Dr. Philip Cavalier Philip Cavalierhas been named president of Kutztown University. Cavalier most recently served as provost and senior vice chancellor for Academic Affairs at the University of Tennessee at Martin (UTM), a regional public university with more than 7,000 students in northwest Tennessee. He served as interim chancellor for five months in 2023. During his seven years at the university, he led the creation of UTM’s 2025- 30 strategic plan, and two strategic enrollment plans and developed or enhanced eight academic programs aligned with student interests and local workforce needs. Before joining UT Martin, Cavalier held several faculty and senior leadership roles in higher education, including provost at Lyon College, provost and dean of the college at Eureka College, and dean of general education at Catawba College.
Cavalier holds a doctorate in English from the State University of New York at Buffalo, a master’s degree in English from Northeastern University, Boston, Mass., and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Swarthmore College.
Dr. Brendan L. JohnsonBrendan L. Johnson has been appointed as the new Director of Bands at Benedict College, where he will lead all ensembles, including the nationally recognized Benedict College Band of Distinction (BCBOD). Johnson brings a decade of transformative leadership from Darlington High School, where he served as Director of Bands. During his tenure, he grew the program from 75 to 225 members, making it one of the largest high school bands in South Carolina. He was selected for the Benedict role following an extensive nationwide search for elite musicians and conductors.
A dual graduate of Bethune-Cookman University, Johnson holds bachelor’s degrees in music education and liberal studies. While at Bethune-Cookman, he made history a the third Mr. Bethune-Cookman University. He later earned a master’s in education from Anderson University, and a Doctorate from the University of Southern Mississippi.
Colleges will now be required to report additional admissions data to the National Center for Education Statistics, including data on the race and sex of their applicants, their admitted students and those who chose to enroll, per a memo from Trump to the U.S. Department of Education.Previously, institutions were only required to provide racial data for enrolled students.
Institutions must provide the data for undergraduate students and for certain graduate and professional programs, the Education Department said.
Separately, Trump signed an executive order directing his political appointees to review both grant awards and funding opportunity announcements. These appointees, along with subject matter experts, will evaluate grant decisions to align with the Trump administration’s policy priorities, according to a White House fact sheet.
Together, the two orders take aim at areas the Trump administration is attempting to tightly control — who colleges and universities enroll, and which research projects get federal funding.
In an announcement Thursday, theEducation Departmentsaid the additional admissions data is needed “to ensure race-based preferences are not used in university admissions processes.”
Along with data on applicants’ race and gender, colleges must also include the prospective students’ standardized test scores, GPAs and other academic qualifications. This data will also be collected about admitted and enrolled students.
At the same time, U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon is ordering the National Center for Education Statisticsto develop a process to audit the data to ensure its accuracy.
“We will not allow institutions to blight the dreams of students by presuming that their skin color matters more than their hard work and accomplishments,” McMahon said. “The Trump Administration will ensure that meritocracy and excellence once again characterize American higher education.”
The order comes two years after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down race-conscious college admissions in a landmark case involving Harvard Universityand the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.Since then, colleges have overhauled their admissions practices, and many selective institutions enrolled lower shares of Black and Hispanic students in the aftermath, according to an analysis from The New York Times.
A new landscape for grants
Trump’s executive order on grant funding castigated much of the current research landscape, decrying awards that went to projects such as developing transgender sexual education programs and training graduate students in critical race theory.
The directive accused other grants of promoting “Marxism, class warfare propaganda, and other anti-American ideologies in the classroom, masked as rigorous and thoughtful investigation.”
Researchers and other groups have sued over past Trump administration attempts to control grant funding,including the cancellation of vast swaths of National Institutes of Health awards to comply with the president’s orders against diversity, equity and inclusion.A federal judge has ruled against the NIH’s grant cancellations, and the U.S. Government Accountability Office has likewise determined they were illegal.
Still, Thursday’s order directs agency heads to revise the terms of existing discretionary grants, “to the maximum extent permitted by law,”to allow them to be immediately terminated, including if an award “no longer advances agency priorities or the national interest.”
When assessing grant applications, senior appointees should weigh if they advance Trump’s policy priorities, according to the directive.
The order says grants should not be used to deny that sex is binary — a view at odds with scientific understanding — or promote “anti-American values.”They also should not be used to promote racial discrimination by awardees, including by using race or proxies to select employees or program participants, the order stated.
In addition, the order says preference for discretionary grants should be given to institutions “with lower indirect cost rates” — all things being equal.
Under the Trump administration, several major agencies have attempted to impose a flat 15% reimbursement rate for colleges’ indirect research costs — which cover expenses like laboratory maintenance and information technology —though courts have either permanently or temporarily blocked those moves.
The White House’s fact sheet suggests the Trump administration may look beyond the research heavyweights in the higher education sector when awarding new grants.
The executive order “directs agencies to award grants to a wide array of meritorious grantees, not just the universities and nonprofits that have received awards year after year,” it said.
Building on a career with impact, Chartarra Joyner continues to embody a sense of purpose to become an even stronger leader in academia.
Chartarra JoynerJoyner is assistant vice chancellor, budget and planning, at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (NC A&T). She oversees the administration, analysis and strategic management of the university’s $470 million budget. As head of the budget and planning team, she is responsible for compliance and fiscal integrity while managing the comprehensive budget and reporting process.
Having attended Fisk University as an undergraduate, where she studied accounting, Joyner appreciates working at a Historically Black College and University but admits that a career in academia happened unexpectedly. After graduating from college, she spent more than a decade working in fi nancial services. Her last position before NC A&T was as a senior business analyst clinical services at HCA Healthcare, noting that her diverse background enables her to bring a unique lens to higher education.
“In my positions, I led cross-functional teams, cost reduction strategies and other process improvement initiatives,” she says. “All this combined experience helps me. I started out in accounting, but most of my roles then progressed, and I found a love for operational excellence and process-improvement initiatives.”
When her family moved to Greensboro, North Carolina, she planned to be a stay-at home mother but realized that was not where her strengths lie. Twelve years ago, she took on a contract assignment at NC A&T, which evolved into a full-time position. While the industry was different, she saw the move as a natural progression. Joyner has been in her current position since 2016. Because NC A&T is a large employer in Greensboro, her work has had a positive impact on the local economy.
“I was able to apply my skills and experience in financial strategies,” Joyner says. “I wanted to help assist with the educational access for students as well as equity for those students. NC A&T has a lot of fi rst-generation college students. This is what brought me and made me stay in academia. It’s been fulfilling to see the student success stories that resulted from the strategic financial leadership decisions made here at the university.”
NC A&T initiated a “bring your child to work” program, and her three children have all experienced the campus and seen her busy at work. Then, as part of their coursework in school, there were assignments where they described what she does.
“Children’s natural curiosity, they just ask questions,” she quips. Joyner is a third generation college graduate—stretching back to her grandmother (also an HBCU graduate)—and her second oldest son is fourth generation, having graduated from NC A&T. While higher education is the norm in her family, she thrives in an environment where first-gen students are able to flourish. She says that in her current role, she is able to mentor students and other professionals and contribute to the larger mission of the university.
“I value thought leadership,” she says. “There’s a lot of collaboration in academia and there is continuous learning, which aligns with my personal mission and my core values. It also gives me the opportunity to make an impact through student support and developing our future global leaders. [At NC A&T] we have over 14,000 students that we have an impact on every day who are future global leaders.
“I found a place where I can lead strategically and contribute to the larger mission of the university and the global community,” she adds. “What is meaningful to me is having an impact on the students to ensure that the students have the resources and support needed. [We’re] helping to produce engineers, doctors, lawyers and other professions… and the cooperative extension programs we do with the community and the research.”
With the goal of becoming a chief business officer (CBO), Joyner applied for the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) Fellows Program and was recently selected to take part in the highly competitive immersive leadership development program. The NACUBO program will help her refine her leadership skills and deepen her ability to communicate complex financial information. This includes aligning resources with institutional goals, developing flexible budget models and exploring diversified revenue streams. Due to current university priorities, she has postponed her participation until next year.
As part of her work at NC A&T, Joyner has chaired and participated in strategic committees and spearheaded initiatives in staff development, operational efficiency and implementation of best practices to support long-term financial planning and institutional effectiveness.
She describes her career trajectory as building a diverse portfolio that has helped her grow and lead at the executive level.
“I want to create a path for other people, drive innovation while effectively managing resources of the institution,” Joyner says with confidence. “I also hope to contribute to national conversations on equity, sustainability and operational excellence for higher education. Ultimately, my goal is to make a lasting impact.”
Dr. Sonia De La Torre Sonia De La Torre has been named Vice President of Student Services at Fullerton College.
De La Torre most recently served as Dean of Student Equity at Long Beach City College. She previously served as the Associate Dean of Student Support Services and Director of Student Success and Support Services at Long Beach City College. Prior to her tenure in the California Community College system, she held leadership roles in student affairs at Scripps College and in academic support within the University of California system.
De La Torre holds a Bachelors of Arts degree from University of California, Davis, a Master of Science degree in Educational Counseling and Guidance from California State University, San Bernardino and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from California State University, Long Beach.
Dr. Lorin Basden ArnoldLorin Basden Arnold has been promoted to senior vice president for Academic Affairs at Kutztown University. Basden Arnold has served as chief academic officer and second-in-command for the institution since June 2021.
In the last four years, Basden Arnold has led the university’s vision of its academic offerings, including the addition of new concentrations and certificates as well as new non-credit learning opportunities. In addition, she plays a pivotal role in the university’s Middle States review process.
In 2023, Basden Arnold helped the university acquire a multi-million-dollar grant from the U.S. Department of Education to increase undergraduate retention and graduation rates and eliminate equity gaps for KU students. Under her guidance, the university launched a new student support platform (Starfish), began assigning a student success navigator for each incoming student, engaged in the transition to a new student information system (Banner) and broadened non-credit learning opportunities through KU Advance.
Basden Arnold came to KU in June 2021 from SUNY New Paltz, New Paltz, N.Y., where she served three years as provost and vice president for Academic Affairs; and five years as professor of Communication. She provided leadership and direction for six academic divisions, serving nearly 7,000 students. Before SUNY New Paltz, Basden Arnold spent seven years as dean of the College of Communication and Creative Arts at Rowan University, Glassboro, N.J. She provided leadership for six academic departments and nearly 250 faculty and staff, serving more than 1,700 students enrolled in both undergraduate and graduate degree programs at an institution of 16,000 students. She oversaw a $11 million budget and established the Rowan Writing Center.
A three-time graduate of Purdue University, Basden Arnold earned her doctorate in interpersonal communication in 1996, her master’s degree in public affairs/issue management in 1991 and her bachelor’s degree in communication/public relations in 1988.
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Dive Brief:
The U.S. Department of Education sent a “Dear Colleague” letter on Tuesday to district and state leaders encouraging and guiding them on how to integrate artificial intelligence in schools through existing federal grants.
The letter signed by U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon said that grantees may use federal funds to use AI to enhance high-quality curriculum tools, high-impact tutoring, and college and career pathway advising.
The department briefly also outlined its principles for responsible AI use in schools. Those principles affirmed that AI K-12 initiatives should be educator-led, ethical, accessible for those with disabilities, transparent in the way new tools are rolled out, and in compliance with federal data privacy laws.
Dive Insight:
The department’s new AI guidance comes at a time when the future of federal oversight of ed tech and K-12 cybersecurity policies remains unclear, given that the Trump administration shuttered the Education Department’s Office of Educational Technology in March and has continued to move toward its plan to dismantle the agency.
On Monday, the Education Department also published a proposed rule in the Federal Register regarding its priorities for using discretionary grant programs to support AI use in schools. The public comment period on the regulatory proposal is open until Aug. 20.
Under the proposal, those seeking federal grant funding for AI projects in schools would need to include a focus on at least one of the following goals:
Embed AI literacy skills into classroom lessons to ultimately improve students’ educational outcomes.
Provide educators with professional development in foundational skills for computer science and AI with instruction on how to responsibly use new technologies.
Partner with states or school districts to offer high school students dual enrollment credentialing opportunities for postsecondary or industry-recognized credentials in AI.
Support and develop evidence for appropriate ways to integrate AI into education.
Use AI to support services for students with disabilities.
Tap into AI to improve teacher training and evaluation
Use AI tools to reduce time-intensive administrative tasks
Meanwhile, over 400 school district leaders sent a letter to Congress last week asking for lawmakers to restore federal leadership for K-12 cybersecurity and ed tech.
The letter, led by the Consortium for School Networking, pointed to funding cuts at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency that led to the discontinuation of K-12 cybersecurity programs offered through the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center. The move, they wrote, consequently took away “critical threat intelligence, incident response, and coordination services that many school systems depend on to protect against ransomware and other attacks.”
OET’s closure also left a major hole in guidance for states and districts on key issues such as responsible AI use, digital design, digital access and cybersecurity strategy, the letter said. The district leaders also called for Congress to reinstate staffing for the office.
CoSN CEO Keith Krueger said district technology leaders are increasingly worried that AI will be used for cyberattacks against schools. He added that the demand for more K-12 resources to protect schools from cybersecurity threats is “incredible.”
For instance, the Federal Communications Commission in November 2024 received $3.7 billion in requests for federal funds to help protect district networks. The applications were for a $200 million FCC cybersecurity pilot program.
But the bottom line, Krueger said, is that if the Trump administration fulfills its promise to close the Education Department, “who exactly is going to help school districts with cybersecurity, for instance, or AI?”
Dr. Christy Chancy BridgesChristy Chancy Bridges has been appointed associate dean of graduate programs at Mercer University School of Medicine.
Bridges, a professor of histology, also served as director of MUSM’s Ph.D. in biomedical sciences program and had been serving as interim chair of the biomedical sciences department since 2022. She served as director of the Master of Science in preclinical sciences program from 2018-25. She joined the MUSM faculty in 2006.
Bridges earned her bachelor’s degree in biology from Berry College and her Ph.D. in cellular biology from the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University. She completed postdoctoral training at the Medical College of Georgia in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and at MUSM in the Department of Biomedical Sciences.
Dr. William InbodenWilliam Inboden, an expert on national security and foreign policy scholar, has been appointed executive vice president and provost at The University of Texas at Austin, effective Aug. 1. He will also hold the William Powers Jr. Chair and a joint faculty appointment with the Department of History and the School of Civic Leadership.
Inboden has held several academic leadership roles at UT Austin and the UT System from 2010 to 2023. These include serving as founder and executive director of the Clements Center for National Security, founding editor-in-chief of the Texas National Security Review, and co-director of The University of Texas System National Security Network.
In addition, Inboden served as a faculty member in the LBJ School of Public Affairs and was a Distinguished Scholar at the Strauss Center for International Security and Law.
Currently the director of the Alexander Hamilton School for Classical and Civic Education at the University of Florida, Inboden is also a Peterson Senior Fellow with the Kissinger Center for Global Affairs at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. He received Ph.D., M.Phil and M.A. degrees in history from Yale University and an A.B. in history from Stanford University.
Deborah F. RutterDeborah F. Rutter, the former president of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., has been appointed vice provost for the arts at Duke University.
From 2014 to 2025, Rutter was the first woman to serve as president of the Kennedy Center, the nation’s cultural center and living memorial to President Kennedy. Under Rutter’s leadership, the center experienced a period of transformative programmatic growth; opened the REACH, a physical expansion of the campus; and strengthened its financial position through increases in its endowment and working capital reserves.
Rutter is a graduate of Stanford University, where she majored in music and German, and earned an MBA from the University of Southern California. Trained in piano and violin, she previously served as president of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association and executive director of the Seattle Symphony Orchestra. She also held executive leadership roles with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
Rutter received an honorary Doctor of Arts degree from Duke in 2023.
