Sarah Brown

The Trump Administration Detained a Longtime Faculty Member, Saying He’s an Undocumented Immigrant The government says Sumith Gunasekera of Ferris State University was ineligible for legal status in the United States due to 1998 criminal charges in Canada, including a sex offense.

Before the holiday break, you may have seen that a professor was detained by ICE en route to the Middle East Studies Association's conference.

But you may have missed that a second professor was detained. Here's what we know:

U. of Virginia Will Adopt Trump’s Interpretation of DEI in Federal Deal The university has pledged to follow government guidance arguing that a wide range of diversity-related efforts and programs are illegal discrimination.

In a new deal with Trump, UVa agreed to adopt the administration's interpretation of DEI — in other words, that most diversity-related policies and programs are illegal discrimination

UVa noted in an FAQ that it will follow anti-DEI guidance from the Department of Justice, which criticized a range of campus practices referencing race and identity. UVa will report back to DOJ on adherence to that guidance, "consistent with relevant judicial decisions."
federalinfo.virginia.edu

U. of Virginia Will Adopt Trump’s Interpretation of DEI in Federal Deal The university has pledged to follow government guidance arguing that a wide range of diversity-related efforts and programs are illegal discrimination.

In a new deal with Trump, UVa agreed to adopt the administration's interpretation of DEI — in other words, that most diversity-related policies and programs are illegal discrimination

UVA "would be required to continue to take steps to come into compliance with the administration’s expansive interpretation of a 2023 Supreme Court decision that ended explicit consideration of race in admissions to higher education, according to three people briefed on negotiations."

Compact Live Updates: U. of Arizona Says It Won’t Sign On, While Vanderbilt Describes ‘Ongoing Dialogue’ The Arizona flagship submitted a “statement of principles” to the government. Vanderbilt’s chancellor said “we have not been asked to accept or reject the draft compact,” and said the campus would pro...

Ok here's a new one: Vanderbilt's chancellor does NOT explicitly decline Trump's compact. He says, we interpreted the outreach as a chance to provide feedback to the White House, and we did that.

Compact Live Updates: U. of Arizona Says It Won’t Sign On, While Vanderbilt Describes ‘Ongoing Dialogue’ The Arizona flagship submitted a “statement of principles” to the government. Vanderbilt’s chancellor said “we have not been asked to accept or reject the draft compact,” and said the campus would pro...

Ok here's a new one: Vanderbilt's chancellor does NOT explicitly decline Trump's compact. He says, we interpreted the outreach as a chance to provide feedback to the White House, and we did that.

Compact Live Updates: U. of Arizona Says It Won’t Sign On, Becoming Seventh Campus to Decline The flagship instead submitted a “statement of principles” to the government. Meanwhile, professors at the University of Texas at Austin urged their campus not to go along with the effort.

University of Arizona president has declined Trump's compact — and sent back an alternative "statement of principles" outlining the u's current policies on international enrollment, academic freedom, admissions etc.

Trump Welcomes ‘Any Institution’ to Sign Onto Compact Outlining His Priorities An administration source told The Chronicle that “any institution that wants to adopt these principles” could sign onto the document, which offers a purported edge in grant funding.

Breaking: Trump's higher-ed compact is open to all, I confirmed for @chronicle.com: www.chronicle.com/blogs/the-tr...

“We welcome any institution that wants to adopt these principles to sign the compact,” a source told me.

How a Trump-Supporting Congressman Turned College President Disarmed His Critics Bill Johnson has found success at Youngstown State University by floating above the fray — or seeming to.

Full story: www.chronicle.com/article/the-...

How a Trump-Supporting Congressman Turned College President Disarmed His Critics Bill Johnson has found success at Youngstown State University by floating above the fray — or seeming to.

Johnson declined to take a public position on Ohio's Republican-backed higher-ed reform law and downplayed his involvement. But the lawmaker who spearheaded the bill told Megan that Johnson influenced its development.

Youngstown State faculty, who had been outraged at Johnson's selection, calmed down pretty quickly — because his leadership has been pretty low key. "It’s hard to say that he’s done something to be super unfavorable," one professor said.

Interesting tidbits in my ace colleague @mzahneis.bsky.social's latest piece on Bill Johnson, Youngstown State University's leader and a Trump-supporting ex-congressman:

He said he quickly got up to speed on higher ed by attending the Harvard Seminar for New Presidents.

The White House Sent Its Compact to 9 Universities. Here’s What Their Administrators and Faculty Are Saying. Presidents have been guarded in their remarks on the Trump administration’s offer. But professors have expressed grave concerns.

If you, like me, having struggled to keep straight how different universities are responding to Trump's proposed "compact," we've got you covered.

The roundup demonstrates 1) varied leadership philosophies 2) a broad spectrum re: faculty engagement (or, perhaps, willingness to speak publicly).

UNC-Chapel Hill’s Lesson in Civics The School of Civic Life and Leadership’s public fighting is part of a long-running rupture about the mission of civics schools around the country.

Great piece.

"...a central and long-running rupture over the foundational mission of civics schools... Should they reform how universities teach by prioritizing civil discourse, or should they add viewpoint diversity by hiring more conservatives?"

Trump’s ‘Compact’ Is Freaking People Out Podcast Episode · College Matters from The Chronicle · 10/08/2025 · 40m

Come for a catch-up on the latest big higher ed news, stay for the Sean Penn cameo at the end (yes, really)

Mizzou’s President Has Succeeded by Staying Out of Trouble The University of Missouri leader turned around its reputation, bolstered state funding and enrollment, and restored the faculty trust. But his tight-lipped management style has its critics.

A college president in a red state says his university is thriving right now. But there are tradeoffs.

‘A Robust Victory’: Federal Judge Says Harvard Should Have Billions of Research Dollars Restored The judge, Allison D. Burroughs, ruled that the Trump administration’s explanation for canceling the grants — that Harvard had done too little to respond to antisemitism — rang hollow.

www.chronicle.com/article/a-ro...

Breaking News: Harvard/AAUP win summary judgment in federal district court

GMU President Refuses to Apologize for Diversity Efforts, Lawyer Calls Ed. Dept. Claims ‘Absurd’ In a 10-page letter, Gregory Washington’s lawyer says the Trump administration conducted an incomplete and haphazard investigation full of “gross mischaracterizations.”

First on @chronicle.com: George Mason University's president just refused the Trump administration's demand to deliver a "personal apology" for supporting diversity efforts in hiring.

🙃🙃🙃

Most texts between me and my husband these days are just one of us saying "Schwarrrr..." and the other one replying "💣" #Phillies #MVP

Gender Data Would Be Off-Limits Under Proposed NIH Policy A draft rule would bar scientists funded by the agency from collecting data about gender identity, following other steps the administration has taken to restrict research on LGBT topics.

SCOOP: The NIH is moving to prohibit funded scientists, inside and outside the agency, from collecting data about gender, according to a draft policy I obtained. It’s part of the NIH’s aggressive crackdown on gender-identity research. www.chronicle.com/article/gend...

Columbia’s Deal With Trump Stokes Fears of Federal Admissions Audits The university will hand over new details about the prospective students it admits and rejects. Is it laying the groundwork for more-aggressive government intervention?

Everyone wants to see the numbers — how selective colleges choose their classes.

How they make sense of those numbers (especially now that the Trump administration is among those parties) could have major implications for higher ed.

TRiO Delivers. Will Congress? UMSV Wins $1.7M SSS/TRiO Grant Renewal—But National Funding Cuts Could Threaten TRiO’s Future

At least some funding for federal TRIO programs — which support low-income students — is being awarded as planned this summer, per campus announcements. Hundreds of colleges rely on TRIO grants.

(In the long run, though, Trump has proposed eliminating TRIO and dismantling ED, which administers it.)

U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services Notify Harvard University’s Accreditor of Harvard’s Title VI Violation The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Postsecondary Education and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights today notified the New England Commission of Higher E...

THREAD:

1/ FWIW, @usedgov.bsky.social has sent a notice to @harvard.edu 's institutional accreditor, the New England Commission of Higher Education, alleging the university had violated Title VI and may be in violation of accreditation standards

www.ed.gov/about/news/p...

A 4/4 Teaching Load Becomes Law at Most of Wisconsin’s Public Universities The mandate, included in the state’s new budget, applies to full-time faculty across the University of Wisconsin system — except at the two R1 universities, where professors must carry 2/2 loads.

Wisconsin just made 4/4 teaching loads the law for all full-time faculty members at the state's public universities (except the university system's two research universities, where everyone must teach a 2/2 load)

University of Virginia President Resigns Under Pressure From Trump Administration The sudden move followed a reported demand by federal officials that James Ryan step down to resolve a Department of Justice investigation into diversity, equity, and inclusion on the campus.

Updated Chronicle story on UVa President Jim Ryan's resignation:

"Faculty members at every university should be worried that the federal government believes it has the right to decide who their leader should be."

Is DEI Truly Dead at UVa? The university’s board has ordered a sweeping walkback of ambitious diversity programs. But conservative critics say DEI lives on — and they’re pushing to oust President James E. Ryan.

This is an important quote from our story on how UVa and its president ended up in the crosshairs of the Justice Department:

"Neither Trump’s Office of Civil Rights, the Youngkin administration, nor the Board of Visitors has defined DEI — the thing that they want to get rid of."

Trump's far-reaching guidance (currently blocked) offered the interpretation that colleges can't use race "in decisions pertaining to admissions, hiring...financial aid...administrative support, discipline, housing, graduation ceremonies, and all other aspects of student, academic, and campus life."

Colleges have been wrestling for months with what to do about their diversity-related efforts amid federal and state pressures.

Part of why Trump's crusade against DEI has been so successful — i.e. led to preemptive compliance — is because his administration hasn't defined it.