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It\u2019s been a whirlwind year for higher ed\u2014and for Inside Higher Ed.<\/em> Yes, we rigorously covered President Donald Trump\u2019s unprecedented attacks on higher education, and our readers seemed to appreciate our efforts; according to my (unscientific) analysis of our readership statistics, about 70 percent of our most-read articles this year were about the Trump administration.<\/p>\n But we\u2019ve also found time, somehow, to keep up with our bread-and-butter higher education stories: how technology is changing college campuses, institutions\u2019 financial struggles, academic freedom and free speech issues, student success, college costs and the value of a degree, the continued rise of career and technical programs, and even a few intriguing scandals.<\/p>\n To look back at the work we\u2019ve done over this tumultuous year, we asked the members of our editorial team to share one of their favorite stories published this year. These are stories that may have flown under the radar, highlight a reporter\u2019s unique strengths, or push the boundaries of what a higher ed news story can be. But most importantly, they\u2019re stories that helped our readers make sense of the changing higher ed landscape during a year that was unlike any other.<\/p>\n Emma Whitford, faculty reporter:<\/strong> \u201cInside a Network of Fake College Websites\u201d by Josh Moody and Kathryn Palmer<\/p>\n Josh and Kathryn\u2019s investigation into a network of fake college websites built using generative AI, to me, represents the particular strengths of the small but mighty IHE<\/em> newsroom. While a couple of the faux institutions had been flagged by officials, it was Josh\u2019s curiosity and close attention to his beat that prompted his digging, which uncovered dozens more fake schools and the fake accreditors that endorsed them. The double-byline teamwork made the depth of reporting in this story possible while the newsroom simultaneously continued to churn out the news of the day.<\/p>\n Susan Greenberg, managing editor:<\/strong> \u201cThe Handwriting Revolution\u201d by Johanna Alonso<\/p>\n In this story, Johanna looked at how one of most feared, criticized and occasionally, celebrated developments to upend higher education in recent years\u2014generative AI\u2014is changing how faculty teach and assess students. She spoke to a number of professors who are requiring handwritten assignments to ensure that students don\u2019t use ChatGPT or other AI tools to cheat their way through class. The story is lively, timely and illuminating; it includes the voices of an array of faculty members and experts who share nuanced perspectives about the pros and cons of reverting to traditional handwritten assessments to evaluate students in the age of AI.<\/p>\n Ashley Mowreader, student success reporter:<\/strong> \u201cCharlie Kirk: Hero of \u2018Civil Discourse\u2019 or Fount of Division?\u201d by Ryan Quinn<\/p>\n One of Ryan\u2019s many talents as a reporter is being able to take a hot topic in news coverage and deeply report on it to add layers of context, insight and inquiry that could otherwise be overlooked or misunderstood. This piece is exemplary of this type of reporting, peeling past the horror of Charlie Kirk\u2019s murder to investigate what it means to be a figure of civil discourse.<\/p>\n Ryan Quinn, policy reporter:<\/strong> \u201cSpending Soars, Rankings Fall at New College of Florida\u201d by Josh Moody<\/p>\n This story cut through the well-worn conservative\/liberal debates about what should be taught in higher ed and showed a truth that has been raising eyebrows across the political spectrum: New College of Florida was spending \u201cmore than 10 times per student what the other 11 members of the State University System spend, on average\u201d and politicians were likely discussing closing it behind the scenes. The article also had great quotes, including a faculty member calling NCF\u2019s approach to recruitment \u201ckind of like a Ponzi scheme\u201d and a former administrator saying \u201cacademically, Richard [Corcoran] is running a Motel 6 on a Ritz-Carlton budget.\u201d<\/p>\n Sara Custer, editor-in-chief:<\/strong> \u201cThe \u2018Death Spiral\u2019 of Deferred Maintenance\u201d by Colleen Flaherty<\/p>\n The editors at Inside Higher Ed<\/em> have a running joke that deferred maintenance is my favorite topic because I get excited when the issue of crumbling brick facades or broken elevators comes up. I\u2019m not a facilities nerd. I just agree with what F. King Alexander told Colleen Flaherty about deferred maintenance for this piece: \u201cThis is a huge issue that presidents have to deal with that nobody\u2019s talking about.\u201d The sector has rightly spent 2025 following the Trump administration, college closures and leadership controversies, but Colleen\u2019s story is my favorite because it adds nuance to the conversations about higher ed\u2019s financial health and is a reminder that too many colleges are one leaky roof away from closure. It\u2019s also got a killer headline.<\/p>\n Josh Moody, business, finance and leadership reporter:<\/strong> \u201cInternational Student Visas Revoked\u201d by Ashley Mowreader<\/p>\n As the Trump Administration began revoking student visas, the indefatigable Ashley Mowreader worked to identify which institutions and how many students were affected, resulting in a widely-read map that was cited in legal filings and by numerous other publications. Inside Higher Ed<\/em> tracked 1,800-plus students who lost their F-1 or J-1 status as the Trump administration cracked down on immigration. Our reporting helped contextualize the federal government\u2019s broadside against international students and the many subsequent lawsuits via reporting that informed and illuminated and resulted in one of our (deservedly) most-read pieces of 2025.<\/p>\n Sara Weissman, nontraditional students and minority-serving institutions reporter:<\/strong> \u201cGrief Fuels Growth of Turning Point\u2019s Campus Footprint\u201d by Kathryn Palmer<\/p>\n Charlie Kirk\u2019s killing called for a deep, nuanced look at the movement he created, and that\u2019s exactly what Kathryn delivered in this story. The feature was beautifully written and richly detailed. It took Turning Point USA students\u2019 grief seriously while also drawing on a range of scholarly perspectives to add balance and provide context about the movement\u2019s present and future. The story also offered valuable framing for our ongoing coverage about the ways the aftermath of Kirk\u2019s shooting roiled campuses in the months that followed.<\/p>\n Katherine Knott, news editor:<\/strong> \u201cHow Trump Uses the DOJ as Tool of \u2018Fear-Mongering\u2019\u201d by Jessica Blake<\/p>\n This piece from Jessica helped to illuminate how another federal agency was applying pressure to colleges and universities and what\u2019s at stake for higher ed more broadly. Her reporting came after the Department of Justice played a role in the resignation of Jim Ryan, who was president of the University of Virginia and faced questions from federal investigators about how he handled diversity, equity and inclusion efforts on campus. The timely story took readers beyond the news of the day and behind the scenes into the tactics of the second Trump administration.<\/p>\n Kathryn Palmer, research, technology and innovation reporter:<\/strong> \u201cPreserving the Past of HBCUs\u201d by Sara Weissman<\/p>\n Sara\u2019s story on the effort to preserve the history of HBCUs was timely, well-reported and beautifully written. It featured so many voices and presented HBCUs as institutions that illuminate the complexities of America\u2019s history at a time when the federal government is moving to sanitize it. Her story showed how HBCUs are integral to telling the story of Black America and why it\u2019s an important story to preserve. The historical photos put it over the top. <\/p>\n Johanna Alonso, admissions and enrollment reporter:<\/strong> \u201cTexas Ban on Transgender Course Content Sows Chaos\u201d by Emma Whitford<\/p>\n No one in the history of hitting the ground running has ever hit the ground running quite like Emma Whitford did when she came on as Inside Higher Ed<\/em>\u2019s faculty reporter this past September. Since then, Emma, who had previously worked at IHE<\/em> from 2019 to 2022, has covered near daily clashes between faculty and administrators with persistence, precision and clarity. This story about verbal policies banning professors from teaching about gender identity in Texas perfectly encapsulates her incredible ability to root out the truth of complex controversies. From there, she continued to follow this story for weeks as more information came out about the nature of the ban and as faculty questioned the legitimacy of the verbal policy. The saga also demonstrates conservative leaders\u2019 continued efforts to erode academic freedom, which has been a significant theme for the past several years and will surely continue into 2026.<\/p>\n Reporter<\/p>\n Jessica Blake, federal policy reporter:<\/strong> \u201cFlorida Universities Sign Agreements With ICE\u201d by Josh Moody<\/p>\n This was a great scoop that Josh gathered by going back to the basics of journalism and making a public records request. And as someone who completed a bachelor\u2019s degree while working part-time for Investigative Reporters and Editors, I’m a sucker for any story rooted in FOIA. He took an event that was making headlines throughout Florida and across the country and advanced the story, giving readers a behind-the-scenes look at which universities were striking agreements with the Trump administration and how.<\/p>\n Colleen Flaherty, senior editor for special content:<\/strong> The First 100 Days newsletter, Day 88 by Katherine Knott<\/p>\n We were supposed to avoid federal policy pieces due to the onslaught of those this year. But assuming that guidelines are more like suggestions, I have to go with this edition of After the First 100 Days, our weekly federal policy news roundup, by singular news editor Katherine Knott. Back in April, when the newsletter was still called the First 100 Days, the White House was targeting higher ed with such speed and force that it was unnervingly unclear how far things would go. Then came Day 88\u2014or, as Katherine wrote\u2014what \u201cwill be remembered as the week that Harvard said no and higher ed started to fight back.\u201d It was a crucial moment for higher ed in 2025, and Katherine\u2019s weekly analyses have otherwise become crucial reading for me. After the 100 Days is an IHE membership perk but I promise this isn\u2019t a sales ploy, hence the gift link!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It\u2019s been a whirlwind year for higher ed\u2014and for Inside Higher Ed. Yes, we rigorously covered President Donald Trump\u2019s unprecedented attacks on higher education, and our readers seemed to appreciate our efforts; according to my (unscientific) analysis of our readership statistics, about 70 percent of our most-read articles this year were about the Trump administration.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":38265,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[57],"tags":[9448,4349,20995,14936,1376,1623],"class_list":{"0":"post-38264","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-education","8":"tag-editors","9":"tag-favorite","10":"tag-ihe","11":"tag-reporter","12":"tag-share","13":"tag-stories"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38264","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=38264"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38264\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/38265"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=38264"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=38264"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=38264"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Our Favorite Stories of 2025<\/h2>\n