Features
Seize the Moment: Higher Ed Must Improve, Innovate, and Inspire
In a call to action drawn from his remarks at ACE’s recent annual meeting, Ted Mitchell argues that higher education must respond to political attacks not with retreat, but with improvement, innovation, and inspiration.
Why Strategic Plans Fail—and What Leaders Can Do Instead
Another beautifully formatted strategic plan will not change an institution. Jim Doti reflects on how a focused vision and disciplined use of data reshaped Chapman University over 25 years, and what leaders can take from that experience now.
How Veterans Can Lead the Future of Work and Learning
In this call to action, Wendy Lang and Michele Spires urge colleges, credential providers, and employers to align around one shared goal: ensuring veterans can move from service to civilian success without unnecessary barriers.
What to Do When Presidents Face Personal and Political Attacks
Maggy Ralbovsky lays out a practical playbook for presidents to prepare, respond, and rebuild after campus crises—including the manufactured kind—so they protect people and trust.
Developing a Playbook for Presidents Under Pressure
When college presidents become the target and not the issue, hesitation has a cost. Lori Varlotta draws a blueprint for protecting institutions and leaders as misinformation starts to spread.
Working Students Face New Challenges in a Shifting Policy Landscape
As Congress reshapes student aid and public benefits, working students—already balancing jobs, classes, and family obligations—may face even steeper barriers to staying enrolled and completing their degrees.
As Cuts to Department of Veterans Affairs Loom, Our Commitment to Veterans Education Faces a Critical Test
As the VA moves to eliminate more than 80,000 jobs, ACE’s Lindsey Tepe and Michele Spires warn that veterans’ access to education benefits could be at serious risk.
Mobility Isn’t a Choice: How Higher Education Can Better Serve Military Learners
Military learners don’t get to choose when or where they move—but they still show up in college classrooms ready to succeed. Abby Kinch and Michele Spires explore how institutions can support their path forward.
Supporting Student Wellbeing in Uncertain Times
Colleges are facing a volatile mix of policy shifts, polarization, and fiscal pressure, and student wellbeing is on the line. The Action Network for Equitable Wellbeing shares three proven strategies to help campuses move from guesswork to insight through real-time data, empathy interviews, and regular check-ins.
Renewing the Social Contract for Higher Education
With public confidence in colleges at a crossroads, Ted Mitchell and Timothy Knowles call for a new social contract centered on student success—and offer the Carnegie-ACE classification as a path forward.
No, Endowments Are Not the Answer to Federal Attacks on Higher Ed
Misunderstanding how endowments work puts scholarships, research, and students’ futures at risk—and distracts from the real threat facing higher education today.
Three Easy Tax Fixes That Would Help Students Succeed
As Congress takes on tax reform, three bipartisan fixes—ending the tax on Pell Grants, modernizing employer education benefits, and simplifying tax credits—could make college more affordable for millions of students.