Headlines around higher education this year tend to center on protests, free speech, and student safety. 

But other important changes are on the academic and admissions front, including some schools turning back to standardized testing after deciding they would no longer require it.

Last month, the University of North Carolina System became the latest public university system to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion offices and spending. It’s another victory for the national anti-DEI crusade that has become a defining higher education issue in state politics.

But unlike in states such as Texas and Florida, where policymakers mandated DEI cuts by law, the decision in North Carolina was made by the university system’s governing board. Will the outcomes differ?

Photo: Sophie Parks

Youssef Hasweh looked forward to collecting his diploma from the University of Chicago last week. Instead, he received an email informing him that his participation in a protest encampment on the campus quad would delay his degree conferment until the matter was resolved.

He's not alone. At pro-Palestinian demonstrations, students have broken codes of conduct and, sometimes, the law. But the question of whether and how to discipline them is vexing universities.