Tuesday, November 25, 2025
Monday, November 24, 2025
Wealthy People Have Always Shaped Universities. This Time Is Different. [ NYTimes ]
The flava:
Now they have an ally in the White House.
President Trump embraced a billionaire’s strategy to try to wring ideological concessions from universities. He blessed another’s role as Harvard University’s emissary for negotiations with the federal government. Yet another billionaire helped steer cuts at the Department of Education — which a different billionaire leads.
Mr. Trump’s approach represents a shift in how wealthy people are shaping higher education. Some of the moneyed voices Mr. Trump has elevated have, in the name of encouraging open debate, sought to expunge progressive orthodoxy from academia and tilt campuses rightward. And since Mr. Trump has taken office, the president and his allies have pursued an aggressive campaign to realize their vision, including reshaping the relationship between the federal government and the nation’s colleges and universities.
The campaign is accelerating. But it has been in the works for years.
The article:
Tuesday, November 18, 2025
MacKenzie Scott Gives $700 Million to Historically Black Colleges [ NYTimes ]
The flava:
Philander Smith University, a historically Black college in Arkansas, received the largest gift in its 147-year history on Friday, when billionaire MacKenzie Scott gave $19 million.
It was one of 15 donations she gave to historically Black colleges and universities this year, adding up to more than $700 million, according to a list compiled by Marybeth Gasman, a professor at Rutgers and the executive director of the Rutgers Center for Minority Serving Institutions.
“This gift is a resounding vote of confidence in our mission and our momentum,” Dr. Maurice D. Gipson, the president of Philander Smith, said in a statement.
The donations to the schools, some of which have struggled with enrollment and finances, come as the Trump administration has also directed additional money their way. In September, the administration allocated nearly $500 million for H.B.C.U.s and tribal colleges, on top of the federal funds they had already expected.
Recipients of Ms. Scott’s windfall praised her for giving funds without strings attached, which they said would allow institutions to distribute funds however they see fit. . . .
The article:
Friday, November 14, 2025
Wednesday, November 12, 2025
Monday, November 10, 2025
Monday, November 3, 2025
Palantir Thinks College Might Be a Waste. So It’s Hiring High-School Grads. [ WSJ ]
The flava:
At first, the idea of skipping college to take a fellowship for Palantir Technologies seemed preposterous to Matteo Zanini. But he couldn’t stop thinking about it.
“College is broken,” one Palantir post said. “Admissions are based on flawed criteria. Meritocracy and excellence are no longer the pursuits of educational institutions,” it said. The fellowship offered a path for high-school students to work full time at the company.
After deciding to apply, Zanini found out he got the fellowship at around the same time he learned of his admission to Brown University. Brown wouldn’t allow him to defer and he had also landed a full-ride scholarship through the Department of Defense.
“No one said to do the fellowship,” said Zanini, who turned 18 in September. “All of my friends, my teachers, my college counselor, it was a unanimous no.” His parents left the decision to him, and he decided to go with Palantir.
The article:
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