The Chronicle of Higher Education
Leading with Insight a Letter from Michael Riley
 
 
 
 
 
 

As voters cast their ballots this Election Day, academic leaders are waiting to find out whether a Kamala Harris or Donald Trump administration will transform higher education’s future — and how.

I’m Rick Seltzer, a senior writer at The Chronicle, and I write the Daily Briefing newsletter — the morning news rundown that’s exclusively for Chronicle subscribers.

To help you prepare as the presidential race draws to a close, we’re sharing the Election Day Briefing that Chronicle subscribers received in their inboxes first thing this morning.

If you’re interested in following along with our election coverage as the results come into sharper focus, sign up for our two-week free trial of the Briefing today.

In the weeks and months to come, I'll keep you posted on what to expect over the next four years with insights from experts across higher ed and The Chronicle's newsroom.

Thanks for reading. I hope you’ll stay with us in the days ahead.

Sincerely,

Rick Seltzer

Rick Seltzer
Senior Writer
The Chronicle of Higher Education

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
To follow along as we continue unpacking what the election results mean for higher ed, sign up for our two-week free trial of the Daily Briefing. You’ll get all the news you need to know — straight to your inbox.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Daily Briefing Trial
 
 

Good morning, and welcome to Tuesday, November 5. Rick Seltzer wrote today’s Briefing. Julia Piper compiled Comings and Goings. Get in touch: dailybriefing@chronicle.com.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Congratulations, especially to readers in swing states! You made it through the gauntlet of political advertising to Election Day.

Yesterday's Daily Briefing explored likely scenarios colleges will face no matter who wins the presidency. Now, let's continue setting the stage by looking at the higher-ed issues Washington needs to address — regardless of who wins the White House and Congress.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The real legacy of the Biden administration's blocked attempts to forgive federal student-loan debt may be cracking up a system that's not working well for colleges, policymakers, or many students. Debt aversion threatens to depress enrollment, the government isn’t making the billions of dollars from its student-loan portfolio that were expected, and students find themselves tangled in a complex web of repayment plans and court orders.

At the bare minimum, a functional Congress would find a repayment-plan fix. Forward-looking lawmakers might want to ask how much lending versus grant making the federal government should do at a time when overall college enrollment is expected to wane, and when technology like artificial intelligence threatens to upend jobs. They'd also want to consider whether to funnel more money into short-term programs, four-year degrees, or graduate programs.
 
 
 
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The big question: After efforts to cancel student debt set off wrenching arguments between the parties about moral hazard, can Washington overcome hard feelings and hold good-faith negotiations?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The Obama administration hammered out rules to crack down on career-oriented programs that leave students with high debt and low-paying jobs to show for it. The Trump administration scrapped the rules, known under the "gainful employment" moniker, arguing students could make their own decisions if given data. Now the Biden administration is reincarnating gainful employment — and reviving long-running complaints that for-profit programs would be unfairly penalized.

That, in a nutshell, sums up a decade-plus that went pretty well if your goal was to avoid regulations aimed at preventing failing programs from accessing federal financial aid. Today, though, concerns about the value of college increasingly stalk higher ed. Is it time to allow the Education Department's gainful employment rules a chance to do what they promise? Or can Congressional leaders negotiate another way to shore up post-graduation outcomes?
 
 
 
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The bigger picture: Labor-market outcomes are at best a crude proxy for program quality, but they might be the right ones for a time when everyone seems to be talking about students' return on investment. Serious policymakers could also think about shoring up other aspects of quality assurance, such as the amount of effort classes demand of students, concerns about outsourced curricula, and the accreditation system that currently serves as a key gatekeeper for federal financial aid.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Big-time athletics currently threaten runaway spending, coaching burnout, and public disenchantment. Here's why: a combination of conference realignment, compensation for past athletes, and a patchwork of state laws on name, image, and likeness seems poised to turn the new pay-for-play era into a finger-pointing fiasco. Title IX has become a culture-war issue as conservative politicians campaign on barring trans athletes from women's sports. And college athletes keep trying to unionize.

The NCAA's long quest for a federal antitrust exemption seems Sisyphean at this point. Yet a major settlement might just be a roadmap for a deal that pays athletes for the value they create, adds transparency to the NIL market, and curtails some of the cost pressures on colleges. The question is whether it's the right model to get enough lawmakers on board.
 
 
 
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Why pick this of all things? Sports are a recruiting tool for colleges and one of higher ed's few visible touch points for people who never studied on a campus.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Here are a few other issues that came up in interviews and research, plus why The Daily Briefing didn't put them in the top three:
 
 
 
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Access and equity: Which students have a shot at getting into top colleges now that race-conscious admissions has been banned? Do historically Black colleges and universities deserve more public funding to make up for past underfunding? Are rural students served, as the few campuses closest to them are often hit by budget crunches and closures? This is an enormous topic with too many aspects to explore today.
 
 
 
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FAFSA: This year's disaster likely contributed to a freshmen enrollment decline and may have kept the most vulnerable students out of college, but it should be fixed before the next administration takes office.
 
 
 
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Free inquiry: Some on the right are convinced higher ed stifles conservative speech, while others on the left argue liberal causes will be harmed by new restrictions on campus expression. Regulations for speech and inquiry remain incredibly fraught, however.
 
 
 
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Higher ed's international role: American politics have shifted toward isolationism and protectionism, leaving colleges that were once eager to engage in international partnerships under pressure to scale back amid a swirl of security and espionage concerns. It's unclear if a full-scale reassessment of higher ed's global role, or a readjustment, is unfolding.
 
 
 
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Non-degree credentials: Years of talk of apprenticeships, stackable credentials, and certificate programs have crested with Vice President Kamala Harris endorsing the idea that a college degree shouldn't be necessary for success. Monday's briefing touched on this point, though.
 
 
 
 

Readers, what do you think? Email dailybriefing@chronicle.com with the one higher-ed issue you think Washington must address. Include your name and title, and we'll consider publishing your response in a future Daily Briefing.

For more election coverage from The Chronicle:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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U. of Florida steamrolled opposition to Western-civilization center: Ben Sasse, the University of Florida's former president, threatened to have the Hamilton Center absorb the institution's liberal-arts college in response to swirling allegations of faculty resistance to the Republican-backed center. A university investigation into whether six faculty members interfered with the center threatened disciplinary action, up to termination. The college's dean ultimately resigned and the investigation was disbanded. (The Chronicle)
 
 
 
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Harrisburg U. president out: Eric Darr resigned after 11 years leading the private institution, it said late last week. Darr helped form the university as a consultant and as its founding vice president for finance and administration. But it's fallen on hard financial times, and faced questions about being among colleges offering programs that appeal to students seeking "backdoor" work visas. (PennLive, Bloomberg)
 
 
 
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U. of Akron president primed for cuts: Robert J. (R.J.) Nemer has started trimming expenditures in his office and athletics. His administration is also discussing voluntary attrition and recommendations for staffing reductions to be presented to trustees this spring. Nemer inherited a $27-million deficit and falling enrollment when he was named president in May. (Signal Akron)
 
 
 
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Indiana U. plans repatriation: The flagship said it will repatriate 27 sacred objects to the Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma. (Indiana University)
 
 
 
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Tuberculosis outbreak: Two students tested positive for the infectious disease last week at Elmhurst University, in Illinois. They were isolated under medical supervision. Health officials were working to find and test those who may have come into contact with them. (Chicago Sun-Times)
 
 
 
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Grand Canyon U. to join Mountain West: Though Grand Canyon doesn't play football, it will become the ninth member of the Mountain West as the conference works to recover from being raided by the Pac-12. Grand Canyon is set to join by July of 2026. (Reno Gazette Journal)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Bárbara Brizuela has been named dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at Tufts University, after serving as interim dean since July.
 
 
 
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Tim Crowley, interim provost and vice president for academic affairs at the University of Central Missouri, has been named to the post permanently.
 
 
 
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Karen Buffkin, executive director of employee relations at the University of Connecticut, has been named general counsel for the Connecticut State College and Universities system.
 
 
 
 

To submit a new-hire announcement, email people@chronicle.com.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Higher ed has engaged in no shortage of musing about its role forging citizens and supporting a strong democracy. Let's dispense with any soaring language and keep it simple.

You need a college degree to understand most state ballot measures.

The good folks at Ballotpedia took the 159 questions that will appear on statewide ballots this year and evaluated their language structure. The results showed you'll need a 16th-grade education, also known as a bachelor's degree, on average. And that's down from a 19th-grade education in 2023. 

A request to issue bonds in Maine was the most complex in the country, notching a score that indicates you'd need to have studied to the 42nd grade level to understand the question. Voters without multiple postgraduate degrees might want to bring a coin to flip.

The easiest ballot question was in Florida, where the question of adding a right to hunt and fish to the state constitution scored -2, or two years below first grade. Those with postgraduate degrees should not, however, bring their preschoolers to fill out this part of the ballot.

The longest question, an Ohio measure to establish a redistricting commission not run by politicians, weighed in at a whopping 940 words. That's about as long as the first feature in today's Daily Briefing.

The Daily Briefing: All the news you need to start your day, in less time than it takes to vote.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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