The U.S. Supreme Court ended federally protected abortion rights enshrined in Roe v. Wade with its 6-to-3 ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization last month. But for colleges, the end of such rights marks the beginning of an era of legal uncertainty.

At last week’s National Association of College and University Business Officers conference, lawyers and policy experts explored some of those questions. Answers, however, were scarce. 

Illustration: Tyler Comrie

There are many in higher education who believe that gender inequality in education is a problem only when it is women and girls who are left behind.

But given the vital importance of education in the labor market, such inequality matters even when it is men and boys who are trailing. All gender inequalities lead to wasted human potential, writes Richard Reeves of Brookings Institution in this essay. 

Most business officers are upbeat about their colleges’ financial future. Are they right to be so optimistic?

This episode of The Key examines whether financial and other leaders in higher education think their institutions need to make meaningful changes in how they operate to be financially sustainable and stable down the road—and whether their fairly rosy view might make them less inclined to see the need for significant changes on their campuses.