Student optimism toward higher education shines through the latest retention report from The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. The rate of fall of 2022 freshmen returning for another year represents a decade high, according to the organization’s latest report on persistence and retention. Read more

Almost 15 years after federal law put free water on school menus, states still struggle with how to guarantee access Read more

Wichita State University is closing its women’s studies department, one of the oldest in the country, due to continuously low student interest. Read more

In a special illustrated feature, Ben Platts-Mills explains why Albert Einstein and other eminent physicists refused to believe black holes could be real. Were they too strange and sublime to imagine? Read more

Many small private colleges are surviving quarter to quarter, narrowly avoiding sweeping budget cuts. The bungled FAFSA rollout pushed some over the edge. Read more

Lindenwood University recently announced it’s letting go of 12 staff members and two faculty members and may decide not fill up to 50 positions in order to help cut its operating budget by 10%, St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. While enrollment began to fall at the Missouri-based private university last fall, this year’s FAFSA complications have compounded the issue, forcing Lindenwood to make its second round of layoffs in a single year. Read more

Introduction of new syllabus may be reason number of girls taking subject more than halved in eight years, academics say Read more

As universities nationwide scale back diversity, equity and inclusion policies, Arizona’s flagship public institution is preparing to implement a new mandate for students — two courses with a DEI emphasis as a graduation requirement. Read more

Amazon received critical headlines this year when reports questioned the “Just Walk Out” technology installed at many of its physical grocery stores. Read more

As the president and former president face off in their first debate, we asked some of the sharpest minds in academe: What would you ask if CNN handed you the microphone? We got an earful. Read more