University of Wisconsin-Madison professors have joined their colleagues at Big Ten schools to formally say they’re frustrated by the Trump administration’s cuts to research funding and efforts to dictate policy on campus.

One bill looking to pull state funding from colleges that teach about diversity, equity and inclusion, and another that would reinforce bans on encampments on university grounds are coming up for final votes in the Legislature.

Despite the sector's ongoing challenges, here's a glass-half-full perspective on the exciting trends shaping higher education in 2025.