ALT Promo image for the CAO survey webcast, “Pressure, Constraint and... Opportunity? Academic Leadership in 2026." Includes Inside Higher Ed’s logo and a "Register Now" button. Webcast scheduled for Wednesday, October 21, 2026, at 2 p.m. E.T.

ALT Editor’s Note in white text on an orange sticky note on a white surface.

ALT An illustration of a human head with three jigsaw puzzle pieces inside it. Three other jigsaw puzzle pieces hover outside the head.

ALT Brick wall with sign that says "The Ohio State University" behind black bench

ALT The Key Voices of Student Success Graphic for Ep 217: Is College Preparing Students for Work? ON the left, a key with a brain as the key head. On the right, headshots for Joshua Bay, an asian man with short dark hair in a dark jacket, and Felix Matos Rodriguez, an older latino man with white hair and beard wearing a tan suit with an orange tie.

ALT David Baecker, a professor of theater at Russell Sage College, looks over a collection of playbills for Russell Sage College theater productions on Wednesday, June 10, 2026, at the Schacht Fine Arts Center on the college's campus in Troy, N.Y.

ALT U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a rally to kick off the Great American State Fair on the National Mall on June 24, 2026 in Washington, DC.

ALT A photo of the Michigan State University campus.

ALT Scales of justice in front of law books

ALT A stock image of hairdressers drying long blond hair with a blow dryer in the foreground while another hairdresser works in the background. In black text the kicker Governance, the headline ED Restricts Membership for Cosmetology Accreditor, and the dek The Education Department’s accreditation advisory committee recommended stripping the accreditor of federal recognition. But senior officials stopped short of that recommendation. Photo source: Mariakray/iStock/Getty Images

ALT A text block reads: Altogether, NACCAS accredits more than 1,000 programs and institutions. One issue for ED staff and the advisory committee was that NACCAS failed to independently monitor whether its member institutions had been sanctioned by other agencies.

ALT The quote, “If NACCAS is unable to adequately monitor its institutions—or prospective institutions—to a sufficient level to understand what actions are taken by outside actors, perhaps NACCAS has reached an unsustainable number of institutions it accredits.” from Under Secretary Nicholas Kent wrote in his decision letter.

ALT University of Minnesota police cut down a sign reading "ICE OFF CAMPUS" after detaining students who chained themselves to the door of Morrill Hall on Feb. 6, 2026, in Minneapolis.

ALT A young black woman listens to something in her headphones while wood working. In white text the kicker Institutions, the headline What Can Work Colleges Teach Higher Ed?, and the dek Student labor is a vital part of the educational experience at work colleges, which offer free or reduced tuition. But the model requires significant investment and is hard to replicate. Photo source: Josh Moody/Inside Higher Ed

ALT Two text blocks read: At work colleges, which give students free or reduced tuition in exchange for their labor, students don’t just have jobs—employment is built into the educational experience. And while not all graduate debt-free, they typically leave with considerable workforce experience and at least the contours of a path forward.

ALT Three more text blocks read: Founded by a radical abolitionist minister in 1855, Berea College has long had a pioneering spirit. It was both the first coeducational and the first racially integrated college in the South. Today Berea is probably the most visible of the nine work colleges with a federal designation, which unlocks some funding but also carries complex requirements.

ALT The quote, “The idea was that students who couldn’t afford college could come to Berea, contribute through their work, through their labor, to the running of the college. I think of it as almost like a utopian barter system.” from Cheryl Nixon, president of Berea College

ALT Small World is off center in dark green text on a cream background. On the right, a person tumbles through the air with their laptop, computer mouse, coffee, and notebooks. On the left, a brown dog with white splotches on its belly, paws, and face jumps for a light red bone.

ALT "Streamline The Recruiting Process" in bold white text with a green box below it that reads "with Unlimited Packages"

ALT Protesters in Washington, D.C., rally in support of Jane Doe. A sign reads "Justice for Jane Doe."

ALT The entrance to 99 Claremont, a new residence hall for nontraditional students at Columbia University’s School of General Studies.

ALT A stock image of hairdressers drying long blond hair with a blow dryer in the foreground while another hairdresser works in the background.

ALT A campus shot of the University of Iowa next to a headshot of Carson Holloway, the new director of the Center for Intellectual Freedom.

ALT A photo illustration of students covering the canvas with all of their face details distorted by a halftone texture. Several of them are bright orange and have a number over their heads while the others in gray remain uncounted.

ALT A student doing math problems on a glass whiteboard.

ALT A photo illustration of a woman in a lab coat and a man in a lab coat working in a lab.