Mudita Mindful Learning

"But change is in the air. Over perhaps the past decade, higher education has become increasingly politicized, and Republicans in particular have lost faith in the sector. With President-elect Donald J. Trump’s second term looming, attacks on college finances are likely. We may see reductions in research funding, federal financial aid, and access to international students — measures that could imperil some institutions but are unlikely to fundamentally damage our best-resourced colleges. What might do so is tax policy."

Opinion | How Trump Could Devastate Our Top Colleges’ Finances A 35-percent endowment tax would hurt students — and society.

"The number of international students fell by 12 percent when compared to competitor countries during Donald Trump’s first term as president, researchers at Texas A&M University have found; now that he is about to start a second term, 58 percent of European students say they are less interested in coming to the United States, according to a survey by the international student recruiter Keystone Education Group."

The number of 18-year-olds is about to drop sharply, packing a wallop for colleges — and the economy America is about to go over the ‘demographic cliff’

It's hard to believe this kid, whom we've known since since she was in fourth grade, is finally applying to college! We can't wait to see what Rukmini's unique, creative, intelligent energy brings to the world!

Congratulations to Anahi on her admissions offer to Azim Premji University!

"Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law a sweeping ban that prioritizes merit over lineage. While legacy admissions had already been prohibited at public universities, this new law extends the ban to private, non-profit institutions, making California the second state, after Maryland, to take such action. Prestigious universities like Stanford and the University of Southern California (USC), known for favoring legacy applicants, will now be required to revise their admissions policies."

Stanford and other California institutions to bid adieu to legacy admissions soon: What it means for U.S. students? - Times of India News News: In September 2024, California passed a law banning legacy and donor-based admissions at both public and private universities, starting with the 2025 c

"As I found in the research for my forthcoming book, families with financial means are “skipping over” a set of colleges that they would have paid full (or close to full) tuition for in the past. Higher education has trained families that they deserve some sort of discount, and they can’t now untrain them. Indeed, these families want ever bigger breaks on tuition each year and are increasingly willing to trade prestige for it — unless it’s an Ivy-plus or very selective college, which they still seem willing to pay for. This has significant consequences for colleges higher up in the pecking order of prestige that for decades were able to persuade a significant number of families to pay full price."

Opinion | Higher Ed’s Grim New Normal Overcoming demographic headwinds will require more than austerity.

"The notion that a liberal education is of dubious value has become entrenched in the popular imagination, even as its defenders argue the opposite. The Association of American Colleges and Universities, liberal education’s chief advocate, celebrates its 100th anniversary this month. Its choices have shaped the story of liberal education, too. The group appears to be in fine shape, with a $10-million budget, more than 1,300 member colleges, and high-profile projects on educational quality, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and civic learning, commissioned by the U.S. Department of Education. But such projects and respect on many campuses haven’t stopped the public from largely dismissing the idea of liberal education.

College is defined so narrowly and instrumentally now, AAC&U’s president, Carol Geary Schneider, has said, that it’s “ultimately dangerous both to democracy and to economic creativity.”

The Day the Purpose of College Changed On February 28, 1967, Gov. Ronald Reagan spoke of “certain intellectual luxuries that perhaps we could do without.” Here’s why liberal education has never recovered.

"Now there’s a growing movement by state legislatures and institutions to do away with legacy admissions, with California recently becomingthe second state, after Maryland, to pass legislation banning the practice at private and public universities. California's decision comes at a time when the American public is increasingly skeptical that legacy admissions should continue to exist. A 2022 Pew Research Center survey found that 75% of Americans believe legacy status should not be a factor in college admissions." https://www.teenvogue.com/story/movement-against-legacy-admissions?utm_source=nl&utm_brand=tv&utm_mailing=TNV_Take010425&utm_campaign=aud-dev&utm_medium=email&bxid=6287695cb3d38a15dd043f4f&cndid=69817015&hasha=3d7a5d7172b0946d2d9a8d27d1e600f3&hashb=401db2c0a25a68f6d4027930331ae7d72d7fbd9c&hashc=88f5955e5492004a3ea968a0d3b93763b808e8242376854f11cd1df487fd5bc0&esrc=subscribe-page&utm_term=TNV_Take

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"However, it highlighted that “a new presidential administration can enact new policies on their first day in office”, pointing to Trump’s 2017 travel bans, one of which – though subsequently blocked – was issued by an executive order just seven days into his presidency.
While the advisory from UMass Amherst did not speculate on which countries or regions might be affected, Cornell university told students that “a travel ban is likely to go into effect soon after inauguration”.
“The ban is likely to include citizens of the countries targeted in the first Trump administration: Kyrgyzstan, Nigeria, Myanmar, Sudan, Tanzania, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Syria, Venezuela, Yemen, and Somalia." https://thepienews.com/us-institutions-issue-travel-advisories-over-potential-trump-travel-ban/?utm_campaign=The%20PIE%20Weekly%202023&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-82CahcIuYNPEg8QtnAFV5QOpX_iEIAKSt7e5kRi7WI2LgYYNDw10nGS-VA1STSRjrPia-VldpfYCyeUFy2r-mPRMrLJg&_hsmi=340927165&utm_content=340927165&utm_source=hs_email

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"The Philippines government has recently amended the Philippine Medical Act, granting international students the opportunity to practice medicine in the country." https://thepienews.com/philippines-eases-practice-rules-for-international-medical-students/?utm_campaign=The%20PIE%20Weekly%202023&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8DXVAM17Lz3aFtxjr5VMW6XoU2u-PcSN4kGHnwrfkmriESgpd4PQ4pxPcfePYCI1gULqzZMZBmcICu49wH6p6k8839cw&_hsmi=340927165&utm_content=340927165&utm_source=hs_email

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"Some 112 unnamed Canadian institutions have made agreements with one entity involved in such activities, while more than 150 have done the same with a similar organisation, an ongoing investigation by India‘s financial law enforcement agency has revealed.
There is no suggestion that the institutions were aware they were being used to aid in the illegal activities.
The companies facilitating human trafficking, which also remain unnamed, have thousands of agents and partners across India – with around 800 believed to be actively involved in the scheme, the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) said in a statement on December 24.
Searches at eight locations across India on December 10 revealed that one of the entities involved had referred around 25,000 students to overseas institutions, while another referred more than 10,000 every year." https://thepienews.com/traffickers-used-canadian-study-visas-to-smuggle-indians-into-us/?utm_campaign=The%20PIE%20Weekly%202023&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_275mmLpbBcgco1UAo7_jw9y53DPKAe_lkvkVpxN7LsnjitWnffim3fbiFlJPHun-NEUtY3bRIIYyvr1Gz8b28ZBa6LQ&_hsmi=340927165&utm_content=340927165&utm_source=hs_email

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"Indian students, the largest group of international students in the US, rely heavily on the programme as a pathway to professional opportunities and eventual H-1B visas. Engineering, mathematics, and computer science are the top choices for these students, with many utilising the STEM OPT extension.

In the 2023-24 academic year, about 97,556 Indian students -- 29% of all Indian students in the US -- were enroled in OPT, up from 69,062 in the previous year.

The OPT programme’s critics say it takes jobs away from Americans, especially the STEM extension.

In 2023, the Washington Alliance of Technology Workers (WashTech) challenged the programme in court, claiming it harms American workers. However, the US Supreme Court declined to review the case, effectively upholding a lower court ruling that validated the programme." https://www.indiatoday.in/world/us-news/story/optional-practical-training-opt-international-students-foreign-workers-taking-jobs-americans-h1b-f1-visa-work-permit-2658544-2025-01-02

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