Robert Kelchen
@robertkelchen.com
Professor & department head, University of Tennessee, Knoxville. I study higher ed finance, accountability, and financial aid. Washington Monthly rankings data editor. Dad, gardener, and baker. Personal account.
https://robertkelchen.com/
https://robertkelchen.com/
This is quite a deep dive into the University of Austin saga. The drama-to-student ratio is pretty darn high.
They Wanted a University Without Cancel Culture. Then Dissenters Were Ousted.
Inside the civil war at the anti-woke university backed by Bari Weiss.
www.politico.com
January 16, 2026 at 3:18 PM
This is quite a deep dive into the University of Austin saga. The drama-to-student ratio is pretty darn high.
The best candidates to lead a public university in 2026 (or even be a dean) are close to retirement and have already done the job at a similar institution. Otherwise, people are taking massive career risks because the likelihood of firing is quite high.
2025 Was a Bad Year for College Presidents. Will 2026 Be Better?
In 2025, higher ed leaders struggled to navigate a flurry of federal policy changes and pressures from state lawmakers, which pushed some leaders out. Most stayed silent.
www.insidehighered.com
January 16, 2026 at 10:22 AM
The best candidates to lead a public university in 2026 (or even be a dean) are close to retirement and have already done the job at a similar institution. Otherwise, people are taking massive career risks because the likelihood of firing is quite high.
I'm quoted in this @chronicle.com piece on how an opportunistic Vanderbilt is seeking outposts across the country.
As Other Campuses Cut Back, Vanderbilt U. Looks to Expand
The university’s announcements of new outposts reflect a desire to chase prestige and enrollment without watering down its brand.
www.chronicle.com
January 15, 2026 at 11:48 PM
I'm quoted in this @chronicle.com piece on how an opportunistic Vanderbilt is seeking outposts across the country.
This is a fun piece on how universities are using 30-second commercials to market themselves during football games. Athletics and extension are the two best ways for public research universities to get positive attention.
The Game Is On — and Colleges Are Making Their Pitch
Bowl-game TV ads were once all about rah-rah recruitment. Now they’re fighting to convey higher ed’s value to a restive public.
www.chronicle.com
January 15, 2026 at 10:04 PM
This is a fun piece on how universities are using 30-second commercials to market themselves during football games. Athletics and extension are the two best ways for public research universities to get positive attention.
The Department of Education is trying to move more employees over to the Department of Labor.
U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of Labor Take Next Steps to Implement Postsecondary Education Partnership
Today, the U.S. Departments of Education (ED) and Labor (DOL) announced that they have taken additional steps to integrate the nation’s postsecondary education and workforce development programs.
www.ed.gov
January 15, 2026 at 9:06 PM
The Department of Education is trying to move more employees over to the Department of Labor.
Congressional talks to avoid a partial government shutdown are stuck because Republicans don't want Democratic language restricting the Department of Education from transferring functions to other agencies.
Education Department breakup a sticking point in spending talks
www.politico.com
January 15, 2026 at 7:27 PM
Congressional talks to avoid a partial government shutdown are stuck because Republicans don't want Democratic language restricting the Department of Education from transferring functions to other agencies.
Twenty people, including 15 college basketball players, face federal charges over a point-shaving scandal affecting at least 29 games.
Sports gambling issues are nothing new, but they're much worse when nearly anyone can wager by touching their phone.
Sports gambling issues are nothing new, but they're much worse when nearly anyone can wager by touching their phone.
20 charged in college hoops point-shaving plot
Twenty men, including many former college basketball players, have been charged in a point-shaving scheme that involved more than 29 games being fixed, according to a federal indictment.
www.espn.com
January 15, 2026 at 3:21 PM
Twenty people, including 15 college basketball players, face federal charges over a point-shaving scandal affecting at least 29 games.
Sports gambling issues are nothing new, but they're much worse when nearly anyone can wager by touching their phone.
Sports gambling issues are nothing new, but they're much worse when nearly anyone can wager by touching their phone.
American policymakers largely don't care about global rankings...and a NYT piece isn't going to sway them.
The NYT with a very long piece on the huge gains Chinese universities have been making in rankings, mostly at the expense of American ones.
Chinese Universities Surge in Global Rankings as U.S. Schools Slip
www.nytimes.com
January 15, 2026 at 1:05 PM
American policymakers largely don't care about global rankings...and a NYT piece isn't going to sway them.
Reposted by Robert Kelchen
1/2 The University if Michigan’s new president will make $2 million in base compensation that can raise to closer to $3 with bonuses. $3 million is high but it’s a small portion of UM’s budget and is not a meaningful cost driver. Nor does it meaningfully change UM’s ability to spend elsewhere. But..
U-M president's $2M salary outpaces most Big Ten schools. How they compare
Kent Syverud's $2 million base salary is significantly more than the $1.3 million ex-President Santa Ono was making.
www.lansingstatejournal.com
January 15, 2026 at 12:57 PM
1/2 The University if Michigan’s new president will make $2 million in base compensation that can raise to closer to $3 with bonuses. $3 million is high but it’s a small portion of UM’s budget and is not a meaningful cost driver. Nor does it meaningfully change UM’s ability to spend elsewhere. But..
Overall enrollment in higher ed is back to pre-pandemic levels, but international graduate students and private colleges were notable weak spots this fall.
Fall Enrollment Increased 1%, International Students Declined
U.S. college enrollment reached pre-pandemic levels this fall. But despite overall growth, some populations, such as adult learners and international graduate students, declined.
www.insidehighered.com
January 15, 2026 at 10:32 AM
Overall enrollment in higher ed is back to pre-pandemic levels, but international graduate students and private colleges were notable weak spots this fall.
This is a fascinating and incredibly detailed piece on the University of Florida's board chair, who lost the battle over Santa Ono's appointment last summer.
Inside a GOP Megadonor’s Inner-Party Feud Over a Red-State Flagship
Mori Hosseini is the most powerful person at the University of Florida. Can he prevent a MAGA takeover?
www.chronicle.com
January 14, 2026 at 10:46 PM
This is a fascinating and incredibly detailed piece on the University of Florida's board chair, who lost the battle over Santa Ono's appointment last summer.
Reposted by Robert Kelchen
🚨New RFP Alert!🚨
@Arnold_Ventures
Evidence & Evaluation team released just two new RFPs to support research evaluating the causal impacts of U.S. social programs and policies: bit.ly/4aXA43k
A short 🧵on what we're prioritizing and what's new this cycle (1/n)
@Arnold_Ventures
Evidence & Evaluation team released just two new RFPs to support research evaluating the causal impacts of U.S. social programs and policies: bit.ly/4aXA43k
A short 🧵on what we're prioritizing and what's new this cycle (1/n)
January 14, 2026 at 7:35 PM
🚨New RFP Alert!🚨
@Arnold_Ventures
Evidence & Evaluation team released just two new RFPs to support research evaluating the causal impacts of U.S. social programs and policies: bit.ly/4aXA43k
A short 🧵on what we're prioritizing and what's new this cycle (1/n)
@Arnold_Ventures
Evidence & Evaluation team released just two new RFPs to support research evaluating the causal impacts of U.S. social programs and policies: bit.ly/4aXA43k
A short 🧵on what we're prioritizing and what's new this cycle (1/n)
I'm a department head by title, but I get to perform chair duties on occasion. By that, I mean signing paperwork so we can buy an office chair.
January 14, 2026 at 5:58 PM
I'm a department head by title, but I get to perform chair duties on occasion. By that, I mean signing paperwork so we can buy an office chair.
The California College of the Arts is closing in 2027 and selling its physical campus to Vanderbilt, which will then have its third outpost beyond Tennessee. It's another example of college acquisitions being more about real estate than anything else.
Calif. College of Arts to Close, Sell Campus to Vanderbilt
California College of the Arts will close by the end of the 2026–27 academic year amid enrollment declines that have rendered its business model unsustainable, officials announced.
www.insidehighered.com
January 14, 2026 at 10:36 AM
The California College of the Arts is closing in 2027 and selling its physical campus to Vanderbilt, which will then have its third outpost beyond Tennessee. It's another example of college acquisitions being more about real estate than anything else.
Reposted by Robert Kelchen
🚨 Really cool data alert! 🚨
Today, LEHD released Quarterly Workforce Indicators at the NAICS5/6 levels, which means you can understand hiring, separation and employment levels at detailed industries.
Check out our story, live now on the Census website
www.census.gov/library/stor...
Today, LEHD released Quarterly Workforce Indicators at the NAICS5/6 levels, which means you can understand hiring, separation and employment levels at detailed industries.
Check out our story, live now on the Census website
www.census.gov/library/stor...
Industry-level Detail Provides New Insights on the Growing Space Economy
New data on employment and hiring for detailed national industries enable data users to explore the composition and dynamics of specialized workforces.
www.census.gov
January 13, 2026 at 4:51 PM
🚨 Really cool data alert! 🚨
Today, LEHD released Quarterly Workforce Indicators at the NAICS5/6 levels, which means you can understand hiring, separation and employment levels at detailed industries.
Check out our story, live now on the Census website
www.census.gov/library/stor...
Today, LEHD released Quarterly Workforce Indicators at the NAICS5/6 levels, which means you can understand hiring, separation and employment levels at detailed industries.
Check out our story, live now on the Census website
www.census.gov/library/stor...
The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights temporarily reverts to a majority of Democratic appointees after a Republican appointee's term expired.
Civil rights board slips into Dem hands amid ‘threats’ to oust chair
The board has a Democratic majority after GOP lawmakers failed to make an appointment.
www.politico.com
January 13, 2026 at 3:44 PM
The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights temporarily reverts to a majority of Democratic appointees after a Republican appointee's term expired.
Reposted by Robert Kelchen
Reposted by Robert Kelchen
RELEASE: Economic and workforce development, college affordability, top policy priorities for 2026. Find out which issues make the top 10 for higher education leaders in our latest report: https://ow.ly/C65C50XVP2R
January 13, 2026 at 2:02 PM
RELEASE: Economic and workforce development, college affordability, top policy priorities for 2026. Find out which issues make the top 10 for higher education leaders in our latest report: https://ow.ly/C65C50XVP2R
Reposted by Robert Kelchen
Grocery prices were up 0.7 percent in December, the largest one-month gain since October 2022. They were up 2.4 percent from a year ago.
January 13, 2026 at 1:38 PM
Grocery prices were up 0.7 percent in December, the largest one-month gain since October 2022. They were up 2.4 percent from a year ago.
I'm excited that @bakerdphd.bsky.social has a standing column in @insidehighered.com on how history influences higher education policy.
Censorship Arrives on Campus
In her debut column, “Echoes in the Quad,” higher education policy scholar Dominique J. Baker explores how the political oppression of the McCarthy era reverberates in the stifling of academic freedom...
www.insidehighered.com
January 13, 2026 at 12:46 PM
I'm excited that @bakerdphd.bsky.social has a standing column in @insidehighered.com on how history influences higher education policy.
I expect several blue states that don't already have their own student loan programs to add them, but the challenge is that borrowers will be paying on both them and (likely) federal loans at the same time. That's tricky for early-career people to manage.
Officials in Connecticut Propose New Graduate Student Loan
A state lawmaker who is spearheading the effort said the new loan is aimed at offsetting the impact of the elimination of Grad PLUS loans.
www.insidehighered.com
January 13, 2026 at 11:38 AM
I expect several blue states that don't already have their own student loan programs to add them, but the challenge is that borrowers will be paying on both them and (likely) federal loans at the same time. That's tricky for early-career people to manage.
I examined Hampshire College's financial statements after they missed their fall 2025 new student target by nearly half. Based on data through June 2024, their runway looks pretty short barring huge budget cuts or massive unrestricted gifts.
A College Missed Its Enrollment Goal by Nearly Half. What Happened?
The reasons were both internal and endemic.
www.chronicle.com
January 13, 2026 at 10:28 AM
I examined Hampshire College's financial statements after they missed their fall 2025 new student target by nearly half. Based on data through June 2024, their runway looks pretty short barring huge budget cuts or massive unrestricted gifts.
Reposted by Robert Kelchen
1/ some insider baseball regarding NACIQI, the advisory committee that considers whether accrediting agencies should be federally recognized.
In December, the committee elected conservative scholar Jay Greene as chair - thanks to some pressure from ED officials: www.chronicle.com/article/unde...
In December, the committee elected conservative scholar Jay Greene as chair - thanks to some pressure from ED officials: www.chronicle.com/article/unde...
Under Trump, Accreditation Oversight Committee Produces Some Smoke, but No Fire
The federal panel’s new chair, formerly of the Heritage Foundation, acknowledged the “awkwardness” in the room and said he aimed to be “evenhanded.”
www.chronicle.com
January 12, 2026 at 3:14 PM
1/ some insider baseball regarding NACIQI, the advisory committee that considers whether accrediting agencies should be federally recognized.
In December, the committee elected conservative scholar Jay Greene as chair - thanks to some pressure from ED officials: www.chronicle.com/article/unde...
In December, the committee elected conservative scholar Jay Greene as chair - thanks to some pressure from ED officials: www.chronicle.com/article/unde...
Here's a good piece to read on a Monday morning (gift link) about ideal wakeup times. I'm hardwired to rise and shine around 5 no matter what (including weekends), but I have always been a bit of an odd duck--or rooster.
What Time Should You Wake Up? Probably Not 5 a.m.
Sleep experts warn against rising too early if you’re not naturally a morning person, and provide other tips for a better night’s sleep.
www.wsj.com
January 12, 2026 at 10:39 AM
Here's a good piece to read on a Monday morning (gift link) about ideal wakeup times. I'm hardwired to rise and shine around 5 no matter what (including weekends), but I have always been a bit of an odd duck--or rooster.
Given my interest in ed policy and status as a Packers shareholder, I'm watching to see what team president Ed Policy does after the team's most embarrassing performance since a similar debacle in Seattle eleven years ago.
What's next for Matt LaFleur, Brian Gutekunst after the Packers' wild-card loss?
Green Bay's head coach and GM have one year left on their contracts.
www.espn.com
January 11, 2026 at 3:53 PM
Given my interest in ed policy and status as a Packers shareholder, I'm watching to see what team president Ed Policy does after the team's most embarrassing performance since a similar debacle in Seattle eleven years ago.