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Liberty U. Alumni Protest Falwell’s Continued Support of Trump

About 50 Liberty University alumni plan to return their diplomas to protest comments made by Jerry Falwell Jr., president of the university, supporting President Trump’s response to the deadly “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Va., The New York Times reports.

During a press conference last week, President Trump said that there were some “fine people” among neo-Nazis, white nationalists, and KKK members at the rally, and suggested that there could be an equivalency between these groups …

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Cincinnati State Suspends All Sports Except Soccer

Cincinnati State Technical and Community College will field only two varsity sports this year — men’s and women’s soccer — as the institution looks for financial efficiencies, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported.

“We aren’t dropping sports teams or eliminating athletics,” the college’s president, Monica Posey, said. “We’re going through a transition.”

Last year, Cincinnati State fielded teams in six varsity sports. The four that will be suspended for the 2017-18 season are men’s and women’s basketb…

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Family Settles Suit Against Clemson U. in Fraternity Pledge’s Death

The family of a Clemson University fraternity pledge who died three years ago has agreed to settle its lawsuit against the university, the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, and several of its members, the Independent Mail reported.

Tucker Hipps, a 19-year-old sophomore, was found dead in Lake Hartwell after going on a pledge run with about 30 members of the fraternity. His parents say they believe his death was a result of hazing.

Cindy and Gary Hipps settled their lawsuit — which sought $25 milli…

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After White-Supremacist Violence, UVa Will Review What Activities Are Allowable on Campus

In the aftermath of a gathering of white nationalists that at times turned violent, the University of Virginia is reviewing its rules about what can happen on its campus. The university will also hire a contractor to review its current safety infrastructure and more staff members and police officers “to ensure safety and security across Grounds as the semester begins.”

The news comes in a statement from Risa Goluboff, dean of the law school, who will serve as chair of a recently announced task f…

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White House Arts Panel Resigns Over Trump’s Charlottesville Statements

The members of the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities resigned en masse on Friday, citing President  Trump’s statements equating hate groups with counterprotesters after the violent clashes in Charlottesville, Va., according to the arts panel’s resignation letter.

“The false equivalencies you push cannot stand. The Administration’s refusal to quickly and unequivocally condemn the cancer of hatred only further emboldens those who wish America ill,” reads the letter. “Ignoring yo…

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Another Public University Says No to a White-Nationalist Event

Michigan State University on Thursday became the third public institution of higher education this week to decline to host an event at which the white nationalist Richard Spencer presumably would have spoken, and the president of a fourth institution, Louisiana State University, said Mr. Spencer would not be welcome there.

Like the other colleges that have said no to events involving Mr. Spencer or the National Policy Institute, the white-nationalist group he leads, Michigan State cited the incr…

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U. of Florida Denies White Supremacist Richard Spencer’s Request for Event Space

The University of Florida has denied the National Policy Institute’s request to rent event space for Richard Spencer, the white supremacist who leads the organization, to speak on campus, the university’s president said in a statement on Wednesday.

The university denied the request after the violent weekend on the University of Virginia’s campus highlighted potential safety risks for Florida’s campus, the statement said.  On social media, the city of Gainseville, Fla., was dubbed “the next battl…

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Troubled Charlotte School of Law Will Close Its Doors, Reports Say

Updated (9:25 p.m., 8/15/2017) with additional detail.

Charlotte School of Law, a troubled for-profit law school in North Carolina, will close its doors for good ahead of the fall semester, according to several reports.

Lee Robertson Jr., president of the institution’s alumni group, said in an e-mail sent on Tuesday morning to the group’s members that he had spoken to the interim dean, Paul Meggett, and that it seemed there was no path forward. Students, he added, would be informed on Tuesday.

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Here’s What Betsy DeVos Told the Associated Press About Higher Ed

Since being confirmed as Education Secretary in February, Betsy DeVos has not regularly spoken with the media. Last Wednesday, however, she sat down for a 30-minute conversation with the Associated Press to discuss a range of topics, including campus sexual assault and whether or not the department plans to take action on race-conscious admissions.

Here are the higher education takeaways from the interview:

Consumer Rules

The department announced in June that it would “pause” and re-regulate the…

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Are Small Colleges Doomed? Not So Fast

Most small and midsize private colleges appear to be financially secure, says a report from the Council of Independent Colleges.

“The Financial Resilience of Independent Colleges and Universities” looked at financial data from the years 2001 to 2014 at 559 private institutions. Researchers analyzed resource sufficiency, operating results, financial assets, and debt management.

The study found that 67 percent of the colleges are “at or above the … threshold of financial viability.” Financial indi…

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