Larry Ladd

NIH director orders new review of grants in outline of top research priorities Many topics on Bhattacharya’s list are familiar, but order to re-evaluate grants draws concerns

More uncertainty. More delays. More inconsistency. More mixed messages. The only message that isn't mixed is the message that science will be inhibited.

$50,000 Signing Bonus, No Age Caps: The Blitz to Hire ICE Officers Uncle Sam is using social media and financial incentives to entice new recruits.

“America has been invaded by criminals and predators,” the agency says on its recruiting website. “We need YOU to get them out.”

Under Trump, the Education Dept. has flipped its civil rights mission The administration is prioritizing allegations that transgender students and students of color are getting unfair advantages while a backlog of other cases grows.

"The administration is not just picking different priorities than its predecessors; it’s flipping the interpretation of civil rights law in the opposite direction."

1934 German head of state referendum - Wikipedia

Today in 1934, amid widespread voter intimidation and electoral fraud, German voters approved a referendum that made Adolf Hitler “Führer und Reichskanzler” (“leader and chancellor”).
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1934_Ge...

Anti-DEI efforts shutter cultural centers that college students call lifelines At least 12 universities and colleges across six states have closed their centers this year, citing state or federal anti-DEI efforts.

Cultural centers have been a recognition that culture isn't just white culture and have been essential to the retention and success of students.

Trump “Chipping Away” at DACA and Other Protections Dreamers and their advocates say the Trump administration has launched a multifront attack on DACA and benefits historically extended to noncitizens.

College has become a pathway to integration into the US for undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children, known as Dreamers. It has never been easy for them, but they are now very insecure and for good reason.

Survey: Students Link Trust in College to Affordability In the first installment of our 2025–26 Student Voice survey series, most students express confidence in their institution—with clear room for improvement, especially when it comes to affordability.

Among sectors, students in community colleges are more likely to trust their institution than those in other sectors. Students trust faculty more than administrators, to no one's surprise. What most generates trust in faculty? When their show an interest in a student's well being.

"You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face." - Eleanor Roosevelt

Changes, cuts coming to federal student loans in 2026 Big changes are coming to the way families borrow money for college, following the passage of Donald Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill" in July.

Headlines like these send the message to aspiring students that college isn't affordable, even though it is for most. Too many potential students already believe college is out of reach for them.

Rosalynn Carter - Wikipedia

“A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don't necessarily want to go, but ought to be.” Happy birthday to Rosalynn Carter (1927-2023)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosalyn...

Five You Should Know: African American Suffragists The women's suffrage movement had many heroines who bravely fought for the rights of women in the United States. Here are the stories of five African American suffragists who helped women in America s...

The 19th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified on this day in 1920. Women gained the right to vote. While suffrage efforts included broad-based leadership, white women gained the most immediate benefit.
nmaahc.si.edu/blog-post/fi...

Inaccurate, impossible: Experts knock new Trump plan to collect college admissions data New data survey could produce statistics that indicate bias where none exists

The effort to collection detailed admissions data isn't about policy, it's about theatre. Colleges and universities will be shamed when they don't submit the data the administration wants to see, and institutions will be randomly selected as subjects of attack.

Critics say Trump's push for fairness in college admissions is leaving out legacy preferences In recent weeks, Trump has taken several actions to scrub any vestiges of race from admissions decisions, suggesting that some schools are ignoring a 2023 Supreme Court decision striking down affirmat...

While the administration says it wants admissions to be based on "merit," that's actually a proxy for protecting white people from imaginary threats. Legacy admissions hasn't been mentioned at all.

International Student Demand Remains High for Now Recent data shows that a significant number of students globally are interested in studying in the U.S., but difficulties with immigration processes are limiting opportunities for them.

International students still want to come to the US and they still believe we offer the best possible education for them. They see the risks as real but likely temporary.

On this day, August 18, 1963, James Meredith made history as the first black student to graduate from the University of Mississippi. Achieving his childhood dream, he earned a degree in political scie... On this day, August 18, 1963, James Meredith made history as the first black student to graduate from the University of Mississippi. Achieving his childhood dream, he earned a degree in political...

On this day in 1963 James Meredith became the first African-American to graduate from the University of Mississippi.

“Necessity remains the mother of invention.”
― Clayton M. Christensen, The Innovator's Solution: Creating and Sustaining Successful Growth

Margaret Hamilton Led the NASA Software Team That Landed Astronauts on the Moon Apollo’s successful computing software was optimized to deal with unknown problems and to interrupt one task to take on a more important one

Happy birthday to pioneering software engineer Margaret Hamilton, born today in 1936. She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016.
www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-...

Mae West - Wikipedia

“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.” Happy birthday to Mae West (1893-1980).
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mae_West

Delaware State Univ. president faces DUI charge Delaware State University president Tony Allen is charged with Driving Under the Influence following a July incident.

"I am both regretful and grateful: regretful that we cannot always be our best selves, and grateful that we are given the chance to try again." None of us wish to be judged primarily by moments when we were not our best selves.

"Let the beauty of what you love be what you do." Rumi

Here’s how budgets can keep up with accelerating uncertainty Learn how CFOs are embracing agile and strategic budgeting to navigate uncertainty, enhance resilience, and align planning with evolving business strategies.

Budgets enable strategy, a key idea that is a work in progress in higher education, where budgets too often a more like compromises among stakeholders. In this environment, scenario planning has also become an essential component, with budgets far less fixed and far more agile than in the past.

Opinion | U.S. scientists are seeing their research upended The Trump administration’s budget cuts have been more drastic than you might think.

The decimation of science, and the politicization of what's left, is more devastating than most of us know.

Many U.S. Colleges May Close Without Immigrants And International Students, Report Finds Many U.S. colleges and universities may be forced to close without immigrants, international students and the children of immigrants

"Smaller, less well-known colleges and universities will find it harder to attract students, particularly if admissions rates at larger, more well-known schools rise.”

Pennsylvania’s private colleges have big impact on their communities The state’s independent, private colleges contributed more than $29 billion to local communities in 2024, according to a report they commissioned.

Pennsylvania’s independent, private colleges contribute more than $29 billion to local communities.

More Workers Are Getting Job-Skill Certificates. They Often Don’t Pay Off. Many of the thousands of online courses and other credentials employees pursue to boost careers fall short in delivering, a new study finds.

A message to those institutions that offer job-skill credentials: find out what employers actually say they need. “A lot of credentials are being designed based on a loose understanding of what it takes for somebody to get hired in the field.”

Where Do We Go From Here? What I'm saying today is that we must go from this convention and say, “America, you must be born again!” Excerpts from King’s speech “Where Do We Go From Here?,” delivered at the 11th Annual SCLC Con...

Today in 1967 MLK Jr. moved beyond civil rights alone, saying “The movement must address itself to the question of restructuring the whole of American society” in his “Where Do We Go From Here?” speech in Atlanta.
www.plough.com/en/topics/ju...

YouTube video by shogun coredump Robert Johnson- Crossroad

The blues great Robert Johnson died on this day in 1938 near Greenwood, MS. His music inspired the next generation of the best blues musicians.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yd60...

What I wish I knew my first year at Duke: Real talk from a former freshman Starting at Duke can feel overwhelming, but you’re not alone. From finding your people to making peace with messing up, here’s the honest advice I wish I had my first year.

Sage and truthful advice to entering freshmen from a former freshman. My favorite: "everyone is faking it at first." dukechronicle.com/article/what...

A&T Doubles Down on Student Success with $30M in Campus Housing Enhancements Student Affairs leadership today announced the successful completion of $30 million in student residence improvements, just days before the launch of the 2025-26 academic year.

"Providing a comfortable, modern living environment underscores the significant role it plays in student success.” Chancellor James R. Martin II

‘I’m so ready’: A first-generation college student shares her journey to campus “I have all these big dreams and these big aspirations,” says Jayla Ward, an incoming freshman at Northern Illinois University and the first in her family to go to college.

Personal stories make the college choice experience very real. To me, the most instructive part of her story is that, while colleges offered her lots of financial aid, she feared that she might lose it during her time as a student.