Berkeley Center for Studies in Higher Education

Universities See Trump’s Harvard Move as a Threat to Them, Too

CSHE’s Senior Research Fellow John Aubrey Douglass offers insight in a recent New York Times piece on the broader implications of Trump’s Legal Challenge to Harvard. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/24/u...

Inside the Education Dept. Purge From the Trump administration’s unnerving first days to the recent mass layoffs, Education Department employees describe shortsighted dismissals and a workplace defined by paranoia and intimidation.

In this week's episode of College Matters from The Chronicle, we spoke with staffers at the U.S. Department of Education who were laid off or have resigned. These are their stories. chroni.cl/42B5pEl

Fewer Students Engage in College Activities After COVID New data shows that student participation in high-impact practices at research institutions has yet to fully rebound after COVID-19–related shutdowns.

New @insidehighered.com article features findings from CSHE's latest SERU report: student engagement in campus life & research has dropped sharply since the pandemic. Equity gaps are widening too. 📉

👉Read the article: rb.gy/cq0lvu
👉Download SERU Report: escholarship.org/uc/item/3c27...

Associate Specialist / Full Specialist - Center for Studies in Higher Education - UC Berkeley University of California, Berkeley is hiring. Apply now!

We’re hiring!

CSHE and The California Policy Lab are looking for a skilled, mid-career specialist who wants to design and conduct policy-relevant research in partnership with state and local agencies throughout California.
@capolicylab.bsky.social

🔗 aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF04896

🗞️CSHE March 2025 Newsletter

As we wrap up March, CSHE reflects on a month filled with critical discussions on STEM faculty, new student experience insights, and the ongoing challenges higher education faces.

Check out our newsletter to learn more: mailchi.mp/7197de0127c3...

Education Experts Concerned About Long-Term Impacts of UC Financial Uncertainty - KQED The University of California system is among the growing number of higher education institutions around the country bracing for financial uncertainty. Last week, UC President Michael Drake announced a...

I did an interview this morning with KQED, the SF public radio station, about why the Trump Administration has made it necessary for universities like the University of California to impose hiring freezes, and how it threatens U.S. leadership in science.
omny.fm/shows/kqed-s...

CSHE Faculty Affiliate Charlie Eaton published a compelling piece at The New York Times--"$15 Billion Is Enough to Fight a President."

"Large endowments, long hoarded, can and should foot the bill. For all our sakes."

Read the full piece here: www.nytimes.com/2025/03/25/o...

What Is at Stake | AAC&U Universities must take action for democracy in our politically charged times

In her latest article in Liberal Education, AAC&U President Lynn Pasquerella has extensively cited CSHE Senior Research Fellow John Douglass’s book, Neo-Nationalism and Universities: Populists, Autocrats, and the Future of Higher Education.
🔗 Read more: www.aacu.org/liberaleduca...

Borders or Barriers? Spatial Stratification in Study Abroad Access and Participation at US Universities Using data from public and private not-for-profit US higher education institutions, this panel explores the extent to which access to and participa...

🌍 Who Gets to Study Abroad?

Study abroad is often seen as a gateway to global opportunities, but access to these experiences is far from equal.

Join us for a panel presentation on the spatial stratification of study abroad access. March 19, 12pm PST events.berkeley.edu/cshe/event/2...

CSHE's new SERU report (800K+ surveys, 2012–2023) finds that post-pandemic student engagement still hasn’t bounced back. With federal funding cuts looming, how can we expand student opportunities? ⬇️

📖 Read the report: cshe.berkeley.edu/publications/seru-consortium-report-multi-engagement-model

Big Give 2025 Be the Light this Big Give, March 13, 2025

🚀 Support CSHE in Big Give! 🚀

Join us in advancing research, student opportunities, leadership training, and outreach. Your gift helps shape the future of higher ed!

We’re grateful for your support—let’s keep making a difference together! 💙💛

Donate today: givingday.berkeley.edu/giving-day/9...

NIH Funding Cuts Could Have Ripple Effects on College-Town Economies The fallout from a controversial cap could cost jobs and do economic damage beyond college campuses.

The Trump administration wants to make deep cuts in NIH research funding. It’s not just colleges and hospitals that will feel the pinch. chroni.cl/3ERwp9h

Hitting Pause on the ‘Dear Colleague’ Letter The Department of Education is overstepping its bounds and infringing on constitutional rights.

Opinion: Making funding contingent on an institution following a particular ideology strikes at the heart of academic freedom. chroni.cl/4b4p9mc

Higher Education Is Exhausted Some don’t see a future in a sector battling for its very existence.

Higher ed is exhausted. According to a Chronicle survey, more than 6 in 10 academic employees say they are working more than they did five years ago, and 4 in 10 say they’re working significantly more. chroni.cl/3QjOqiW

🚨 New publication alert: Mission-Based vs. Enrollment-Based Institutions: Segmented Governance at a Catholic Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI)

This article is about HSIs X Servingness X Equity X Governance and it is open access. Click the link and read it now!!

muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/articl...

🎤 Book talk alert! Join us for Nolan L. Cabrera’s discussion on Whiteness in the Ivory Tower.

📅 February 18, 2025
📍Berkeley Way West 1203

#HigherEd #BookTalk #AcademicSpaces #BerkeleyEvents #EquityInAcademia

The History of Doctoral Women in the US: A History Still at the Margins Using UC Berkeley as a case study, this talk examines the history of women Ph.D.s in the U.S. up to 2023, along with the historiography that has sh...

Join us on Feb 6 for a thought-provoking talk on the often overlooked contributions of women in doctoral education. This session will explore the history of women Ph.D.s in the U.S., situating it within the broader history of U.S. research universities.

events.berkeley.edu/cshe/event/2...

🎉 CSHE January Newsletter 🎉

Our latest newsletter is out! We've got exciting updates, including the 2025 Capstone Awardees, research updates, and new affiliates.

Stay updated on all things higher education and the innovative work happening at CSHE.

mailchi.mp/7fdc2e6f401c...

#HigherEd #CSHE