Sara Hebel

How nonprofit newsrooms are rewriting the rules of beat reporting - INN News From Arizona to Maine, INN members are proving that collaboration isn’t just a budget fix — it’s a better way to serve communities.

INN newsrooms like @opencampus.org and @spotlightdelaware.bsky.social are rewriting the rules of beat reporting, writes INN's Alana Rocha.

The key? Collaboration. news.inn.org/how-nonprofi...

The Trump Administration’s Climate Policies Jeopardize Research in Disaster-Prone Puerto Rico - Open Campus Puerto Rico currently has 107 active NIH-funded grants totaling $78.5 million.

Puerto Rico is one of the regions most affected by the global climate crisis. Local scientists are struggling with canceled research grants and funding cuts from federal agencies. By Víctor Rodríguez Velázquez for our local partner @cpipr.bsky.social www.opencampus.org/2025/03/17/t...

First they came for Columbia... "So far, America’s leading universities have remained virtually silent in the face of this authoritarian assault on institutions of higher education. That must change."

www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...

We're offering free @opencampus.org reporting resources and support for local newsrooms to cover what's at stake for their campuses and their communities under Trump. Reporters and editors can sign up here: www.opencampus.org/higher-ed-un...

We love how Stephanie Wang of @luminafoundation.bsky.social described us during @sxswedu.com: "Open Campus is like a power-up in Super Mario Brothers. You're instantly supercharged...to cover higher education because of their deep expertise and understanding of the context across different states."

"We are trying to work to help people in communities have the information they need to understand what policy makers are doing, what that means for them, and giving them the power that they need to be active in the conversation [about higher education]." - @shebel.bsky.social at @sxswedu.com

I’ll be joined by Stephanie Wang of @luminafoundation.bsky.social, Christina Shih of Press Forward, & Graciela Mochkofsky of @cuny.edu

I'll be headed to Austin in two weeks for @sxswedu.com to talk about new models for local news and how we're working at @opencampus.org to rebuild public trust in both journalism and higher ed. Come join the conversation at 10 a.m. Central on March 6. lnkd.in/eev3R5TE

Sara Hebel on LinkedIn: Ted Mitchell of the American Council on Education urged college leaders… Ted Mitchell of the American Council on Education urged college leaders this week not to engage in "over-compliance" or "anticipatory compliance" in response…

Ted Mitchell of the American Council on Education urged college leaders not to engage in "over-compliance" in response to the Ed Dept.'s recent DEI guidance. But many college leaders aren't sounding all that ready for a fight. www.linkedin.com/posts/sara-h...

Our reporters @texastribune.org detail the conservative vision the Texas Legislature continues to press for higher ed, with proposals that would limit what can be taught and who can be hired at the state's universities and end in-state tuition for undocumented students.

With Trump’s threats of mass deportations, Chicago-area students with undocumented parents are weighing whether to fill out the FAFSA, our reporter @lkpwrites.bsky.social writes. If they do, they risk outing their undocumented parents. But if they don’t, they could lose out on the chance at college.

Ohio colleges say pausing federal grants could significantly impact research The freeze announced this week will not affect students’ federal financial aid such as Pell grants or student loans.

Case Western's president: The orders could significantly impact "where we receive critical funding, how we conduct research, with whom and how we can collaborate on impactful projects, and, importantly, who can study and work at Case Western Reserve.”
signalcleveland.org/ohio-college...

Mississippi universities scramble to understand impact of federal grant pause: ‘It’s a lot’ - Open Campus Mississippi's universities are scrambling to gauge impact of Trump memo temporarily freezing federal grants.

At @olemiss.bsky.social an administrator said $ for student researchers was being prioritized but the plan was unclear. A biology prof asked how live animals would be fed. Another wasn't sure whether to send out acceptance letters for a summer fellowship. www.opencampusmedia.org/2025/01/28/m...

Our reporting is also underlining another reality: that, even as people challenge the legality of the orders and sort through what may or may not ultimately be subject to them, the uncertainty alone has costs right now.

Sara Hebel on LinkedIn: As we work with our Open Campus reporters across the country to sort… As we work with our Open Campus reporters across the country to sort through the latest executive orders on federal funding, it’s a reminder of just how…

Our @opencampus.org reporters are sorting through the possible effects of the latest executive orders in their communities, and it’s a reminder of just how far-reaching the work of higher ed is in society. www.linkedin.com/posts/sara-h...

Open Campus journalists to speak on panels at SXSW EDU  - Open Campus Open Campus journalists will be speaking in March at SXSW EDU in Austin.

Come join us in Austin! @charlottewest.bsky.social and @shebel.bsky.social are both speaking at #SXSWEDU2024 www.opencampusmedia.org/2025/01/14/o...

We're hiring an editor to work with our local network of higher ed reporters, now in 17 locations across the country. We're looking for a bilingual journalist who can help us expand our capacity to serve Spanish-speaking communities across the U.S. www.opencampusmedia.org/2025/01/07/o...

We're adding 3 new partners to our Local Network: @wisconsinwatch.bsky.social, @sareport.bsky.social, & Centro de Periodismo Investigativo in Puerto Rico.

That means we now support 20 reporters in 17 newsrooms, reaching more than 18 million readers a month. www.opencampusmedia.org/2025/01/08/o...

We're adding a 5th Texas location, partnering with @sareport.bsky.social to add a full-time higher ed reporter there. This person will join our growing Open Campus Local Network, now in 17 places across the country. To work with us in San Antonio, apply here: www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/41...

We see the power of beat reporting across our Local Network every day. It reminds leaders of their public duty & makes them more responsive to community needs. In 2024, @opencampus.org reporters wrote more than 500 stories. They spurred action & helped people understand how they can press for change

We're expanding in the Midwest. Come work with us @wisconsinwatch.bsky.social.

5 years ago we started @opencampus.bsky.social with the goal of improving the coverage Americans get of the colleges that matter most to them: the ones in their back yard.

We're now in 15 locations & plan to be in all 50 states. Our year-end fundraising helps us get there. donorbox.org/open-campus

‘Easy to just write us off’: Rural students’ options shrink as colleges slash majors - Open Campus As enrollments fall, rural-serving universities are shedding degree programs from music to chemistry.

“All you hear is, ‘We used to have this, because we used to have more students.’” Across the country, regional publics in rural areas are scrapping degree programs to ease budget shortfalls.

Our local reporters collaborated with @hechingerreport.org:
www.opencampusmedia.org/2024/11/26/e...

‘Easy to just write us off’: Rural students’ choices shrink as colleges slash majors - The Hechinger Report Rural Americans already have less access to higher education than people in cities and suburbs. Now the comparatively few universities serving rural students are cutting large numbers of programs and ...

Rural colleges and universities continue to cut dozens of majors, leaving rural students with far fewer choices than urban and suburban students get. tinyurl.com/56uas5vx @hechingerreport.org @opencampus.bsky.social

Arizona is the only state with an English-only law still in effect. Many of the state's Republican leaders are committed to it, but evidence shows it's not working for the thousands of students who are English learners.

We collaborated on this story with @azluminaria.bsky.social

A tuition freeze without more state aid could leave Texas universities strapped - Open Campus Regional colleges rely more on tuition revenue to operate than flagship campuses. Gov. Greg Abbott’s desire to pause increases could create tight financial conditions.

A tuition freeze can be a double-edged sword for students, who may see smaller bills but also reduced services as universities, especially regional publics, face rising costs.

Two of our reporters, Kate McGee and Shomial Ahmad, teamed up to tell this story: www.opencampusmedia.org/2024/11/22/a...

Our @opencampus.bsky.social newsletter focuses on the role of higher ed in society and how it shapes the communities where we work. Sign up here: www.opencampusmedia.org/category/new...

The latest from our Mississippi reporter @mintamolly.bsky.social. This move, Molly writes, comes after several Miss. universities renamed their diversity offices. The U. of Southern Mississippi’s mission and vision statements also were changed to remove the words “diverse” and “inclusiveness.”

A great opportunity. Let me know if you have any questions about the fellowship from someone who has gone through it.

Also, related to the HE topic, this is still one of the more important stories I've reported here in Colorado: www.chalkbeat.org/colorado/202...