A collage of elements that impacted college presidents in 2025.
Governance Executive Leadership

A Bad Year for College Presidents

In 2025, higher ed leaders struggled to navigate a flurry of federal policy changes and pressures from state lawmakers, which pushed some leaders out. Most stayed silent.

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A check in the shape of Kansas made out to the Kansas public college and University system with "canceled" stamped over the top of it.
Governance State Oversight
He Axed Tenured Faculty. He Could Now Help Republicans Cut Budgets Statewide
Faculty Issues
Amid Criticism From Lawmakers, U of Arkansas Rescinds Dean Offer

Several Republican state lawmakers pushed back against Emily Suski’s hire because she signed an amicus brief in support of transgender athletes.

Faculty Issues Curriculum
Report: State Lawmakers Enacted a Record 21 Censorship Bills in 2025

The legislatures in all 15 states that passed higher education censorship bills are Republican-controlled. Measures range from curricular control to curtailing faculty governance.

Student Success The College Experience
Capstone Course Helps Students Launch Ventures

The University of Dayton’s Flyer Nest course helps students develop scalable business ideas, secure funding and connect with mentors.

Students
5 Fall 2025 Enrollment Takeaways

U.S. college enrollment reached pre-pandemic levels this fall. But despite overall growth, some populations, such as adult learners and international graduate students, declined.

Quick Takes

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Opinion

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Opinion
Views
We Need a Revitalized Area Studies

At a time when the field is gaining new vitality abroad, area studies in the U.S. is struggling to survive.

By Ariel I. Ahram and Rudra Sil

Opinion
Views
Setting Plato Straight All Over Again

Efforts to censor Plato over his treatment of gender have a long history.

By Todd W. Reeser

Columns

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Opinion
Columns Just Visiting
Faculty Are Not Supposed to Be ‘Objective’

Alan Garber of Harvard should rethink his views on objectivity in the classroom.

By John Warner

Opinion
Columns Confessions of a Community College Dean
Plato and Morality Tales

Neglecting the classics can contribute to the project of historical erasure that allows people with agendas to write their desired futures into imaginary pasts as if they’re true.

By Matt Reed

Career Advice

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Opinion
Career Advice
Reflections of a Former Presidential Spouse

It’s a role without a road map.

By Michael Mills

Opinion
Career Advice Teaching
How AI Is Exploding Our Illusions of Rigor

Craig E. Nelson’s concept of “dysfunctional illusions of rigor” holds new currency in our AI age.

By Szymon Machajewski

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Resources

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Peer-to-Peer Advice

Campus offers resources for faculty and staff.

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Events & Webinars

Enjoy lively discussions about trending topics.

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Data & Analysis

Download reports, surveys and more.

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Gain next-level resources and insights.

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The Key Podcast

The Key Podcast

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Editors’ Picks

Student Voice: Amplified

Student Voice, Inside Higher Ed’s ongoing survey and reporting series, seeks to elevate the student voice in institutional student success efforts and in broader conversations about how higher education can better—and best—serve students. Questions touch on academic life; health and wellness (including financial health); the college experience outside the classroom; preparing for life after college; affordability and cost of attendance; trust and more. 

Our annual survey of 5,065 two- and four-year students is supplemented by smaller flash surveys on timely topics. Student Voice is an independent editorial project presented with The Generation Lab. The 2025-2026 survey cycle, Student Voice: Amplified, is supported by the Gates Foundation. 

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Student Success Life After College

The Experience Imperative

Students are confident they have what they need to succeed postcollege. But they want their institutions to stack the deck with internships and other experiential learning opportunities.

A student with a beard writes on a clipboard
Student Success The College Experience

The Other Engagement Problem

A third of students don’t participate outside of class. What can be done to boost campus involvement?

Two students talk to one another in a larger group setting
Student Success Health & Wellness
Student Mental Health Challenges Persist

Students’ mental health and overall well-being continue to lag, finds Inside Higher Ed’s Student Voice survey, even as campuses expand support services.

Two male students walk on a pathway through a quad on a college campus.
Student Success The College Experience
Who Feels Welcome on Campus?

Recent survey data from Inside Higher Ed and Generation Lab finds that most students believe their campus climate values and supports them.

A mason jar stuffed full of money with a "college" label on it.
Student Success Academic Life
The Costs Students Don’t See Coming—and Why They Matter

New Student Voice data offers insight into students’ financial vulnerability and their grasp of cost of attendance amid a broader push for cost transparency.

Students smile during college graduation.
Students Academics
Students on Academic Quality, Success

Undergraduates across institution types rate the quality of education they’re getting highly, and they share what could boost their academic success in our Student Voice: Amplified series.

A student using AI on a cellphone at a desk covered in study materials.
Students Academics
How AI Is Changing—Not ‘Killing’—College

Key findings from Inside Higher Ed’s student survey on generative AI show that using the evolving technology hasn’t diminished the value of college in their view, but it could affect their critical thinking skills.

Close-up of a teacher shaking hands with student at graduation.
Student Success The College Experience
Decoding Student Trust

In the first installment of our 2025–26 Student Voice survey series, most students express confidence in their institution—with clear room for improvement, especially when it comes to affordability.

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