedented misuse of federal funding and civil rights enforcement authority to undermine academic freedom and free speech on a university campus." storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

Attorney General Pamela Bondi Launches Compliance Review Investigation into Admissions Policies at Stanford University and Several University of California Schools, Advancing President Trump’s Mandate... Today, Attorney General Pamela Bondi directed the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division to begin compliance review investigations into admissions policies at Stanford University, University of...

DOJ Launches Compliance Review Investigation into Admissions Policies at Stanford U. and Several University of California Schools, Per White House "Mandate to End Illegal DEI Policies" www.justice.gov/opa/pr/attor...

This State’s Public Universities Must Overhaul Academic Programs or Lose Millions in Funding Republican lawmakers cut $60 million for Utah’s eight institutions. To get it back, they must put money into degrees focused on the work force, while eliminating others.

Republican lawmakers cut millions in funding from Utah's public universities. To get it back, universities must overhaul their academic programs. Universities face cutting majors, laying off employees, and potentially eliminating entire colleges. chroni.cl/4hLmK1t

Faced With Frozen NIH Funding, These Universities Are Trying to Fill the Gap Scientists have been screaming for a life raft. Some institutions hope internal funds will keep them afloat during the chaos.

NEW: During these mass interruptions in NIH funding, scientists have been screaming for help from their institutions. I wrote about the handful of universities that are trying to keep researchers afloat by offering bridge funding — will there be enough to go around? www.chronicle.com/article/face...

Opinion | What Autocrats Want From Academics: Servility In 1931, Italian scholars were made to take loyalty oaths. Will that happen to us?

"On October 8, 1931, a law went into effect requiring every Italian university professor to sign an oath pledging their loyalty to the government of Benito Mussolini. Out of over 1,200 professors in the country, only 12 refused. All of them were immediately fired." www.chronicle.com/article/what...

Facing a Loss of $400 Million, Columbia U. Concedes to Trump’s Demands The university will overhaul student disciplinary procedures, increase on-campus policing powers, and place a department under administrative supervision.

For @chronicle.com, Maya Stahl has the specifics on Columbia's agreement with the Trump admin. It's not clear whether $400M in federal funding that hangs in the balance will be restored, but in the meantime, one professor told me, "It feels like we just gave our values away.” #AcademicSky #HigherEd

I'm having trouble figuring out how a party other than Congress establishes standing, though. I suspect SCOTUS won't be as accommodating to ... creative standing arguments this-go-around like we saw with student loan forgiveness, Missouri, and MOHELA. bsky.app/profile/danb...

Why Hasn’t Columbia U. Sued to Protect Itself? Legal scholars say the university would have a strong case to make if it wanted to use the courts to fight for its funding to be restored.

“Columbia is not some small, under-resourced institution unable to fight back. If this institution, with a strong legal case, does not push back, that sends a pretty chilling message to the American academy generally.” - @sbagen.bsky.social, law professor at @umichlaw.bsky.social

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Legal Eagles: Beyond Congress, any theories on how third parties would plausibly attempt to establish standing for a lawsuit seeking to pause or invalidate this move? I'm coming up blank. www.cnbc.com/2025/03/21/s...

National Endowment of the Arts will not award grants under its Cultural and Community Resilience program going forward. NEH awarded several colleges such grants previously. Per DOGE, I haven't seen any indication those active grants have been cancelled. www.neh.gov/executive-or...