Open Campus

The Trump administration is putting unprecedented pressure on America's universities. We want to help local newsrooms explain what's at stake for colleges in their communities. That's why we're launching Higher Ed Under Pressure. Read more: www.opencampus.org/higher-ed-un...

New: Most North Carolina community college student IDs aren't approved for voting in the upcoming midterms. Just 24 of 58 schools had their IDs approved. @jacobbiba.bsky.social asked why more didn't seek approval: www.opencampus.org/2026/10/14/m...

NC's student ID provision is considered to be the country's most "cumbersome," requiring schools to reapply every 2 years. We found that 5 schools approved for the 23/24 elections didn't reapply for 25/26 elections, either by choice or b/c they missed the deadline www.opencampus.org/2026/10/14/m...

for @nclocal.bsky.social and @opencampus.org I wrote about how most student IDs from North Carolina community colleges aren't approved for voting in this year's election. Just 24 or 58 schools had their IDs approved, which is 4 fewer than in 2024. nclocal.org/2026/10/14/n...

Workforce Pell promised to make short-term training more affordable for Arizona students. Schools identified 60+ programs that might qualify this year. But just 3 are advancing for federal approval. @molboha.bsky.social at our partner @azcir.org reports on what got in the way: tinyurl.com/yc6x8m28

N.C. tied community college funding to workforce training, providing more money for programs that lead to high-wage, high-demand jobs in healthcare, technology and the trades. Here’s how the state hopes it will help students & employers, via @nclocal.bsky.social: www.opencampus.org/2026/09/14/n...

Financial aid fraud is a growing problem largely targeting public two-year colleges. Minnesota is set to pilot new tech to verify student identities. Will it work? Cleo Krejci reports for @minnpost.com & Open Campus. #ghoststudents #fraud www.opencampus.org/2026/09/09/m...

Tens of thousands of Minnesota college students expect to see their state financial aid reduced this fall because of a $131 million budget hole lawmakers neglected to fill. MinnPost/Open Campus reporter Cleo Krejci digs into problems funding the Minnesota State Grant Program: tinyurl.com/hdh24s3x

Education Secretary Linda McMahon says the new Workforce Pell Grant program “is revitalizing the American Dream.” Yet community colleges are scrambling to determine which programs will even qualify. @nclocal.bsky.social reports on challenges in North Carolina: tinyurl.com/36ajhzhn

UT-Austin hasn’t said whether it will sign an agreement with the Trump administration that would tie preferential access to federal funding to a series of campus policy changes. Most other invited universities have rejected the administration’s offer.

Students and faculty members at the University of Pittsburgh continue to call for financial transparency and divestment from Israel. Campus expression has felt the strain, and professors debate the school’s response. www.opencampus.org/2025/11/17/h...

Stay calm & respectful, but know your rights. Carry your student ID card at all times. Avoid unnecessary risks. These are some of the tips UIC officials sent students to prepare for Trump’s deployment of federal agents to the #Chicago area. @wbez.org @opencampus.org www.wbez.org/education/20...

“‘The fact that around 2,000 individuals are on waitlists — almost the same number as are actually enrolled — suggests that we need to greatly scale up [higher education in prison] in Illinois,’ Ginsburg said.” @charlottewest.bsky.social for @opencampus.org & @wbez.org www.wbez.org/public-safet...

If you missed the opening story in "Gagging Academia" then you may not know that Pittsburgh has a 95-year history as a scene of back-and-forth on campus expression. Explore six flashpoints: www.publicsource.org/historic-pit...

Scholars are scared. Who can blame them? If you choose to share your thoughts on Academic Freedom in 2025 for our recently launched series "Gagging Academia," we at @publicsource.org will work with you in whatever way you feel comfortable. Here's where to start: www.publicsource.org/academic-fre...

Thanks to @opencampus.org for its support of this series and of @publicsource.org's higher ed coverage generally!

The U.S. Ed Dept announced earlier this month that it’s ending grant programs that help fund minority-serving colleges, including more than 600 Hispanic-serving institutions. Wisconsin colleges say they’ll keep up the work with or without the additional money. www.opencampus.org/2025/09/16/w...

#Illinois is the fourth state to be targeted by the Trump administration over long-standing state laws providing reduced #college tuition to #immigrant students who reside in their states but lack legal status. @wbez.org @opencampus.org www.wbez.org/immigration/...

I talked with @opencampus.org about what I called higher ed's "hunker-down mindset" as the number of available jobs shrinks and housing prices and interest rates both remain high. It's really hard to get good people to move right now...and really hard to move up the staff ladder without that.

Big changes are coming to student loan repayment. The Trump admin is rolling back relief measures, collections have resumed, and the # of repayment plans is being cut. Borrowers have fewer options and more risk of falling behind. Here's what you need to know. www.opencampus.org/2025/07/25/b...

As the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown continues, national estimates project 30% to 40% fewer new students from around the globe will be on U.S. campuses this fall. What this means for Ohio and the country. From Amy Morona for Signal Cleveland www.opencampus.org/2025/08/14/w...

In July, the Ed Dept said that adult students without legal status must be banned from federally funded career technical education classes, ESL programs and HS equivalency courses. Many school leaders say the new policy could lead to enrollment declines. www.opencampus.org/2025/07/28/w...

Federal funding cuts are hitting schools that serve students of color hard. Trump's budget includes a 14.4% cut to Title III funding that supports Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, and Minority-Serving Institutions. www.opencampus.org/2025/07/17/w...

For @opencampus.org, Kun Lyna "K" Tauch writes about an employment program that was supporting him post incarceration, until funding was cut by President Trump. www.opencampus.org/2025/07/21/f...

After Carnegie Mellon paused customary student control over The Fence, members of the campus community wheeled in a new one to highlight the importance of free expression in the wake of a contentious summit. CMU leaders then reopened the iconic message board. www.opencampus.org/2025/07/21/i...

📣 Big news for North Carolina! Three newsrooms — WUNC, @opencampus.org, and @nclocal.bsky.social — are joining forces to strengthen higher education reporting across the state. Here's more about the collaboration and how to share your thoughts on what should be covered: www.wunc.org/education/20...

Writer and artist Alvin Smith shares words and art with @opencampus.org, in a profile of the joint bachelor’s program that Hope College and Western Theological Seminary offered at his Michigan prison. www.opencampus.org/2025/07/07/s...

Three business students at Texas Christian University saw an opportunity to help student-athletes following a recent $2.8 billion NCAA settlement. www.opencampus.org/2025/07/14/t...

Community coffee chats. Bilingual explainers. Shared reporters. AJP-supported organizations like @spotlightdelaware.bsky.social and @opencampus.org are rethinking what beat reporting can look like. Read more via INN ⬇️

Pell Grants remained largely unscathed in the final version of the "Big Beautiful Bill" that President Trump signed earlier this month. The biggest change is the intro of short-term workforce Pell and the elimination of eligibility for students with full rides. www.opencampus.org/2025/07/04/p...

INN newsrooms like @opencampus.org and @spotlightdelaware.bsky.social are rewriting the rules of beat reporting, writes INN's Alana Rocha. The key? Collaboration. news.inn.org/how-nonprofi...

In May, Pres. Donald Trump recommended eliminating federal funding for a program that helps low-income adults age 55+ learn new skills and build careers. If Congress doesn’t act by Oct 1, seniors in the program may be left with little assistance in reentering the labor market. tinyurl.com/y578fucz

Starting last week, California’s top universities can pay their athletes directly. A CalMatters estimate suggests some student-athletes at UC Berkeley could make roughly $200K a year. At public universities, schools could use taxpayer $ to make these payments. www.opencampus.org/2025/07/01/c...

Meet the "Womb Service," a group of DePaul University students who supply birth control to classmates. The Catholic school has long banned the distribution of contraceptives on campus. Womb Service volunteers say the policy is dangerous. @wbez.org @opencampus.org www.wbez.org/health-medic...

President Donald Trump’s administration is reshaping higher ed, healthcare, immigration, and more. We’ll dig into the effects of those changes on public institutions, in partnership with @cvilletomorrow.bsky.social www.opencampus.org/2025/07/01/c...

870,000 high school and college students and older adults from low-income backgrounds, students with disabilities, and first-generation students benefit from TRIO. Trump’s proposed budget for FY-2026 would strip all funding from the 6-decade old program. www.opencampus.org/2025/06/26/c...

This story, written by me and produced by @prisoncast.bsky.social, tell a story of bureaucratic barriers, arbitrary rules, and one man’s refusal to give up on earning his education. Done in partnership with @wbez.org www.wbez.org/criminal-jus...

Universities across the country are bracing for the impacts of billions of dollars in federal funding cuts. One group is set to be particularly hard hit – young scholars just beginning a career in research. From @batkinson2501.bsky.social for our partner @wunc.org www.opencampus.org/2025/06/25/i...

A type of student loan called income share agreements could become more popular as President Donald Trump’s administration claws back federal loans and grants. But income share agreements come with their own issues.

Texas Republican lawmakers continued pressuring public universities away from progressive policies by shifting governance power from faculty to governor-appointed regents, while creating DEI compliance offices and limiting students' free speech on campus. www.opencampus.org/2025/06/19/o...

CA is failing to create conditions that entice teachers to enter, or stay in, the field, further complicated by the cost of living. To attract more prospective teachers - particularly those from historically excluded groups - experts say it’s essential to consider the cost. tinyurl.com/e8cs8mwb

Federal measures have stalled the limited progress in diversity policies at Puerto Rico’s public university by halting a census of Afro-descendants and eliminating inclusive bathrooms under the threat of funding cuts. www.opencampus.org/2025/06/12/t...

At @inn.org last week, our managing editor Colleen Murphy talked about how we track the impact of our reporting. “How is your reporting increasing empathy and building social cohesion in your communities?” she asked. From @speppered.bsky.social for @niemanlab.org www.niemanlab.org/2025/06/beyo...

Ohio State University removed a website offering support for LGBTQ+ students as leaders respond to an anti-DEI law set to take effect in late June. It’s unclear what, if any, programming or support remains for LGBTQ+ students at the state’s flagship university. www.opencampus.org/2025/06/03/o...

San Francisco State recently hosted a reentry simulation to educate the campus and community about the challenges that people face after prison. My latest for @opencampus.org www.opencampus.org/2025/06/09/h...

Here's why local higher education coverage matters. Our managing editor Colleen Murphy talked to @trustingnews.bsky.social about why we do the work that we do and how journalists can better explain their coverage to their communities. trustingnews.org/journalists-...

Undocumented students in Texas are no longer eligible for in-state tuition after Texas agreed last with the federal government’s demand to stop the practice. From our local partner @texastribune.org www.opencampus.org/2025/06/04/t...

The Trump administration’s latest vow to “aggressively revoke” Chinese student visas could affect as many 50,000 students in California, a population larger than Palm Springs. By Adam Echelman for @calmatters.org www.opencampus.org/2025/05/29/h...

Indiana University Indianapolis recently removed two prominent signs that read “Black Lives Matter” and “Discrimination has no place here” from its campus in what appears to be compliance with federal and state anti-DEI policies. By @clairerafford.bsky.social www.opencampus.org/2025/05/28/i...

While Donald Trump has signed executive orders supporting HBCUs to “promote excellence and innovation,” the cuts to federal agencies and programs have had a chilling effect at these schools. Candice Wilder reports for our local partner @mississippitoday.org www.opencampus.org/2025/05/22/h...

Want an artistic masterpiece for your dorm? That'll be $5. Oberlin College students can rent priceless artwork for the semester. Amy Morona has the scoop for Signal Cleveland. www.opencampus.org/2025/05/13/g...