Category: Featured

  • Clean energy workforce training hub a ‘gamechanger’ in this struggling factor town

    Clean energy workforce training hub a ‘gamechanger’ in this struggling factor town

    Decatur, Illinois, has been losing factory jobs for years. A training program at a local community college promises renewal and provides training for students from disenfranchised communities

    This story is part of a collaboration between the Institute for Nonprofit News’ Rural News Network and Canary Media, South Dakota News Watch, Cardinal News, The Mendocino Voice and The Maine Monitor, with support from Ascendium Education Group. It is reprinted with permission. 

    DECATUR, IL. — A fistfight at a high school football game nearly defined Shawn Honorable’s life.

    It was 1999 when he and a group of teen boys were expelled and faced criminal charges over the incident. The story of the “Decatur Seven” drew national headlines and protests led by the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who framed their harsh treatment as blatant racism. The governor eventually intervened, and the students were allowed to attend alternative schools.

    Honorable, now 41, was encouraged by support “from around the world,” but he said the incident was traumatizing and he continued to struggle academically and socially. Over the years, he dabbled in illegal activity and was incarcerated, most recently after a 2017 conviction for accepting a large amount of marijuana sent through the mail.

    Today, Honorable is ready to start a new chapter, having graduated with honors last week from a clean energy workforce training program at Richland Community College, located in the Central Illinois city of Decatur. He would eventually like to own or manage a solar company, but he has more immediate plans to start a solar-powered mobile hot dog stand. He’s already chosen the name: Buns on the Run.

    “By me going back to school and doing this, it shows my nephews and my little cousins and nieces that it is good to have education,” Honorable said. “I know this is going to be the new way of life with solar panels. So I’ll have a step up on everyone. When it comes, I will already be aware of what’s going on with this clean energy thing.”

    Shawn Honorable graduated with honors last week from Richland Community College’s clean energy workforce training program in Decatur, Illinois, part of a network of hubs funded by the state’s 2021 Climate and Equitable Jobs Act. Credit: Lloyd DeGrane/Canary Media

    After decades of layoffs and factory closings, the community of Decatur is also looking to clean energy as a potential springboard.

    Located amid soybean fields a three-hour drive from Chicago, the city was long known for its Caterpillar, Firestone Tire, and massive corn-syrup factories. Industrial jobs have been in decline for decades, though, and high rates of gun violence, child poverty, unemployment, and incarceration were among the reasons the city was named a clean energy workforce hub funded under Illinois’ 2021 Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA).

    Decatur’s hub, based at Richland Community College, is arguably the most developed and successful of the dozen or so established statewide. That’s thanks in part to TCCI Manufacturing, a local, family-owned factory that makes electric vehicle compressors. TCCI is expanding its operations with a state-of-the-art testing facility and an on-site campus where Richland students will take classes adjacent to the manufacturing floor. The electric truck company Rivian also has a factory 50 miles away.

    “The pieces are all coming together,” Kara Demirjian, senior vice president of TCCI Manufacturing, said by email. “What makes this region unique is that it’s not just about one company or one product line. It’s about building an entire clean energy ecosystem. The future of EV manufacturing leadership won’t just be on the coasts — it’s being built right here in the Midwest.”

    Powering Rural Futures: Clean energy is creating new jobs in rural America, generating opportunities for people who install solar panels, build wind turbines, weatherize homes and more. This five-part series from the Rural News Network explores how industry, state governments and education systems are training this growing workforce.

    Related: Want to read more about how climate change is shaping education? Subscribe to our free newsletter.

    The Decatur CEJA program has also flourished because it was grafted onto a preexisting initiative, EnRich, that helps formerly incarcerated or otherwise disenfranchised people gain new skills and employment. The program is overseen by the Rev. Courtney Carson, a childhood friend of Honorable and another member of the Decatur Seven.

    “So many of us suffer significantly from our unmet needs, our unhealed traumas,” said Carson, who was jailed as a young man for gun possession and later drag racing. With the help of mentors including Rev. Jackson and a college basketball coach, he parlayed his past into leadership, becoming associate pastor at a renowned church, leading a highway construction class at Richland, and in 2017 being elected to the same school board that had expelled him.

    Carson, now vice president of external relations at the community college, tapped his own experience to shape EnRich as a trauma-informed approach, with wraparound services to help students overcome barriers — from lack of childcare to PTSD to a criminal record. Carson has faith that students can overcome such challenges to build more promising futures, like Decatur itself has done.

    “We have all these new opportunities coming in, and there’s a lot of excitement in the city,” Carson said. “That’s magnificent. So what has to happen is these individuals who suffered from closures, they have to be reminded that there is hope.”

    Richland Community College’s clean energy jobs training starts with an eight-week life skills course that has long been central to the larger EnRich program. The course uses a Circle of Courage practice inspired by Indigenous communities and helps students prepare to handle stressful workplace situations like being disrespected or even called a racial slur.

    “Being called the N-word, couldn’t that make you want to fight somebody? But now you lose your job,” said Carson. “We really dive deep into what’s motivating their attitude and those traumas that have significantly impacted their body to make them respond to situations either the right way or the wrong way.”

    The training addresses other dynamics that might be unfamiliar to some students — for example, some male students might not be prepared to be supervised by a woman, Carson noted, or others might not be comfortable with LGBTQ+ coworkers.

    Karl Evans instructs Richland Community College students on the inner workings of a gas furnace. Credit: Lloyd DeGrane/Canary Media

    Life skills are followed by a construction math course crucial to many clean energy and other trades jobs. During a recent class, 24-year-old Brylan Hodges joked with the teacher while converting fractions to decimals and percentages on the whiteboard. He explained that he moved from St. Louis to Decatur in search of opportunity, and he hopes to become a property manager overseeing solar panel installation and energy-efficiency upgrades on buildings.

    Students take an eight-hour primer in clean energy fields including electric vehicles, solar, HVAC, and home energy auditing. Then they choose a clean energy track to pursue, leading to professional certifications as well as a chance to continue at Richland for an associate degree. Under the state-funded program, students are paid for their time attending classes.

    Related: Students partnered with an EV battery factory to train students and ignite the economy. Trump’s clean energy war complicates their plans

    Marcus James was part of the first cohort to start the program last October, just days after his release from prison.

    He was an 18-year-old living in Memphis, Tennessee, when someone shot at him, as he describes it, and he fired back, with fatal consequences. He was convicted of murder and spent 12 years behind bars. After his release he made his way to Decatur, looking for a safer place to raise his kids. Adjusting to life on the outside wasn’t easy, and he ended up back in prison for a year and a half on DUI and drug possession charges.

    Following his release, he was determined to turn his life around.

    “After I brought my kids up here, I end up going back to prison. But at that moment, I realized, man, I had to change,” James told a crowd at an event celebrating the clean jobs program in March.

    The Rev. Courtney Carson, vice president of external relations at the community college. Credit: Lloyd DeGrane/Canary Media

    James said that at first, he showed up late to every class. But soon the lessons sank in, and he was never late again. He always paid attention when people talked, and he gained new confidence.

    “As long as I put my mind to it, I can do it,” said James, who would like to work as a home energy auditor. Richland partners with the energy utility Ameren to place trainees in such positions.

    “I like being out in the field, learning new stuff, dealing with homes, helping people,” James said, noting he made energy-efficiency improvements to his own home after the course.

    Related: To fill ‘education deserts,’ more states want community colleges to offer bachelor’s degrees

    Illinois’ 2017 Future Energy Jobs Act (FEJA) launched the state’s clean energy transition, baking in equity goals that prioritize opportunities for people who benefited least and were harmed most by the fossil fuel economy. It created programs to deploy solar arrays and provide job training in marginalized and environmental justice communities.

    FEJA’s rollout was rocky. Funding for equity-focused solar installations went unspent while workforce programs struggled to recruit trainees and connect them with jobs. The pandemic didn’t help. The follow-up legislation, CEJA, expanded workforce training programs and remedied snafus in the original law.

    Melissa Gombar is principal director of workforce development programs for Elevate, a Chicago-based national nonprofit organization that oversaw FEJA job training and subcontracts for a Chicago-area CEJA hub. Gombar said many community organizations tasked with running FEJA training programs were relatively small and grassroots, so they had to scramble to build new financial and human resources infrastructure.

    “They have to have certain policies in place for hiring and procurement. The influx of grant money might have doubled their budget,” Gombar said. Meanwhile, the state employees tasked with helping the groups “are really talented and skilled, trying their best, but they’re overburdened because of the large lift.”

    CEJA, by contrast, tapped community colleges like Richland, which already had robust infrastructure and staffing. CEJA also funds community organizations to serve as “navigators,” using the trust and credibility they’ve developed in communities to recruit trainees.

    Richland Community College received $2.6 million from April 2024 through June 2025, and the Community Foundation of Macon County, the hub’s navigator, received $440,000 for the same time period. The other hubs similarly received between $1 million and $3.3 million for the past year, and state officials have said the same level of funding will be allocated for each of the next two years, according to the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition.

    CEJA hubs also include social service providers that connect trainees with wraparound support; businesses like TCCI that offer jobs; and affiliated entrepreneur incubators that help people start their own clean energy businesses. CEJA also funded apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs with labor unions, which are often a prerequisite for employment in utility-scale solar and wind.

    “The sum of the parts is greater than the whole,” said Drew Keiser, TCCI vice president of global human resources. “The navigator is saying, ‘Hey, I’ve connected with this portion of the population that’s been overlooked or underserved.’ OK, once you get them trained, send their resumes to me, and I’ll get them interviewed. We’re seeing a real pipeline into careers.”

    The hub partners go to great lengths to aid students — for example, coordinating and often paying for transportation, childcare, or even car repairs.

    “If you need some help, they always there for you,” James said.

    Related: Losing faith: Rural, religious colleges are among the most endangered

    In 1984, TCCI began making vehicle compressors in a Decatur plant formerly used to build Sherman tanks during World War II. A few decades later, the company began producing compressors for electric vehicles, which are much more elaborate and sensitive than those for internal combustion engines.

    In August 2023, Gov. JB Pritzker joined TCCI President Richard Demirjian, the Decatur mayor, and college officials for the groundbreaking of an Electric Vehicle Innovation Hub, which will include a climatic research facility — basically a high-tech wind tunnel where companies and researchers from across the world can send EV chargers, batteries, compressors, and other components for testing in extreme temperatures, rain, and wind.

    A $21.3 million capital grant and a $2.2 million electric vehicle incentive from the state are funding the wind tunnel and the new facilities where Richland classes will be held. In 2022, Pritzker announced these investments as furthering the state goal of 1 million EVs on the road by 2030.

    Far from the gritty industrial environs that likely characterized Decatur workplaces of the past, the classrooms at TCCI feature colorful decor, comfortable armchairs, and bright, airy spaces adjacent to pristine high-tech manufacturing floors lined with machines.

    “This hub is a game changer,” said Keiser, noting the need for trained tradespeople. “As a country, we place a lot of emphasis on kids going to college, and maybe we’ve kind of overlooked getting tangible skills in the hands of folks.”

    A marketing firm founded by Kara Demirjian – Richard Demirjian’s sister – and located on-site with TCCI also received clean energy hub funds to promote the training program. This has been crucial to the hub’s success, according to Ariana Bennick, account executive at the firm, DCC Marketing. Its team has developed, tested, and deployed digital billboards, mailers, ads, Facebook events, and other approaches to attract trainees and business partners.

    “Being a part of something here in Decatur that’s really leading the nation in this clean energy initiative is exciting,” Bennick said. “It can be done here in the middle of the cornfields. We want to show people a framework that they can take and scale in other places.”

    With graduation behind him, Honorable is planning the types of hot dogs and sausages he’ll sell at Buns on the Run. He said Tamika Thomas, director of the CEJA program at Richland, has also encouraged him to consider teaching so he can share the clean energy skills he’s learned with others. The world seems wide open with possibilities.

    “A little at a time — I’m going to focus on the tasks in front of me that I’m passionate about, and then see what’s next,” Honorable said. He invoked a favorite scene from the cartoon TV series “The Flintstones,” in which the characters’ leg power, rather than wheels and batteries, propelled vehicles: “Like Fred and Barney, I’ll be up and running.”

    The Hechinger Report provides in-depth, fact-based, unbiased reporting on education that is free to all readers. But that doesn’t mean it’s free to produce. Our work keeps educators and the public informed about pressing issues at schools and on campuses throughout the country. We tell the whole story, even when the details are inconvenient. Help us keep doing that.

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  • Kansas City Parents Push for Dyslexia to be Taken Seriously – The 74

    Kansas City Parents Push for Dyslexia to be Taken Seriously – The 74


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    Tuesday Willaredt knew her older daughter, Vivienne, struggled to read.

    She tentatively accepted teachers’ reassurances and the obvious explanations: Remote learning during the COVID pandemic was disruptive. Returning to school was chaotic. All students were behind.

    Annie Watson was concerned about her son Henry’s performance in kindergarten and first grade.

    But his teachers weren’t. There was a pandemic, they said. He was a boy. Henry wasn’t really lagging behind his classmates.

    So Willaredt and Watson kept asking questions. So did Tricia McGhee, Abbey and Aaron Dunbar, Lisa Salazar Tingey, Kelly Reardon and T.C. — all parents who spoke to The Beacon about getting support for their kids’ reading struggles. (The Beacon is identifying T.C. by her initials because she works for a school district.)

    After schools gave reassurances or rationalizations or denied services, the parents kept raising concerns, seeking advice from teachers and fellow parents and pursuing formal evaluations.

    Eventually, they all reached the same conclusion. Their children had dyslexia, a disability that makes it more difficult to learn to read and write well.

    They also realized something else. Schools — whether private, public, charter or homeschool — aren’t always equipped to immediately catch the problem and provide enough support, even though some estimates suggest up to 20% of students have dyslexia symptoms.

    Instead, the parents took matters into their own hands, seeking diagnoses, advocating for extra help and accommodations, moving to another district or paying for tutoring or private school.

    “You get a diagnosis from a medical professional,” Salazar Tingey said. “Then you go to the school and you’re like, ‘This is what they say is best practice for this diagnosis.’ And they’re like, ‘That’s not our policy.’”

    Recognizing dyslexia

    It wasn’t until Vivienne, now 12, was in sixth grade and struggling to keep up at Lincoln College Preparatory Academy Middle School that a teacher said the word “dyslexic” to Willaredt.

    After the Kansas City Public Schools teacher mentioned dyslexia, Willaredt made an appointment at Children’s Mercy Hospital, waited months for an opening and ultimately confirmed that Vivienne had dyslexia. Her younger daughter Harlow, age 9, was diagnosed even more recently.

    Willaredt now wonders if any of Vivienne’s other teachers suspected the truth. A reading specialist at Vivienne’s former charter school had said her primary problem was focus.

    “There’s this whole bureaucracy within the school,” she said. “They don’t want to call it what it is, necessarily, because then the school’s on the hook” to provide services.

    Missouri law requires that students in grades K-3 be screened for possible dyslexia, said Shain Bergan, public relations coordinator for Kansas City Public Schools. If they’re flagged, the school notifies their parents and makes a reading success plan.

    Schools don’t formally diagnose students, though. That’s something families can pursue — and pay for — on their own by consulting a health professional.

    “Missouri teachers, by and large, aren’t specially trained to identify or address dyslexia in particular,” Bergan wrote in an email. “They identify and address specific reading issues students are having, whether it’s because the student has a specific condition or not.”

    Bergan later added that KCPS early elementary and reading-specific teachers complete state-mandated dyslexia training through LETRS (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling), an intensive teacher education program that emphasizes scientific research about how students learn to read.

    Missouri is pushing for more teachers to enroll in LETRS.

    In an emailed statement, the North Kansas City School District said staff members “receive training on dyslexia and classroom strategies,” and the district uses a screening “to help identify students who may need additional reading support.”

    Kansas has also worked to update teacher training. But the state recently lost federal funding for LETRS training and pulled back on adding funding to its Blueprint for Literacy.

    Public school students with dyslexia or another disability might be eligible for an individualized education program, or IEP, a formal plan for providing special education services which comes with federal civil rights protections.

    But a diagnosis isn’t enough to prove eligibility, and developing an IEP can be a lengthy process that requires strong advocacy from parents. Students who don’t qualify might be eligible for accommodations through a 504 plan.

    A spokesperson for Olathe Public Schools said in an email that the district’s teachers participate in state-mandated dyslexia training but don’t diagnose dyslexia.

    The district takes outside diagnoses into consideration, but “if a student is making progress in the general education curriculum and able to access it, then the diagnosis alone would not necessarily demonstrate the need for support and services.”

    Why dyslexia gets missed

    Some families find that teachers dismiss valid concerns, delaying diagnoses that parents see as key to getting proper support.

    Salazar Tingey alerted teachers that her son, Cal, was struggling with reading compared to his older siblings. Each year, starting in an Iowa preschool and continuing after the family moved to the North Kansas City School District, she heard his issues were common and unconcerning.

    She felt validated when a Sunday school teacher suggested dyslexia and recommended talking to a pediatrician.

    After Cal was diagnosed, Salazar Tingey asked his second grade teacher about the methods she used to teach dyslexic kids. She didn’t expect to hear, “That’s not really my specialty.”

    “I guess I thought that if you’re a K-3 teacher, that would be pretty standard,” she said. “I don’t think (dyslexia is) that uncommon.”

    Louise Spear-Swerling, a professor emerita in the Department of Special Education at Southern Connecticut State University, said estimates of the prevalence of dyslexia range from as high as 20% to as low as 3 to 5%. She thinks 5 to 10% is reasonable.

    “That means that the typical general education teacher, if you have a class of, say, 20 students, will see at least one child with dyslexia every year — year after year after year,” she said.

    Early intervention is key, Spear-Swerling said, but it doesn’t always happen.

    To receive services for dyslexia under federal special education guidelines, students must have difficulty reading that isn’t primarily caused by something like poor instruction, another disability, economic disadvantage or being an English language learner, she said. And schools sometimes misidentify the primary cause.

    Tricia McGhee, director of communications at Revolucion Educativa, a nonprofit that offers advocacy and support for Latinx families, has had that experience.

    She said her daughter’s charter school flagged her issues with reading but said it was “typical that all bilingual or bicultural children were behind,” McGhee said. That didn’t sound right because her older child was grade levels ahead in reading.

    “The first thing they told me is, ‘You just need to make sure to be reading to her every night,’” McGhee said. “I was like, ‘Thanks. I’ve done that every day since she was born.’”

    McGhee is now a member of the KCPS school board. But she spoke to The Beacon before being elected, in her capacity as a parent and RevEd staff member.

    Dyslexia also may not stand out among classmates who are struggling for various reasons.

    Annie Watson, whose professional expertise is in early childhood education planning, strategy and advocacy, said some of Henry’s peers lacked access to high-quality early education and weren’t prepared for kindergarten.

    “His handwriting is so poor,” she remembers telling his teacher.

    The teacher assured her that Henry’s handwriting was among the best in the class.

    “Let’s not compare against his peers,” Watson said. “Let’s compare against grade level standards.”

    Receiving services for dyslexia 

    Watson cried during a Park Hill parent teacher conference when a reading interventionist said she was certified in Orton-Gillingham, an instruction method designed for students with dyslexia.

    In an ideal world, Watson said, the mere mention of a teaching approach wouldn’t be so fraught.

    Annie Watson with her son Henry, 11, before track practice. Henry went through intensive tutoring to help him learn to read well after his original school didn’t provide the services he needed. (Vaughn Wheat/The Beacon)

    “I would love to know less about this,” she said. “My goal is to read books with my kids every night, right? I would love for that to just be my role, and that hasn’t been it.”

    By that point, Watson’s family had spent tens of thousands of dollars on Orton-Gillingham tutoring for Henry through Horizon Academy, a private school focused on students with dyslexia and similar disabilities.

    They had ultimately moved to the Park Hill district, not convinced that charter schools or KCPS had enough resources to provide support.

    “I felt so guilty in his charter school,” Watson said. “There were so many kids who needed so many things, and so it was hard to advocate for my kid who was writing better than a lot of the kids.”

    So the idea that Henry’s little sister — who doesn’t have dyslexia — could get a bit of expert attention seamlessly, during the school day and without any special advocacy, made Watson emotional.

    “Henry will never get that,” she said.

    While Watson wonders if public schools in Park Hill could have been enough for Henry had he started there earlier, some families sought help outside of the public school system entirely.

    The Reardon and Dunbar families, who eventually received some services from their respective schools, each enrolled a child full-time in Horizon Academy after deciding the services weren’t enough.

    Kelly Reardon said her daughter originally went to a private Catholic school.

    “With one teacher and 26 kids, there’s just no way that she would have gotten the individualized intervention that she needed,” she said.

    The Dunbars’ son, Henry, had been homeschooled and attended an Olathe public school part-time.

    Abbey Dunbar said Henry didn’t qualify for services from the Olathe district in kindergarten, but did when the family asked again in second grade. Henry has a diagnosed severe auditory processing disorder, and his family considers him to have dyslexia based on testing at school.

    She said the school accommodated the family’s part-time schedule and the special education services they gave to Henry genuinely helped.

    “​​I never want to undercut what they gave and what they did for him, because we did see progress,” Dunbar said. “But we need eight hours a day (of support), and I don’t think that’s something they could even begin to give in public school. There’s so many kids.”

    T.C., whose daughters attended KCPS when they were diagnosed, also decided she couldn’t rely on services provided by the school alone. One daughter didn’t qualify for an IEP because the school said she was already achieving as expected for her IQ level.

    In the end, T.C. said, her daughters did get the support they needed “because I paid for it.”

    She found a tutor who was relatively inexpensive because she was finishing her degree. But at $55 per child, per session once or twice a week, tutoring still ate into the family’s budget and her children’s free time.

    “If they were learning what they needed to learn at school… we wouldn’t have had that financial burden,” she said. Tutoring also meant “our kids couldn’t participate in other activities outside of school.”

    Support and accommodations

    Tuesday Willaredt is still figuring out exactly what support Vivienne needs.

    Options include a KCPS neighborhood school, a charter school that extends through eighth grade or moving to another district. Outside tutoring will likely be part of the picture regardless.

    Willaredt is worried that her kids aren’t being set up to love learning.

    Vivienne, 12 (left), and Harlow, 9, were both diagnosed with dyslexia earlier this year. (Vaughn Wheat/The Beacon)

    “That’s where I get frustrated,” she said. “If interventions were put in earlier — meaning the tutoring that I would have had to seek — these frustrations and sadness that is their experience around learning wouldn’t have happened.”

    When Lisa Salazar Tingey brought Cal’s dyslexia diagnosis to his school, he didn’t qualify for an IEP. But his classroom teacher offered extra support that seemed to catch him up.

    In following years, though, Salazar Tingey has worried about Cal’s performance stagnating and considered formalizing his accommodations through a 504 plan.

    She wants Cal, now 10, to be able to use things like voice to text or audiobooks if his dyslexia is limiting his intellectual exploration.

    Before his diagnosis, she and her husband noticed that every school writing assignment Cal brought home was about volcanoes, even though “it wasn’t like he was a kid who was always talking about volcanoes.”

    When he was diagnosed, they learned that sticking to familiar topics can be a side effect of dyslexia.

    “He knows how to spell magma and lava and volcano, and so that’s all he ever wrote about,” Salazar Tingey said. “That’s sad to me. I want him to feel that the world is wide open, that he can read about anything.”

    This article first appeared on Beacon: Kansas City and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.


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  • Judge halts ban on international enrolments at Harvard

    Judge halts ban on international enrolments at Harvard

    In the latest move in the government’s dramatic feud with the US’s oldest university – and a major victory for international education sector – district judge Allison Burroughs issued a temporary restraining order yesterday, halting the directive stripping Harvard of its eligibility to enrol students from overseas.

    It follows the institution’s swift decision to mount a legal challenge against the administration’s demands that it hand over all disciplinary records for international students from the last five years if it wanted to regain its SEVP status.

    In its lawsuit, Harvard said: “With the stroke of a pen, the government has sought to erase a quarter of Harvard’s student body, international students who contribute significantly to the University and its mission.” The next hearing in the case will be held in Boston on May 29.

    If it comes to pass, the ban on international student enrolments would significantly harm Harvard’s financial situation – with last year’s 6,793 overseas students making up a sizeable 27% of the student body.

    With the stroke of a pen, the government has sought to erase a quarter of Harvard’s student body, international students who contribute significantly to the University and its mission
    Harvard University

    Orders from the Trump administration would not only prevent Harvard from enrolling any F-1 or J-1 students for the 2025/26 academic year, but also force current international students to transfer to another university if they want to stay in the country. 

    The move cause widespread panic among international students – especially given that some are set to graduate in just one week.

    Students told The PIE News that they were worried about what was happening, but trusted Harvard to “have our backs”.

    The institution’s row with Harvard stems from the stand it took – one of the only US institutions to do so – against the administrations raft of demands, including that it reform its admissions and hiring practices to combat antisemitism on campus, end DEI initiatives and hand over reports on international students.

    When the institution refused to do so, the government froze $2.2 billion in the university’s funding, threatened to revoke its tax-exempt status, and demanded international students’ records if it didn’t want to lose its SEVP certification. 

    Although Harvard did send over some student information on April 30, and maintained that it had provided the information it was legally bound to supply, this seems to have been insufficient for the Trump administration.

    In US homeland security secretary Kristi Noem’s letter to Harvard, she said: “This action should not surprise you and is the unfortunate result of Harvard’s failure to comply with simple reporting requirements”.  

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  • Panic hits Harvard international students after Trump crackdown

    Panic hits Harvard international students after Trump crackdown

    As per a statement released by Kristi Noem, US homeland security secretary, Harvard’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certification has been revoked because of their “failure to adhere to the law.” 

    “As a result of your refusal to comply with multiple requests to provide the Department of Homeland Security pertinent information while perpetuating an unsafe campus environment that is hostile to Jewish students, promotes pro-Hamas sympathies, and employs racist “diversity, equity, and inclusion” policies, you have lost this privilege,” read the letter by Noem to Harvard University, shared on X, formerly Twitter. 

    “The revocation of your Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification means that Harvard is prohibited from having any aliens on F- or J- nonimmigrant status for the 2025-2026 academic school year.”

    Students set to join Harvard this year are now relying on the institution to take urgent action to keep their dreams of studying at the Ivy League institution alive.

    “I already had to defer my intake from last year to this year due to lack of funds. Deferring again just isn’t an option for me,” stated Pravin Deshmukh, an incoming student at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education. 

    “We’re hoping the university can find some form of solution and keep us updated on what’s happening. Harvard has been very proactive over the past few weeks. They’ve reassured incoming students like me of their commitment through emails, provided details on continuing classes online, and shared ways to stay in touch with the International Office.”

    Currently, over 6,800 international students are enrolled at the university, making up 27% of this year’s student body, with a significant portion hailing from countries such as China, India, Canada, South Korea, and the UK.

    WhatsApp groups are on fire – everyone’s panicking, wondering what’s going to happen next. Some parents were planning to attend graduation ceremonies, but now students are telling them, ‘Don’t say you’re coming to visit us.’

    Harvard GSE student

    The vast international student cohort at the campus will also have to transfer to another US university or risk losing their legal immigration status, according to Noem, which puts the current students in jeopardy. 

    “For graduating students, it feels like our degrees could be rendered useless and we might even be labeled as illegal immigrants,” a student at Harvard’s GSE, who requested anonymity, told The PIE. 

    “Some students are considering staying in the U.S. by transferring their SEVIS to community colleges if Harvard can’t find a solution.”

    “WhatsApp groups are on fire – everyone’s panicking, wondering what’s going to happen next. Some parents were planning to attend graduation ceremonies, but now students are telling them, ‘Don’t say you’re coming to visit us,’” the student added. 

    While Noem has issued a 72-hour ultimatum to Harvard, demanding the university hand over all disciplinary records from the past five years related to international students involved in illegal activities and protests on and off campus, students across Harvard’s schools told The PIE that professors and deans have arranged meetings with them to address any questions or concerns.

    “We received an email from the Harvard University president regarding available support, information about Zoom sessions hosted by Harvard’s international offices, and a text-message service for ICE-related threats. Today, a session is being held in person at our school with professors and the Dean,” the Harvard student stated.

    “This is Harvard — they will take a stand, unlike Columbia University or MIT. They have our backs.”

    Some students have voiced concerns about their parents traveling to the US for their graduation ceremonies, but feel reassured by Harvard’s stand that commencement will proceed as planned on May 29th.

    “The Harvard website is being updated regularly, and we have been asked to keep an eye on it, but there’s still a lot of uncertainty. Since yesterday, many of us have been wondering whether we will graduate and the next steps. The morning email confirmed that commencement will continue as planned,” stated another Harvard student, who didn’t wish to be named. 

    “There’s a shift in the atmosphere, making it very difficult to plan the next steps. We couldn’t have imagined something like this happening six months ago, but you have to be prepared for anything.”

    In the meantime Harvard has a released a statement, doubling down on its commitment towards international students.

    “We are fully committed to maintaining Harvard’s ability to host our international students and scholars, who hail from more than 140 countries and enrich the University – and this nation – immeasurably,” stated the University. 

    “We are working quickly to provide guidance and support to members of our community. This retaliatory action threatens serious harm to the Harvard community and our country, and undermines Harvard’s academic and research mission.”

    Furthermore, the institution’s swift lawsuit against the Trump administration over the international student ban resulted in a major victory, as US District Judge Allison Burroughs issued a temporary restraining order against the government’s plan to strip Harvard of its ability to recruit international students.

    According to Sameer Kamat, founder, MBA Crystal Ball, a leading MBA admissions consultancy in India, the Trump administration could choose to extend the deadline for Harvard to comply with its requirements, similar to its approach on trade tariffs in recent weeks.

    “For all we know, Trump may ease off the pressure and give Harvard more time to comply, like he did with the tariff deadlines on his trade partners. But for now, it puts all international students in a limbo. They’ve become collateral damage in a fight that they never wanted to be part of,” stated Kamat.

    “He had played a similar move on Canada and Mexico by giving them a very tight deadline to bring down their tariffs for American goods. This was to push them into action. And then on the final day, he pushed the deadline by a month. Which is why I am thinking, we can’t rule out the possibility of that happening this time. Considering he put a 72-hour deadline, which runs into the weekend.”

    According to Namita Mehta, president, The Red Pen, consultancies like hers are actively supporting affected students by providing guidance, clarifying policy updates, and connecting them with legal or immigration experts as needed.

    “While the announcement has understandably caused concern, it’s essential to recognise that such decisions are often part of broader political narratives and may be temporary,” stated Mehta.

    “While students and families should stay engaged, informed, and proactive, it is equally important to remain hopeful. The strength of institutions like Harvard lies in their academic excellence and capacity to navigate complex challenges with integrity and vision.”

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  • Preliminary Injunction Halts Dismantling of the Department of Education (Todd Wolfson, AAUP)

    Preliminary Injunction Halts Dismantling of the Department of Education (Todd Wolfson, AAUP)

    We got great news yesterday: In a suit we brought with Democracy Forward, the AFT, and other allies in the labor movement, a district court in Massachusetts issued a preliminary injunction halting the Trump administration’s unlawful effort to dismantle the Department of Education. 

    The massive reduction in force proposed by the administration would decimate crucial services the department provides to families across the country, severely limit access to education, and eviscerate funding for HBCUs and tribal colleges.

    We can’t do this work without your support. Will you become a member or make a donation to the AAUP Foundation today?

    Here’s some background on the case. In March, after having repeatedly expressed a desire to eliminate the Department of Education, the Trump administration announced a reduction in force that would cut its staff in half. Recognizing that the department was created by an act of Congress and was mandated to carry out a number of statutorily required programs, the administration claimed that it was not trying to eliminate the department but rather was seeking to improve “efficiency” and “accountability.”

    The court definitively rejected this claim, saying that the “defendants’ true intention is to effectively dismantle the Department without an authorizing statute. . . . A department without enough employees to perform statutorily mandated functions is not a department at all. This court cannot be asked to cover its eyes while the Department’s employees are continuously fired and units are transferred out until the Department becomes a shell of itself.”

    The court also highlighted the impact of the cuts on students, educational institutions, and unions. For example, the court found that “higher education is also likely to become more expensive for students” as the staffing cuts “will put federal funding for Pell grants, work-study programs and subsidized loans at risk, reducing the pool of students able to attend college and posing an existential threat to many state university systems such as those intended to serve first generation college students.”

    The court found that the administration had violated two clauses of the US Constitution, and that its actions were beyond its authority as well as arbitrary and capricious. Therefore, the court issued a preliminary injunction requiring the department to reinstate staff and resume operations disrupted by the cuts.

    Perhaps because of skepticism about the administration’s willingness to follow directives of the judiciary, the court specifically required that the administration provide notice of this order of preliminary injunction within twenty-four hours to all its officers, and that it “file a status report with this Court within 72 hours of the entry of this Order, describing all steps the Agency Defendants have taken to comply with this Order, and every week thereafter until the Department is restored to the status quo prior to January 20, 2025.”

    What’s next: It is almost certain that the administration will appeal this decision and will likely seek to have the preliminary injunction stayed by the court of appeals while the case is pending.

    Trump’s agenda is a clear path to setting America back in quality and fairness in education. The AAUP will continue to stand up against these attacks and fight for a higher education system that serves all Americans. We can’t do it without you.

    Please join us as a member or make a donation today!

    In solidarity,
    Todd Wolfson, AAUP President
    Veena Dubal, AAUP General Counsel

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  • Harvard Sues to Protect International Enrollment

    Harvard Sues to Protect International Enrollment

    International students make up more than one-quarter of Harvard’s student body.

    APCortizasJr/iStock Unreleased/Getty Images

    Less than a day after having its ability to host international students revoked by the federal government, Harvard University successfully sued the Trump administration to block the move. A judge granted a temporary restraining order late Friday morning.

    Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced Thursday afternoon that the Trump administration had stripped Harvard’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification in a letter that vaguely accused Harvard of a “failure to adhere to the law.” 

    However, the letter did not name any specific violations of the law by Harvard.

    On Friday morning, Harvard threw a legal counterpunch, filing a lawsuit challenging the revocation of SEVP certification and seeking a temporary restraining order to halt the action, which could cost Harvard to suddenly lose more than 6,000 students if they are unable to enroll. (International enrollment typically makes up about a quarter of Harvard’s head count.) Beyond blocking new enrollments, the revocation would require current international students to transfer. 

    Harvard president Alan Garber blasted the SEVP revocation as “unlawful and unwarranted” and said it was a punitive effort by the Trump administration in response to Harvard’s rejection of demands to reform governance, admissions, hiring processes and more following allegations of antisemitism and harassment that stemmed from pro-Palestinian protests last year. (Harvard filed a separate lawsuit pushing back on those demands last month, prompting the Trump administration to retaliate by freezing $2.7 billion in grants and contracts, or about a third of its federal research funding.)

    “It imperils the futures of thousands of students and scholars across Harvard and serves as a warning to countless others at colleges and universities throughout the country who have come to America to pursue their education and fulfill their dreams,” Garber wrote in a message to campus.

    He added, “We will do everything in our power to support our students and scholars.”

    Harvard’s lawsuit echoed Garber’s points in an even sharper tone, accusing the federal government of blatantly violating the First Amendment and Harvard’s due process rights.

    “With the stroke of a pen, the government has sought to erase a quarter of Harvard’s student body, international students who contribute significantly to the University and its mission,” lawyers representing Harvard argued in Friday’s early-morning legal filing.

    Harvard’s lawsuit named DHS, Noem and other officials within the department as defendants, as well as the U.S. Departments of Justice and State and agency leaders.

    Assistant DHS secretary Tricia McLaughlin fired back at Harvard in a response to Inside Higher Ed.

    “This lawsuit seeks to kneecap the President’s constitutionally vested powers under Article II. It is a privilege, not a right, for universities to enroll foreign students and benefit from their higher tuition payments to help pad their multibillion-dollar endowments. The Trump administration is committed to restoring common sense to our student visa system; no lawsuit, this or any other, is going to change that. We have the law, the facts, and common sense on our side,” she wrote.

    Another Legal Setback

    A judge swiftly agreed with Harvard’s argument, signing off on the temporary restraining order to prevent revocation of the university’s SEVP certification within hours of the lawsuit being filed.

    In a brief opinion, a district court judge in Massachusetts wrote in response to Harvard’s legal filing that the temporary restraining order was “justified to preserve the status quo.” The judge blocked DHS from stripping SEVP certification, at least temporarily, and granted a hearing. 

    A date for the hearing was not specified in court documents.

    The temporary restraining order is one of multiple legal setbacks the Trump administration has faced recently as it has sought to pull student visas over minor infractions (and for constitutionally protected speech), cap federal research funding reimbursement rates, and slash staff at the Department of Education and other agencies. Many of those efforts face ongoing challenges.

    On Thursday, for example, a federal judge barred the Trump administration from firing thousands of Department of Education employees as part of a sweeping reduction of force.

    The federal government has already appealed that decision.

    ‘Do This Everywhere’

    The Trump administration’s latest action against Harvard prompted broad condemnation from academics and free speech groups, who argued that the federal government did not follow legal processes for stripping SEVP certification and had ignored the university’s due process rights.

    “The administration has clearly targeted Harvard in recent months. In doing so, it has violated not only Harvard’s First Amendment rights, but also the rights of the university’s students and faculty,” the free speech group Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression wrote in a Friday social media post. “We commend Harvard for standing up for itself. Free speech and academic freedom are essential to higher education. They are values worth fighting for.”

    Despite widespread concerns from academics and lawyers that stripping Harvard’s SEVP certification is not legal, multiple Republican officials have endorsed Noem’s actions.

    Rep. Randy Fine, a Republican who represents Florida and a member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, cheered on the move in a Friday appearance on FOX Business. Fine, a two-time Harvard graduate, said the Trump administration should “do this everywhere” amid concerns about antisemitic behavior and harassment on college campuses.

    Fine also took a dim view of international students exercising their First Amendment rights.

    “We should not be bringing people into America to get an education who hate us. They should be coming here to get an education, and frankly they should keep their mouths shut beyond that. I don’t go into someone else’s house and complain about it when I’m there,” Fine said.

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  • Harvard Wins Injunction to Protect International Enrollment

    Harvard Wins Injunction to Protect International Enrollment

    International students make up more than one-quarter of Harvard’s student body.

    APCortizasJr/iStock Unreleased/Getty Images

    Less than a day after having its ability to host international students revoked by the federal government, Harvard University successfully sued the Trump administration to block the move. A judge granted a temporary restraining order late Friday morning.

    Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced Thursday afternoon that the Trump administration had stripped Harvard’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification in a letter that vaguely accused Harvard of a “failure to adhere to the law.” 

    However, the letter did not name any specific violations of the law by Harvard.

    On Friday morning, Harvard threw a legal counterpunch, filing a lawsuit challenging the revocation of SEVP certification and seeking a temporary restraining order to halt the action, which could cost Harvard to suddenly lose more than 6,000 students if they are unable to enroll. (International enrollment typically makes up about a quarter of Harvard’s head count.) Beyond blocking new enrollments, the revocation would require current international students to transfer. 

    Harvard president Alan Garber blasted the SEVP revocation as “unlawful and unwarranted” and said it was a punitive effort by the Trump administration in response to Harvard’s rejection of demands to reform governance, admissions, hiring processes and more following allegations of antisemitism and harassment that stemmed from pro-Palestinian protests last year. (Harvard filed a separate lawsuit pushing back on those demands last month, prompting the Trump administration to retaliate by freezing $2.7 billion in grants and contracts, or about a third of its federal research funding.)

    “It imperils the futures of thousands of students and scholars across Harvard and serves as a warning to countless others at colleges and universities throughout the country who have come to America to pursue their education and fulfill their dreams,” Garber wrote in a message to campus.

    He added, “We will do everything in our power to support our students and scholars.”

    Harvard’s lawsuit echoed Garber’s points in an even sharper tone, accusing the federal government of blatantly violating the First Amendment and Harvard’s due process rights.

    “With the stroke of a pen, the government has sought to erase a quarter of Harvard’s student body, international students who contribute significantly to the University and its mission,” lawyers representing Harvard argued in Friday’s early-morning legal filing.

    Harvard’s lawsuit named DHS, Noem and other officials within the department as defendants, as well as the U.S. Departments of Justice and State and agency leaders.

    Assistant DHS secretary Tricia McLaughlin fired back at Harvard in a response to Inside Higher Ed.

    “This lawsuit seeks to kneecap the President’s constitutionally vested powers under Article II. It is a privilege, not a right, for universities to enroll foreign students and benefit from their higher tuition payments to help pad their multibillion-dollar endowments. The Trump administration is committed to restoring common sense to our student visa system; no lawsuit, this or any other, is going to change that. We have the law, the facts, and common sense on our side,” she wrote.

    Another Legal Setback

    A judge swiftly agreed with Harvard’s argument, signing off on the temporary restraining order to prevent revocation of the university’s SEVP certification within hours of the lawsuit being filed.

    In a brief opinion, a district court judge in Massachusetts wrote in response to Harvard’s legal filing that the temporary restraining order was “justified to preserve the status quo.” The judge blocked DHS from stripping SEVP certification, at least temporarily, and granted a hearing. 

    A date for the hearing was not specified in court documents.

    The temporary restraining order is one of multiple legal setbacks the Trump administration has faced recently as it has sought to pull student visas over minor infractions (and for constitutionally protected speech), cap federal research funding reimbursement rates, and slash staff at the Department of Education and other agencies. Many of those efforts face ongoing challenges.

    On Thursday, for example, a federal judge barred the Trump administration from firing thousands of Department of Education employees as part of a sweeping reduction of force.

    The federal government has already appealed that decision.

    ‘Do This Everywhere’

    The Trump administration’s latest action against Harvard prompted broad condemnation from academics and free speech groups, who argued that the federal government did not follow legal processes for stripping SEVP certification and had ignored the university’s due process rights.

    “The administration has clearly targeted Harvard in recent months. In doing so, it has violated not only Harvard’s First Amendment rights, but also the rights of the university’s students and faculty,” the free speech group Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression wrote in a Friday social media post. “We commend Harvard for standing up for itself. Free speech and academic freedom are essential to higher education. They are values worth fighting for.”

    Despite widespread concerns from academics and lawyers that stripping Harvard’s SEVP certification is not legal, multiple Republican officials have endorsed Noem’s actions.

    Rep. Randy Fine, a Republican who represents Florida and a member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, cheered on the move in a Friday appearance on FOX Business. Fine, a two-time Harvard graduate, said the Trump administration should “do this everywhere” amid concerns about antisemitic behavior and harassment on college campuses.

    Fine also took a dim view of international students exercising their First Amendment rights.

    “We should not be bringing people into America to get an education who hate us. They should be coming here to get an education, and frankly they should keep their mouths shut beyond that. I don’t go into someone else’s house and complain about it when I’m there,” Fine said.

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  • 10 Website Marketing Strategies for Building Your Reputation

    10 Website Marketing Strategies for Building Your Reputation

    The internet has dramatically transformed and so has university website marketing. From basic online brochures relying on a “build it and they will come” approach, websites evolved into dynamic, interactive platforms driven by search engine optimization (SEO) and mobile optimization. Now, website marketing blends AI-driven insights with omnichannel experiences, as prospective students expect seamless, personalized interactions that clearly articulate an institution’s value. 

    With Google’s widespread release of AI-powered search to all users, your brand and reputation are more critical than ever. The internet’s collective opinion of your institution, interpreted by AI, now directly influences search results. Strong, positive brand reputations inherently signal authority and trustworthiness to AI, increasing visibility and recommendations.  

     This moment opens new doors for higher ed digital marketing. A website that simply exists today is a missed opportunity. If it doesn’t connect with the Modern Learner or clearly articulate your institution’s unique value, you’re not just losing their interest; you’re losing enrollments and damaging your reputation. For today’s Modern Learner, who expects seamless digital experiences and values authenticity and flexibility, your website is their first impression of your brand and reputation. 

    To transform your website into a reputation-building, revenue-generating asset, you need a holistic website marketing strategy that positions your EDU website as a strategic asset that continuously adapts to learner needs, builds authentic connections and signals authority to AI. Explore 10 essential website strategies to that will ensure your institution is found and chosen by the Modern Learner.

    1. Optimize Content to Feed AI Robots  

    The Modern Learner’s journey now begins with AI. To stand out, your website needs to engage prospective students and be optimized for how AI tools find and present information. At EducationDynamics, we’ve anticipated the rise of AI in search and adapted our website marketing strategies to help institutions stay ahead and continue to outrank the competition.     

    To optimize content for both audiences, structure it clearly with descriptive headings, concise copy and consistent formatting so AI can accurately surface your programs. Highlight outcomes like career paths, program value and student success to connect your offerings to what students truly want.  

    Use natural, straightforward language that’s easy for humans and AI to interpret. Prioritize content types that AI favors, such as FAQs, career guides and student stories, to build trust and boost discoverability.  

    Your website is a pivotal opportunity to tell a compelling story that highlights your institution’s core values and unique strengths. That way, when students ask the search engines questions about the right institution for them, your website is positioned to be a top answer.  

    2. Ensure Your Website Provides a Seamless User Experience (UX) and Prioritizes Accessibility 

    Modern Learners expect fast, intuitive and accessible digital experiences. From the moment a prospective student lands on your site, navigation should feel natural. Clear headers, streamlined menus and a consistent experience across all devices ensure visitors can easily find the information they need without frustration. 

    First impressions matter, and your website’s speed and mobile responsiveness are non-negotiables. Slow load times or clunky mobile layouts can lose students before they even reach your message. A user-centric website builds trust and reflects your institution’s commitment to meeting students where they are.  

    Accessibility isn’t an add on—it must be built into your website’s infrastructure. Inclusive design ensures every user, regardless of ability, can engage with your content.  

    At EducationDynamics, we consistently stay ahead by adopting UX and CRO technologies early, allowing our team to rapidly launch A/B tests and uncover what truly resonates with students. Through continuous optimization and real-time insights, we help institutions create user experiences that reflect their brand, support enrollment goals and keep prospective students moving forward. 

    3. Optimize for Modern Search (SEO & GEO) 

    The Modern Learner demands more. As search evolves with AI, your institution’s digital visibility isn’t just important—it’s paramount.  Traditional SEO, while foundational, falls short in today’s evolving search ecosystem where the rules of digital visibility are being rewritten. 

    With the widespread release of AI-powered search, prospective students are discovering their educational options without clicking on an actual link. As a result, institutions must embrace Generative Engine Optimization (GEO). GEO isn’t just about keywords; it’s about optimizing for how AI interprets, ranks and amplifies your institution’s content. A GEO-first strategy demands prioritizing well-structured content, rich media and authentic first-person perspectives from your students and faculty to command visibility in this new, AI-driven search reality. 

    EducationDynamics doesn’t just adapt to these shifts; we innovate by anticipating emerging trends, leveraging cutting-edge technology and leveraging data-driven insights.  Our research-driven approach to SEO for higher education and GEO is continuously evolving, placing your institution at the forefront of how Modern Learners discover and engage. We ensure your visibility, credibility and competitive edge are undeniable, whether through traditional search or the power of AI. 

    4. Amplify Your Brand Voice Across All Digital Touchpoints 

    In a crowded digital landscape, fragmented messaging is a liability. For the Modern Learner, a unified brand voice across every digital touchpoint isn’t just a best practice; it’s the foundation of trust and the catalyst for lasting connection. When prospective students move between your website, social media, emails and ads, they should encounter consistent messaging that reaffirms your brand identity. Anything else risks confusion. Consistency, on the older hand, builds clarity and drives connection.   

    That alignment must be grounded in a strong brand narrative that communicates your institution’s values, mission and what sets you apart. In a market where students are inundated by options, your ability to clearly communicate your institution’s unique offerings is critical and helps students quickly understand why your institution is the right choice.  

    Real stories from students and alumni bring that narrative to life. These experiences do more than inspire; they create emotional ties that help prospective students see themselves in your community. 

    A clear, consistent brand voice, supported by a strong website content strategy, is more than a marketing asset. It is a strategic imperative, turning interest into action that builds lasting loyalty from enrollment to graduation and beyond.  

    5. Personalize the Digital Experience for Each Prospective Student 

    Personalization is no longer optional. It is essential for driving engagement, building trust and supporting students through the enrollment process. 

    By leveraging personalized content marketing, institutions can create a one-to-one experience that feels relevant and responsive. Customized email campaigns, dynamic landing pages and virtual campus tours foster connections with students. These experiences demonstrate your institution’s understanding of Modern Learners and help each individual develop a meaningful connection. 

    Personalization works best when guided by data. By monitoring behavioral cues such as pages viewed, time spent and programs researched, institutions can tailor content and messaging to align with each student’s needs. This enhances the user experience and makes students feel understood. 

    This is more than optimization. It’s relationship-building. Strategic personalization transforms passive interest into meaningful engagement and builds confidence in your institution’s ability to support each student’s journey. 

    Modern Learners don’t respond to static messages. They engage in dynamic conversations. Through data-driven personalization, institutions can build digital experiences that feel tailored and conversational, moving students from curiosity to commitment faster and with greater trust. 

    6. Build Your Advocate Community  

    he most powerful testimonials come from those who live your brand. By cultivating a vibrant advocate community, your institution doesn’t just enhance its reputation; it ignites a powerful, authentic narrative that deeply connects with prospective students, solidifying their confidence and accelerating their enrollment decision.  

    Student testimonials and reviews are among the most effective tools for building trust and credibility on your website. Authentic stories bring your brand to life, helping prospective students envision themselves thriving at your institution. Featuring a diverse range of testimonials across various website pages ensures these voices resonate with a wide audience and reflect the true student experience. 

    Provide opportunities for students and alumni to share their stories, then amplify their voices across your website and broader digital presence. This cohesive approach weaves authentic advocacy into all touchpoints, enhancing emotional connection and making your institution more relatable. 

    By rooting your brand in real experiences, you strengthen reputation and build lasting relationships. Authentic connection sets your institution apart and drives enrollment in a competitive market. 

    7. Facilitate Communication and Engagement 

    In today’s fast-moving digital world, access matters. Offering multiple communication channels on your website such as forms, live chat, text messaging, email and phone ensures prospective students can easily reach out in the way that suits them best. Making information and enrollment support readily accessible improves the overall student experience and fosters a sense of control during the decision-making process. 

    Incorporating AI-powered chatbots can further enhance engagement by providing instant answers and personalized guidance 24/7. These tools handle routine questions efficiently, allowing your team to focus on high-impact interactions that require a human touch. 

    When institutions prioritize fast, flexible communication across digital, they do more than offer convenience. They build trust, open the door to deeper engagement and provide the seamless support that moves students closer to enrollment. 

    8. Use Data and Analytics for Continuous Improvement

    Website optimization isn’t a one-time task; it is a continuous process driven by data.  Institutions should regularly track key metrics such as page engagement, bounce rates, conversions and time spent on site to understand how visitors interact with their content. Tools like heatmaps and A/B testing provide valuable insights into user behavior and help identify what elements resonate and where improvements are needed. 

    By leveraging data-driven insights from user search patterns, click paths and drop-off points, institutions can make informed decisions to enhance user engagement and increase conversion rates. Testing different headlines, layouts and calls to action allows for experimentation that drives measurable results. In addition, effective website management requires a robust Content Management System and a clear governance policy to ensure ongoing maintenance and optimization. 

    As leading market research experts in higher education, EducationDynamics knows what it takes to transform data into action.  Our team’s relentless focus on analytics and optimization isn’t just about attracting students; it’s about continuously refining a digital experience that fortifies your institution’s reputation. We empower you to harness insights, ensuring your website is a dynamic asset that converts curiosity into committed enrollment and lasting brand loyalty. 

    9. Showcase Real Outcomes with Career-Focused Tools and Resources

    Today’s students are looking for more than a degree. They want a clear path to a successful future. Your website must deliver on this expectation by showcasing tangible outcomes that prove your institution’s value. Highlighting real-world results is one of the most powerful ways to build credibility and elevate your brand.  

    Integrate features that demonstrate the long-term impact of your programs. Job placement stats and alumni success stories reinforce your institution’s influence and give students confidence in their future. Spotlight employer partnerships and accessible career services to position your school as career-connected and student-focused. Interactive tools like salary calculators, career pathway infographics and program-matching quizzes deepen engagement and help students make informed decisions. 

    By clearly communicating return on investment through your website, you do more than just inform prospective students — you build trust, strengthen your institution’s reputation and guide students closer to enrollment. This isn’t merely sharing information, it’s about demonstrating that your institution delivers on its promises. When you connect outcomes to the student experience, you create the kind of meaningful, value-driven journey that today’s Modern Learners actively seek.  

    10. Develop a Robust Content Hub That Positions Your Institution as a Thought Leader 

    In today’s competitive higher education environment, institutions must take every opportunity to showcase their unique brand proposition. Your website is a mission-critical touchpoint with power to either build or break institutional reputation. When used strategically, it becomes more than a source of information. Rather, it can be a content hub that reflects your institution’s unique offerings, while building trust and elevating your brand. 

    By highlighting content such as faculty research, student initiatives, alumni achievements and blogs on timely topics, your institution can build relevance and authority. Your website content strategy should ensure your website becomes a living representation of your institution’s values and vision. This makes your website a living representation of the institution’s values and vision, creating an integral link to your audience and ultimately leading to stronger brand credibility, increased organic engagement and a lasting reputation as a thought leader in higher education.

    The Moment is Now: Elevating Reputation in the AI Era 

    Your website is more than a digital touchpoint; it is the heartbeat of your brand and foundation of your institution’s future. In an AI-driven world, standing still means falling behind.  

    At EducationDynamics, we’re here to help you navigate these changes with confidence. Transforming lives through higher education is at the core of our mission, and that means anticipating trends, understanding shifts and equipping our partners to thrive. 

    This is not merely an opportunity to adapt; it is an imperative to lead. Now is the decisive moment to fundamentally reimagine your website’s strategic role in driving unparalleled visibility, sustainable growth, and a strong reputation. Join John Weaver and Karina Kogan for “The New Rules of Website Marketing,” a live virtual masterclass that will show you how to turn your website into a high-impact tool for success in an AI-driven world. Secure your institution’s future advantage by reserving your spot today. 

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  • Federal Judge Blocks Trump’s Executive Order to Close Education Department

    Federal Judge Blocks Trump’s Executive Order to Close Education Department

    A federal judge in Massachusetts has issued a preliminary injunction halting President Donald Trump’s executive order to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, dealing a significant blow to the administration’s efforts to eliminate the federal agency.

    District Court Judge Myong J. Joun on last Thursday blocked Trump and Education Secretary Linda McMahon from carrying out the executive order and ordered the administration to reinstate approximately 1,300 Education Department employees who were terminated in March as part of a sweeping reduction-in-force.

    The ruling comes in response to consolidated lawsuits filed by a coalition of 20 states, the District of Columbia, educator unions, and school districts challenging the administration’s moves to shrink and eventually close the department.

    When Trump took office in January, the Education Department employed 4,133 workers. The reduction-in-force announced March 11 terminated more than 1,300 positions, while nearly 600 additional employees chose to resign or retire, leaving roughly 2,180 remaining staff—approximately half the department’s original size.

    In his ruling, Judge Joun wrote that “a department without enough employees to perform statutorily mandated functions is not a department at all,” adding that the court “cannot be asked to cover its eyes while the Department’s employees are continuously fired and units are transferred out until the Department becomes a shell of itself.”

    The judge also prohibited Trump from transferring management of the federal student loan portfolio and special needs programs to other federal agencies, as the president had pledged to do from the Oval Office.

    Judge Joun determined that the Trump administration likely violated the separation of powers by taking actions that conflicted with congressional mandates. He noted the administration had failed to demonstrate that the staff reductions actually improved efficiency, writing that “the record is replete with evidence of the opposite.”

    The plaintiffs argued that the department could no longer fulfill critical duties, including managing the $1.6 trillion federal student loan portfolio serving roughly 43 million borrowers and ensuring colleges comply with federal funding requirements.

    The American Association of University Professors (AAUP), which joined the legal challenge alongside other educator groups, praised the ruling as a crucial victory for higher education access.

    “The AAUP is thrilled that District Judge Joun has blocked Trump’s illegal attempt to gut the Department of Education and lay off half of its workforce,” said AAUP President Dr. Todd Wolfson. “Eliminating the ED would hurt everyday Americans, severely limit access to education, eviscerate funding for HBCUs and TCUs while benefiting partisan politicians and private corporations looking to extract profit from our nation’s higher education system.”

    American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten called the decision “a first step to reverse this war on knowledge and the undermining of broad-based opportunity.”

    The Education Department’s deputy assistant secretary for communications, Madi Biedermann, criticized the ruling in a statement, calling Judge Joun a “far-left Judge” who “dramatically overstepped his authority” and vowed to “immediately challenge this on an emergency basis.”

    The case, Somerville Public Schools v. Trump, represents the consolidation of two separate lawsuits filed in March. Democracy Forward is representing the coalition of plaintiffs, which includes the AAUP, Somerville Public School Committee, Easthampton School District, Massachusetts AFT, AFSCME Council 93, and the Service Employees International Union.

    The ruling temporarily halts one of the Trump administration’s most ambitious efforts to reshape federal education policy, though the legal battle is expected to continue as the administration pursues its appeal.

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  • Together We Lead: A New Era of HBCU Transformation

    Together We Lead: A New Era of HBCU Transformation

    Dr. Michael Lomax, Dr. Harry L. Williams, and Jim Runcie

    By Michael L. Lomax, Harry L. Williams and Jim Runcie 

    At a time when higher education is facing increased scrutiny, economic headwinds, and technological disruption, a group of institutions is charting a new path forward—one grounded in legacy, strengthened by collaboration and built for the future. These are historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). And they are proving that with the right investments and strategic partnerships, transformation is not only possible—it’s scalable.

    Four years ago, UNCF, Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) and Ed Advancement launched the HBCU Transformation Project—a collective effort to strengthen institutional sustainability, enhance student success and modernize campus operations across a growing network of these mission-driven institutions.

    The results speak volumes. Between 2020 and 2024, while national higher education enrollment declined, institutions participating in the HBCU Transformation Project grew their enrollment by 5.1%. In an era of enrollment contraction, these colleges are not only holding the line—they’re expanding their impact.

    “This effort is rooted in a networked approach,” according to Dr. Michael L. Lomax, president and CEO of UNCF. “When we combine institutional insight with philanthropic investment and aligned technical support, we can accelerate change in ways that benefit students, campuses and communities.”

    The initiative currently supports more than 40 HBCUs—from urban campuses to rural colleges—each selected to represent the diversity and strength of the sector. Through this initiative, campuses have redesigned their enrollment systems, implemented new technology platforms, modernized financial aid processes and invested in data-informed student support services.

    What ties these efforts together is a shared commitment to transformation to secure long-term institutional health and improve outcomes for students. It’s about building the infrastructure that allows these colleges to thrive in a fast-evolving higher education marketplace.

    “Our students need more than degrees. They need meaningful pathways to jobs, leadership and advancement,” according to Dr. Harry L. Williams, president and CEO of TMCF. “This work ensures our institutions are positioned to align with 21st-century workforce needs, opening doors to opportunity.”

    Beyond enrollment and academic programs, the Transformation Project is helping these institutions rethink how they operate. By investing in operations, shared services and scalable back-office solutions, the initiative is removing the all too pervasive obstacles of outdated systems and under-resourced departments. We are making foundational changes that will yield a lasting impact.

    Jim Runcie, CEO of Ed Advancement, put it simply: “We’re helping institutions do what they already do well—but with the right tools, systems and capacity behind them. Sustainable growth starts with operational strength.”

    The economic importance of HBCUs cannot be overstated. According to UNCF’s 2024 Economic Impact Report, these institutions generate $16.5 billion annually and support over 136,000 jobs nationwide. Their graduates—from engineers to educators, scientists to entrepreneurs—fuel industries, build communities and lead across sectors.

    And yet, this value has too often gone underrecognized. The HBCU Transformation Project is shifting that narrative—moving from proof-of-concept to proof-of-impact.

    UNITE 2025, UNCF’s annual convening of institutional leaders and strategic partners, will spotlight this progress. With the theme Together We Lead, UNITE is the premier platform for sharing solutions, surfacing new ideas and catalyzing partnerships. It’s where transformation moves from theory to practice.

    Looking ahead, the path is clear. We must continue to strengthen these institutions—through technology, leadership development, data utilization and investment. The transformation of HBCUs is a smart strategy for the future of American higher education and for maximizing the opportunity to link arms with international partners, seeking to mobilize global communities in a different way.

    Now is the time for more partners—investors, policymakers, employers and innovators—to join us. The groundwork has been laid. The momentum is building. And the opportunity is real.

    Together, we lead.


    Dr. Michael L. Lomax is president and CEO of the United Negro College Fund (UNCF).

    Dr. Harry L. Williams is president and CEO of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF).

    Jim Runcie is CEO and co-founder of the Partnership for Education Advancement.

     

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