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Education 2025: SCHMIDT, JAMES C.
Hired in March, Schmidt became JMU’s new president in July. He was most recently chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, where he was recognized as a “stellar fundraiser” and brought in one of the largest gifts in that university’s history: a $70 million athletics donation. Schmidt’s 30-year career in higher education, as well as […]
Education 2025: FITZSIMMONS, TRACY
Shenandoah’s president since 2008, Fitzsimmons joined the private liberal arts school in 2001 as dean of the College of Arts & Sciences. This year, the university celebrated its 150th anniversary and had its largest graduating class in history. For the sixth consecutive year, Shenandoah was named a College of Distinction and it opened its Hub […]
Trump science cuts roil university labs, targeting bird feeder research, AI literacy work and more
Hundreds of university researchers had their National Science Foundation funding abruptly canceled Friday to comply with Trump’s directives to end support of research on diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as the study of misinformation.
UPDATED: Virginia university presidents among petition signers decrying federal ‘overreach’
The presidents of the University of Virginia, Hollins University and Virginia Wesleyan University have signed a letter endorsed by more than 200 university presidents and other higher education leaders condemning what it calls the Trump White House's "unprecedented government overreach and political interference."
More than 50 universities face federal investigations as part of Trump’s anti-DEI campaign
WASHINGTON (AP) — More than 50 universities are being investigated for alleged racial discrimination as part of President Donald Trump’s campaign to end diversity, equity and inclusion programs that his officials say exclude white and Asian American students. The Education Department announced the new investigations Friday, one month after issuing a memo warning America’s schools[...]
Randolph-Macon College names next president
Ashland’s Randolph-Macon College has chosen Michael E. Hill as its 16th president, effective Aug. 1, the college announced Tuesday. Hill is currently president of Chautauqua Institution, a western New York nonprofit educational institution for children and adults that runs extensive theater, music and other arts programming during its nine-week summer season. He will succeed Randolph-Macon [[...]
Top Five November 2024
1 | U.S. port strike stops cargo operations at Port of Va. About 45,000 union dockworkers walked off the job at every major port along the East and Gulf coasts until they ended the strike after reaching a tentative deal three days later. (Oct. 1) 2 | Three Va. universities have […]
Va. universities take ‘heavy hand’ with protest policies, advocate says
RICHMOND, Va. — Students, lawmakers and free-speech activists question if updated university policies that regulate student demonstrations violate First Amendment rights. After campus protests that led to some clashes with police, institutions such as Virginia Commonwealth University, James Madison University, University of Virginia and Virginia Tech adopted similar policies. The new rules b[...]
15 Va. schools make U.S. News & World Report’s 2025 national universities list
Fifteen Virginia schools ranked on the U.S. News and World Report’s 2025 Best National Universities list released Tuesday. Several Virginia schools were noted on other education rankings released by the media company, including 16 Virginia colleges on the best national liberal arts colleges list. For U.S. News and World Report’s Best Colleges lists, researchers evaluated […]
The big freeze
Given pandemic-caused interruptions, college students have been through a lot so far this decade, but one silver lining at many Virginia schools has been frozen tuition. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin made it a priority to keep costs flat this academic year, and he succeeded in getting all 15 of the state’s public colleges and universities […]
Independent colleges council taps former state delegate as leader
Former Virginia Del. Christopher K. Peace will be the next president of the Council of Independent Colleges in Virginia Inc. (CICV) after the 2023 regular General Assembly session concludes. “[Chris] is far more than a lobbyist and attorney — he is a strategist with a great grasp of the issues. He carries a reputation as […]
JMU fundraising campaign brings in $251M
James Madison University‘s second comprehensive fundraising campaign, Unleashed, raised more than $251 million, the Harrisonburg university announced Friday. The eight-year fundraising campaign, which exceeded its $200 million goal in March 2021, ended June 30. It began with an advanced gift phase in July 2014 before JMU announced it publicly in October 2018. Unleashed attracted 63,976 [&hel[...]
