Bob Shireman

No, Student Loans Did Not Finance Obamacare The New York Times got some things wrong a few weeks ago, and normally I would just leave it be, especially since it hardly matters in the context of the would-be king’s destruction of the republic.

What really happened when student loan reforms hitchhiked on the Affordable Care Act 15 years ago.

AAU History | Association of American Universities (AAU) Fourteen of the nation’s leading Ph.D.-granting institutions founded the Association of American Universities (AAU) in February 1900.

As a matter of fact, the AAU used to call itself an accreditor, before the federal government started relying on accreditors for GI Bill purposes. www.aau.edu/aau-history

UNC System ‘exploring’ creating its own accrediting agency, president says UNC System President Peter Hans did not say which states might join North Carolina in the effort, but promised he would offer additional details in the coming months.

Now is as good a time as any to start the rumor that the AAU, composed of the major research universities, is considering seeking federal recognition as a Title IV accreditor. After all, it already operates as an accreditor, determining membership based on standards it sets.

Primary, Secondary, Tertiary No, Obama didn’t say that everyone should go to college. But we do need a different word for education and training beyond high school.

For decades, policy makers have been trying, and failing, to get across the message that COLLEGE isn't just four year degrees, it offers many other vocational options. Do we need a different word?

"droping" btw is the correct speling.

Hmm. What's up with the added comma? That's not in the law. Are they making integrity an afterthought? Is this the first step toward droping integrity completely? This is very concerning.

Will a Next Recession Spur Growth of Predatory Colleges & Training Providers, Again? Fifteen years ago, when I was an Obama education official, I spoke to state regulators about their role in protecting consumers in higher education. Unfortunately, the speech is timely again.

Will a Next Recession Spur Growth of Predatory Colleges & Training Providers, Again?
open.substack.com/pub/bobshire...

Heterodox Academy Asks NIH to Rescind Order Tying Funding to DEI The new order threatens free speech and academic rights — and it’s unconstitutional.

Academic integrity demands opposing government intrusion into curriculum and hiring (whether or not you support DEI hiring statements) @alicedreger.bsky.social
@heterodoxacademy.bsky.social

Trump Signs Executive Order Targeting College Accreditors It was the latest move by President Trump in his effort to shift the ideological tilt of the higher education system as he battles elite universities.

“The federal government has long stayed away from any involvement in a college’s curriculum or hiring, and current law prohibits this kind of intrusion into academic affairs…the executive order steps far across this line.” –TCF’s @bobshireman.bsky.social in today’s NYT.

More recently, legal scholars have pointed out that the question of how far this policy could extend has not been developed in the courts over the past several decades because the IRS has been reticent to use the authority. Until now, if the rumor is true. ncpl.law.nyu.edu/wp-content/u...

The Bob Jones Decision: A Dangerous Precedent - Christianity Today You don’t have to be a racist to support BJU’s tax exemption

The Supreme Court upheld the IRS's revocation of BJU's tax exemption because racial discrimination is contrary to public policy. Some at the time said that the decision would come back to haunt us. 2/3 www.christianitytoday.com/1983/09/edit...

An IRS move against Harvard = not a surprise. In 1975, in the wake of frustrations over continuing segregation, civil rights groups pressed for the revocation of the tax-exempt status of Bob Jones University, which had excluded Black students and at the time prohibited interracial relationships. 1/3

"Yet even that undersells its value. Free inquiry is one of the cornerstones of American liberty, along with the freedom to criticise the president without fear of retribution."

MAGA’s remaking of universities could have dire consequences For higher education, innovation, prosperity and freedom

Universities should draw a clear line: "what they teach and research is for them to decide... This principle is one reason why America became the world’s most innovative economy over the past 70 years, and why Russia and China did not...
www.economist.com/leaders/2025...

Are College Accreditors the Next Assault on Academic Freedom? As a candidate, President Trump said college accreditation would be his “secret weapon” for implementing his agenda.

@bobshireman.bsky.social @tcfdotorg.bsky.social discusses how non-partisan accrediting agencies protect academic freedom, and the threat posed by Trump II. Check out Ac Freedom on the Line @biblioracle.bsky.social @aaup.bsky.social academicfreedomontheline.substack.com/p/are-colleg...

Opinion | How an Accreditation War Could Start Here’s what to expect from Linda McMahon in the next 90 days.

The biggest threat right now to America's international preeminence in higher education is not funding cuts, it is the loss of institutional independence. Here I explain what might happen, so that we all can work to prevent it. www.chronicle.com/article/how-...

Opinion | How an Accreditation War Could Start Here’s what to expect from Linda McMahon in the next 90 days.

How far will Trump go in threatening colleges? Here are the threats via accreditation www.chronicle.com/article/how-...

In a Key Student Debt Case, a Federal Court Is Making a Serious Factual Error For more than thirty years, college students have been assured that their student loan debts would not follow them forever. The federal government

For over 30 years, college students have been assured that their student loan debts would eventually be forgiven if they made regular income-based payments.

This promise is now at risk due to legal challenges to the SAVE plan, via @bobshireman.bsky.social—who helped write the original legislation.

But he doesn't even need to go that far. Most colleges and accreditors will cower and crumple out of fear, claiming they are being prudent by avoiding legal costs, etc.

Uncertain changes loom at MSCHE accreditation conference Trump has promised to overhaul higher ed. What that means for the sector was a focal point of discussion at the Middle States Commission on Higher Education meeting.

I don't get how some are downplaying what Trump can or might do, declaring that he "would need Congress" to end DEI or fire an accreditor. What makes them think that? Even if his authority is legally questionable, he owns the courts (and the military)
www.insidehighered.com/news/governa...

Yes, and scary similar how quickly and wholly the movement took over. Who would you say is today's equivalent of the Fighting Irish?

Comparison of current and proposed revision of standards, from the document at the link

The western college accreditor is proposing to "refine" its standards by eliminating the DEI words in several places, sometimes replacing them with "success for all students." I missed yesterday's discussion, I'm curious if the change is facing opposition or concern.
www.wscuc.org/post/wscuc-2...