10/17/25: Survey Says: Higher Ed Moving in ‘Wrong Direction’ (Inside Higher Ed) The share of Americans who believe higher education has lost its way is on the rise, according to a new survey the Pew Research Center published Wednesday. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2025/10/17/survey-says-higher-ed-moving-wrong-direction
10/17/25: Government shutdown showcases Mike Johnson’s increasingly bold style (The Washington Post) Johnson, nearly two years into his speakership, is taking a hard line in shutdown negotiations. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/10/17/mike-johnson-government-shutdown-2025-strategy-house-recess/
See also: ‘Budgetary Twister:’ Trump administration pushes limits to pay federal law enforcement amid shutdown (Federal News Network) https://federalnewsnetwork.com/government-shutdown/2025/10/budgetary-twister-trump-administration-pushes-limits-to-pay-federal-law-enforcement-amid-shutdown/
See also: How Russell Vought Became Trump’s Shadow President (Propublica) https://www.propublica.org/article/russ-vought-trump-shadow-president-omb
See also: Government Shutdown Leaves Scientists in Limbo (Scientific American) https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-the-government-shutdown-is-impacting-science-and-research/
10/16/25: Ex-OSTP director: Trump funding cuts are ‘assault’ on public research investment (FedScoop) Even if the cuts were reversed today, former OSTP Director Arati Prabhakar said the Trump administration’s “destruction” will have yearslong impact. https://fedscoop.com/ex-ostp-director-trump-funding-cuts-are-assault-on-public-research-investment/
10/16/25: Higher education fails at collective action (Science, Editorial, H. Holden Thorp) In the latest development in the ongoing combat between universities in the United States and the Trump administration, the Department of Education has presented them with what it calls a “compact.” … The provisions have little to do with how research is conducted, and many are so at odds with the principles of academic freedom and scientific merit that one might expect universities to reject them out of hand. But with one notable exception so far, that is not what is happening. By exploiting the divisions that exist in the US higher education system and its persistent inability to act collectively, the administration is pushing forward with its strategy of divide and conquer. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aed1247
10/16/25: What Happens When Trump Gets His Way With Science (The Atlantic) https://www.theatlantic.com/health/2025/10/harvard-school-public-health/684576/
10/16/25: Harvard faces $113 million deficit amid Trump administration pressure (Washington Post) The school also saw record-breaking donations this year as it refused to comply with Trump administration demands. https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2025/10/16/harvard-deficit-trump-cuts/
10/16/25: Penn, U of Southern California Reject Trump Compact (Inside Higher Ed) The universities follow the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Brown University in rejecting the Trump administration’s proposal that would require sweeping changes. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty-issues/academic-freedom/2025/10/16/penn-u-southern-california-reject-trump-compact
See also: The White House Sent Its Compact to 9 Universities. Here’s What Their Administrators and Faculty Are Saying. (The Chronicle) https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-white-house-sent-its-compact-to-9-universities-heres-what-their-administrators-and-faculty-are-saying
See also: Trump’s Troubling ‘Compact’ for Universities (New York Times, Opinion) Re “ Academia Is Broken. Trump’s ‘Compact’ for Universities Can Help Fix It , ” by Marc Rowan (Opinion guest essay, Oct. 16): We write in opposition to Mr. Rowan’s essay about President Trump’s “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education.” https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/16/opinion/trump-compact-universities.html
