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College leaders across the U.S. are confident about their institution's finances, worried about waning public confidence in higher education and the upcoming presidential election, and ambivalent about artificial intelligence, the latest Inside Higher Ed survey of College and University Presidents shows. Now in its 14th year, the survey has evolved in accordance with higher education trends. The 2024 edition marks the first time presidents were asked about artificial intelligence. Altogether, 380 presidents from 206 public and 174 private, nonprofit institutions participated. As is often the case, presidents generally viewed their own institutions more positively than higher education as a whole.

A bipartisan bill to expand the Pell Grant to short-term workforce training programs—those that run between eight and 14 weeks—could set a troubling precedent, representatives of colleges and universities warned this week. The House had been scheduled to consider the legislation today, but that vote was scrapped Wednesday evening, Politico reported.

While higher education has been long and widely regarded as a crucial investment in human capital development that can lead to better job prospects and higher earnings, concerns about the cost of college and changing labor market dynamics have sparked debates about the value of a college degree. The perceived “crisis of college affordability,” as it has been called, is a significant concern for students and families across the nation. The perceived rising cost of college tuition and related expenses over recent decades may discourage potential students from pursing higher education. This “crisis of affordability” is fueled by both the increasing tuition sticker prices and lack of knowledge about financial aid that obscure the true net cost of college.

A new report from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center has some good news for transfer students and their advocates. The annual “Transfer and Progress” report, released today, found transfers are on the rise, over all and markedly for historically disadvantaged groups, including low-income students, Black and Hispanic students, and rural students. The National Student Clearinghouse researchers analyzed the transfer patterns of 11.7 million undergraduates in fall 2023 at a fixed set of colleges and universities.

Free Speech Is Challenged
A growing number of colleges are overhauling their speech policies in response to controversial protests about the Israel-Hamas war.

Big Donors Turn Up the Pressure on Colleges They Support
Millionaires and billionaires have long held sway on the campuses they patronize. They influence the type of research colleges pursue when they endow chairs or their foundations award generous grants to fight diseases and spur technological advances. Campus buildings are named after them, and their children get a leg up in some admissions processes. Sometimes they join governing boards to wield even more influence. This dynamic is a reality in higher education.

The Future of Legacy Admissions Looks Shaky
In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last year to ban race-conscious admissions, the legal and political battles over who gets into college have brought intense scrutiny to the use of legacy preferences. And now those battles are playing out in multiple arenas, including statehouses and even Congress.