It’s been a whirlwind yr for larger ed—and for Inside Increased Ed. Sure, we rigorously lined President Donald Trump’s unprecedented assaults on larger schooling, and our readers appeared to understand our efforts; in accordance with my (unscientific) evaluation of our readership statistics, about 70 p.c of our most-read articles this yr have been in regards to the Trump administration.
However we’ve additionally discovered time, by some means, to maintain up with our bread-and-butter larger schooling tales: how know-how is altering faculty campuses, establishments’ monetary struggles, educational freedom and free speech points, scholar success, faculty prices and the worth of a level, the continued rise of profession and technical applications, and even a couple of intriguing scandals.
To look again on the work we’ve accomplished over this tumultuous yr, we requested the members of our editorial staff to share one in every of their favourite tales revealed this yr. These are tales that will have flown underneath the radar, spotlight a reporter’s distinctive strengths, or push the boundaries of what the next ed information story may be. However most significantly, they’re tales that helped our readers make sense of the altering larger ed panorama throughout a yr that was in contrast to every other.
Our Favourite Tales of 2025
Emma Whitford, college reporter: “Inside a Community of Pretend School Web sites” by Josh Moody and Kathryn Palmer
Josh and Kathryn’s investigation right into a community of faux faculty web sites constructed utilizing generative AI, to me, represents the actual strengths of the small however mighty IHE newsroom. Whereas a few the fake establishments had been flagged by officers, it was Josh’s curiosity and shut consideration to his beat that prompted his digging, which uncovered dozens extra pretend faculties and the pretend accreditors that endorsed them. The double-byline teamwork made the depth of reporting on this story attainable whereas the newsroom concurrently continued to churn out the information of the day.
Susan Greenberg, managing editor: “The Handwriting Revolution” by Johanna Alonso
On this story, Johanna checked out how one in every of most feared, criticized and infrequently, celebrated developments to upend larger schooling lately—generative AI—is altering how college train and assess college students. She spoke to a lot of professors who’re requiring handwritten assignments to make sure that college students don’t use ChatGPT or different AI instruments to cheat their manner via class. The story is full of life, well timed and illuminating; it contains the voices of an array of school members and consultants who share nuanced views in regards to the professionals and cons of reverting to conventional handwritten assessments to judge college students within the age of AI.
Ashley Mowreader, scholar success reporter: “Charlie Kirk: Hero of ‘Civil Discourse’ or Fount of Division?” by Ryan Quinn
One among Ryan’s many abilities as a reporter is with the ability to take a scorching matter in information protection and deeply report on it so as to add layers of context, perception and inquiry that would in any other case be missed or misunderstood. This piece is exemplary of such a reporting, peeling previous the horror of Charlie Kirk’s homicide to research what it means to be a determine of civil discourse.
Ryan Quinn, coverage reporter: “Spending Soars, Rankings Fall at New School of Florida” by Josh Moody
This story reduce via the well-worn conservative/liberal debates about what ought to be taught in larger ed and confirmed a reality that has been elevating eyebrows throughout the political spectrum: New School of Florida was spending “greater than 10 occasions per scholar what the opposite 11 members of the State College System spend, on common” and politicians have been seemingly discussing closing it behind the scenes. The article additionally had nice quotes, together with a school member calling NCF’s strategy to recruitment “sort of like a Ponzi scheme” and a former administrator saying “academically, Richard [Corcoran] is operating a Motel 6 on a Ritz-Carlton finances.”
Sara Custer, editor-in-chief: “The ‘Dying Spiral’ of Deferred Upkeep” by Colleen Flaherty
The editors at Inside Increased Ed have a operating joke that deferred upkeep is my favourite matter as a result of I get excited when the difficulty of crumbling brick facades or damaged elevators comes up. I’m not a services nerd. I simply agree with what F. King Alexander advised Colleen Flaherty about deferred upkeep for this piece: “It is a big subject that presidents should cope with that no one’s speaking about.” The sector has rightly spent 2025 following the Trump administration, faculty closures and management controversies, however Colleen’s story is my favourite as a result of it provides nuance to the conversations about larger ed’s monetary well being and is a reminder that too many faculties are one leaky roof away from closure. It’s additionally acquired a killer headline.
Josh Moody, enterprise, finance and management reporter: “Worldwide Pupil Visas Revoked” by Ashley Mowreader
Because the Trump Administration started revoking scholar visas, the indefatigable Ashley Mowreader labored to establish which establishments and what number of college students have been affected, leading to a widely-read map that was cited in authorized filings and by quite a few different publications. Inside Increased Ed tracked 1,800-plus college students who misplaced their F-1 or J-1 standing because the Trump administration cracked down on immigration. Our reporting helped contextualize the federal authorities’s broadside in opposition to worldwide college students and the numerous subsequent lawsuits by way of reporting that knowledgeable and illuminated and resulted in one in every of our (deservedly) most-read items of 2025.
Sara Weissman, nontraditional college students and minority-serving establishments reporter: “Grief Fuels Development of Turning Level’s Campus Footprint” by Kathryn Palmer
Charlie Kirk’s killing known as for a deep, nuanced take a look at the motion he created, and that’s precisely what Kathryn delivered on this story. The characteristic was fantastically written and richly detailed. It took Turning Level USA college students’ grief significantly whereas additionally drawing on a variety of scholarly views so as to add steadiness and supply context in regards to the motion’s current and future. The story additionally provided beneficial framing for our ongoing protection in regards to the methods the aftermath of Kirk’s taking pictures roiled campuses within the months that adopted.
Katherine Knott, information editor: “How Trump Makes use of the DOJ as Instrument of ‘Concern-Mongering’” by Jessica Blake
This piece from Jessica helped to light up how one other federal company was making use of stress to schools and universities and what’s at stake for larger ed extra broadly. Her reporting got here after the Division of Justice performed a job within the resignation of Jim Ryan, who was president of the College of Virginia and confronted questions from federal investigators about how he dealt with range, fairness and inclusion efforts on campus. The well timed story took readers past the information of the day and behind the scenes into the techniques of the second Trump administration.
Kathryn Palmer, analysis, know-how and innovation reporter: “Preserving the Previous of HBCUs” by Sara Weissman
Sara’s story on the trouble to protect the historical past of HBCUs was well timed, well-reported and fantastically written. It featured so many voices and offered HBCUs as establishments that illuminate the complexities of America’s historical past at a time when the federal authorities is shifting to sanitize it. Her story confirmed how HBCUs are integral to telling the story of Black America and why it’s an vital story to protect. The historic images put it excessive.
Johanna Alonso, admissions and enrollment reporter: “Texas Ban on Transgender Course Content material Sows Chaos” by Emma Whitford
Nobody within the historical past of hitting the bottom operating has ever hit the bottom operating fairly like Emma Whitford did when she got here on as Inside Increased Ed’s college reporter this previous September. Since then, Emma, who had beforehand labored at IHE from 2019 to 2022, has lined close to day by day clashes between college and directors with persistence, precision and readability. This story about verbal insurance policies banning professors from educating about gender id in Texas completely encapsulates her unimaginable capacity to root out the reality of complicated controversies. From there, she continued to comply with this story for weeks as extra data got here out in regards to the nature of the ban and as college questioned the legitimacy of the verbal coverage. The saga additionally demonstrates conservative leaders’ continued efforts to erode educational freedom, which has been a major theme for the previous a number of years and can certainly proceed into 2026.
Reporter
Jessica Blake, federal coverage reporter: “Florida Universities Signal Agreements With ICE” by Josh Moody
This was an important scoop that Josh gathered by going again to the fundamentals of journalism and making a public data request. And as somebody who accomplished a bachelor’s diploma whereas working part-time for Investigative Reporters and Editors, I am a sucker for any story rooted in FOIA. He took an occasion that was making headlines all through Florida and throughout the nation and superior the story, giving readers a behind-the-scenes take a look at which universities have been placing agreements with the Trump administration and the way.
Colleen Flaherty, senior editor for particular content material: The First 100 Days e-newsletter, Day 88 by Katherine Knott
We have been presupposed to keep away from federal coverage items as a result of onslaught of these this yr. However assuming that tips are extra like options, I’ve to go together with this version of After the First 100 Days, our weekly federal coverage information roundup, by singular information editor Katherine Knott. Again in April, when the e-newsletter was nonetheless known as the First 100 Days, the White Home was concentrating on larger ed with such pace and power that it was unnervingly unclear how far issues would go. Then got here Day 88—or, as Katherine wrote—what “might be remembered because the week that Harvard stated no and better ed began to struggle again.” It was a vital second for larger ed in 2025, and Katherine’s weekly analyses have in any other case turn into essential studying for me. After the 100 Days is an IHE membership perk however I promise this isn’t a gross sales ploy, therefore the present hyperlink!
