Biden administration proposes free community college and expansion of Pell Grants

May 3, 2021

INSIDE HIGHER ED — President Biden wants $109 billion for two-year colleges, $80 billion addition for Pell Grants, $62 billion for retention and completion efforts, and $39 billion for two free years at minority-serving institutions for most students.

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Higher education leaders support Biden administration’s American Families Plan

May 3, 2021

INSIDE HIGHER ED — Reactions in higher education to President Biden’s proposal for tuition-free community college, increased Pell Grants and tuition aid for students at minority-serving institutions have been largely positive, but the plan won’t be easy to get through Congress.

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College student activists call for changes in response to anti-Asian hate

April 30, 2021

INSIDE HIGHER ED — Asian and Asian American student activists across the country want to bring about changes to curricula and campus life.

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University of Miami Law hosts free online summer legal academy for high school students

April 30, 2021

UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI SCHOOL OF LAW — The University of Miami School of Law offers two separate online summer legal academies to rising high school juniors and seniors and to undergraduate college students at no cost. Miami Law hopes the July 5 to July 23 program will provide students in both groups the opportunity to broaden their understanding of both

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California university systems mandate COVID-19 vaccination for on-campus students and staff this fall

April 29, 2021

NPR — The California State University and University of California systems announced on Thursday that all 33 campuses will require students and staff returning for in-person instruction this fall to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The new directive will go into effect once the Food and Drug Administration gives “full approval” to a vaccine.

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Former Temple University business school dean faces federal charges for falsifying US News rankings data

April 29, 2021

INSIDE HIGHER ED — What began in January 2018 as a small scandal involving false data submitted to U.S. News & World Report for rankings escalated Friday: the former dean of Temple University’s business school “conspired and schemed to deceive the school’s applicants, students, and donors…,” according to the Justice Department.

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Colleges offer incentives for students to get COVID-19 vaccinations

April 29, 2021

INSIDE HIGHER ED — Colleges are giving out a wide range of freebies – gift cards, T-shirts, free courses or hard cash – for students who can show proof of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. Decisions about whether to incentivize the vaccine are fraught with ethical questions for scholars and campus leaders.

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Survey: Many college students are reluctant to seek mental health support during the pandemic

April 29, 2021

INSIDE HIGHER ED — For many students, spending the year with COVID has felt like being on a sinking ship, desperately searching for a lifeboat and perhaps choosing one that falters when lowered. Campus counseling centers and their staffs are continuing to comfort others even as their own lives are at stake.

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Zoom criticized for canceling controversial virtual events organized by college groups

April 29, 2021

INSIDE HIGHER ED — Videoconferencing platform Zoom published a new policy giving higher education institutions greater control over their online events and the speakers to whom they chose to give platforms. For academics and groups supporting free speech and academic freedom, the changes are a welcome step in the right direction.

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A look at the US Senate confirmation hearing for James Kvaal as Secretary of Education

April 29, 2021

INSIDE HIGHER ED — President Biden’s nominee for under secretary of education, James Kvaal, appears likely to be headed to the full Senate for a vote on his confirmation after a relatively drama-free committee hearing on his nomination. Kvaal appeared before the Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Thursday.

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