TRIO Funding Restored For Now

Federal Judge Blocks Cancellation of TRIO Grants

A U.S. district judge issued a preliminary injunction preventing the Trump administration from cancelling more than 100 TRIO grants that support low-income, first-generation, and disabled students. The Education Department had informed several colleges that their TRIO continuations would be discontinued, sparking legal challenges from advocates who said the decisions were arbitrary and improperly applied. The injunction protects funding for now and signals ongoing legal contention over federal actions that directly affect student support programs. Litigation is expected to continue as stakeholders defend longstanding federal access and success initiatives.

Key Takeaway: Critical federal student support programs like TRIO remain legally protected for the moment, but their future is still contested.

Censorship Reaches Staggering New Level as State, Federal Laws Merge

A new PEN America report finds that 2025 set records for the number of state laws enacted that censor higher education, with at least 21 bills in 15 states restricting what colleges can teach or how they operate and more than half of students now studying in states with such policies. The report warns that a “web of political and ideological control” is forming as federal and state powers intersect to curtail academic freedom, limit faculty governance, and chill speech out of fear of sanctions or political reprisals. Campus leaders and faculty report feeling pressure to preemptively comply with vague restrictions, potentially reshaping curricula, research agendas, and institutional autonomy.

Quick Insight: Higher education is facing an unprecedented expansion of censorship laws that could constrain academic freedom, faculty governance, and campus decision-making.

Trump Administration Drops Legal Appeal Over Anti-DEI Funding Threat

The U.S. Education Department has withdrawn its appeal of a federal court ruling that blocked a Trump-era effort to threaten federal funding for schools and colleges that maintain diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. A federal judge had found the administration’s guidance unlawful because it violated the First Amendment and procedural rules by pressuring institutions to eliminate DEI practices or risk losing federal dollars. With the appeal dismissed, the judge’s decision stands, which advocates say protects institutional autonomy and prevents undue federal interference in campus diversity efforts.

Key Insight: A key legal threat to DEI programs on campuses has eased as the Department of Education drops its push to overturn a judge’s ruling blocking anti-DEI funding penalties.

NYU & SUNY Launch Higher Education Design Lab

New York University and the State University of New York launched the Higher Education Design Lab, a collaborative research partnership to evaluate how college programs prepare students for the workforce, especially in an AI-driven economy. The initiative will rigorously examine student outcomes and help identify which curricular and co-curricular innovations are most effective, providing evidence to guide institutional investment and design decisions. In a time of experimentation across institutions, this partnership aims to bring data and research to bear on questions of workforce readiness and instructional quality.

Takeaway: A new research lab seeks evidence-based insights into effective higher ed practices amid rapid workforce and technology change.

Published: January 24, 2026