Leadership and Governance

How course-sharing improved Adrian College’s bottom line

President Jeffrey Docking has helped cut the academic budget by 13% without a layoff, all while launching 38 new academic programs in five years.

Here are 5 higher ed predictions for 2026

As seismic change continues to rock higher education, here are a few threads college leaders should begin preparing for.

President moves: A surge of hires strike before the new year

At least six new presidents have been appointed in December, several of whom currently lead other institutions.

Introducing impact: How higher ed can win the value battle

Advancement teams are approaching donors with an extra emphasis on universities' ability to shape a state's success.

How lifetime pathways will build the university of the future

Fairleigh Dickinson University President Michael Avaltroni is building a statewide network that spans a learner's journey from K12 to higher ed to the workplace.

This merger will create the largest private university in Oregon

Pacific University and Willamette University, two of the oldest private institutions in Oregon, signaled plans to merge and become the University of the Northwest.

Latest updates on the fate of the Department of Education

The Department of Education is ordering staff whom it previously laid off from the Office for Civil Rights back to work to help manage a backlog of discrimination cases.

How two new rules are reshaping career education

New gainful employment and financial value transparency rules pull back the curtain on college programs that promised life-changing opportunities

Wrapping up Trump’s monumental first year back in office

University Business looks back on five of the most popular stories this year covering Trump's higher education agenda and the Department of Education's dissolution.

Workforce Pell: Here are 5 big challenges for implementation

Only five of the 60 workforce training programs offered at Central New Mexico Community College are currently eligible, the president said in this New America webinar.

These 10 institutions have found a new president

Iowa State University, Sonoma State University in California and a flurry of other colleges appointed new leaders in November.

3 presidents ride AI to a new era of success

The Blueprint is a bi-monthly column that analyzes strategic trends among presidents and chancellors across diverse sectors of higher education.

A snapshot of the enormous funding reduction for public universities this year

Recent economic headwinds and policy changes have led to proposed or enacted cuts to public university and college funding across at least 15 states this year.

Administration takes big steps in breaking up Education Department

More of the agency's responsibilities are being handed off to other departments, which will take control of workforce programs, college access and child care.

LSU restructures its leadership hierarchy as 3 proven presidents retire

LSU’s board has split its top leadership for the first time in over a decade, naming Wade Rousse as system president and James Dalton as flagship campus chancellor

Finding the right match: Fundamentals of a successful merger

In an era defined by mounting financial pressure, the question is no longer if a merger or acquisition might be necessary, but what makes a deal successful.

AI at HBCUs: High engagement and big potential

Historical barriers to funding and support aren't stopping HBCUs from finding key partners to drive innovation in the classroom and back-end operations.

AI drives one university into the ‘epicenter of the future’

Some colleges are slowly deploying generative AI into academics and operations. San Jose State University President Cynthia Teniente-Matson is championing a vision of “AI everywhere.”

Three ways leaders can build lasting university partnerships

Thanks to a new partnership with the School District of Philadelphia, the University of Pennsylvania is now moving "at the pace of K12 policy,” not “the pace of the Ivy League."

Here are 6 ways data analytics will change in higher ed

AI has spawned a web of technologies and practices that can improve strategic decision-making and streamline operations.

5 new presidents are taking the helm across higher ed

Eduardo M. Peñalver, now president of Seattle University and former dean of Cornell Law School, has been selected as the 49th president of Georgetown University.

University of Arizona is the latest to reject Trump’s compact

The deal offerings preferential treatment in exchange for capping tuition rates, restricting international enrollment and ending DEI programs, among other concessions.

Insider study reveals massive concern over college athletics

Four out of five presidents stated that college athletics are headed in a "negative direction" in the age of NIL and athlete revenue sharing, according to this NCAA survey.

President Birge’s best advice after his 10th year at the helm

"It takes four years just to learn the role and then another couple of years to figure out what to do with it," James Birge says, who will soon retire from the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.

How campus operations can pivot to face each new challenge

Strategic partnerships, increased investment in technology and operational consolidations lead the push for greater efficiency and innovation.

Trump targets 9 schools with new funding demands

The Department of Education implores these universities to return to standardized testing, limit international students and freeze tuition for five years.

Hoax threats disrupt more than a dozen colleges this week

A wave of bomb threats sent Tuesday morning to 11 schools is estimated to have affected over one million students and cost $60 million to campus operations.

President moves: Hiring slows, exits pick up through September

At least 10 leaders have announced their coming retirements or resigned in the past two weeks.

Creating a people-first culture at Southern New Hampshire University

President Lisa Marsh Ryerson vows to drive digital innovation at this online juggernaut with a relentless focus on students—and the staff that support them.

Budget cuts: What schools have announced them—and who may be next

Colleges are reducing tenured faculty and staff positions, eliminating academic programs, closing libraries and more.

Here’s how to tackle this root cause for tech burnout

Colleges racing to modernize back-end technology are leaving their staff without the guidance they need, according to recent reports.

A slew of presidents plan retirement, resign as fall semester enters full swing

Michael Schill resigned from Northwestern University last week, concluding a turbulent three-year tenure marred by political pressure and campus protests.

How these 3 new presidents are approaching their first fall semester

First-year students aren't the only fresh faces on campus. What do these leaders' strategic similarities tell us about higher ed this academic year?

These 3 interim leaders net permanent role

Also, the president of Howard University in D.C. has stepped down a little less than two years into his tenure.

Here’s how free college is jump-starting this CUNY president’s workforce vision

Bronx Community College President Larry Johnson Jr. is using data to expand workforce program innovation as 16,500 New Yorkers now rush to enroll in high-demand career fields.