Now in office, how can Trump fix higher ed

Today’s inauguration of President Donald Trump started what could be four years interrupting higher education.

He comes into office at a time when college and university student numbers are faltering, public disillusionment with the cost of degrees is growing and culture wars are escalating. Taken together, these situations give the president — and his Republican colleagues on Capitol Hill — an opportunity to push for more scrutiny and accountability at the nation’s top institutions while also reducing the education footprint.

During the campaign, Trump said he plans to eliminate the Department of Education, ban the participation of women’s athletes in sports, “delete” endorsements and cut funding for scientific research. He has also discussed increasing short-term financial aid, making it more difficult to organize student unions, protecting conservative speech on campuses, not allowing college charters and creating a free online state college funded by new taxes on wealthy private universities.

Since winning the election, Trump has not given any details on how he will fulfill the policy promises he has made.

Colleges, meanwhile, have adopted a wait-and-see approach to the incoming Trump administration. Overall, the reaction to Trump’s election on college campuses has been much more muted this time around than the protests and outcry in 2016.

But Trump’s anti-immigration rhetoric and calls for mass deportations worry some college leaders. Many institutions have advised international students to return to school before Monday, warning them that orders from the new president may complicate their return. Others pledged not to participate in mass deportations and said they would defend DEI programs and policies.

Trump’s impact on higher education will likely vary by institution. For example, for-profit and other colleges expect red tape and little oversight from administrators, while historically Black colleges and universities are prepared to educate administrators and Congress about their institutions and their value.

Trump’s team so far

He tapped Linda McMahon—the former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment, chair of his transition team and founder of a pro-Trump think tank—to implement his education agenda against diversity, equality and inclusion and shrink the department.

McMahon has yet to receive a confirmation hearing in the Senate, but is expected to get the green light. Who else will work with McMahon in key roles related to higher ed such as under secretary, assistant secretary for civil rights and chief operating officer of Federal Student Aid is not yet clear.

Trump nominated former Tennessee education commissioner Penny Schwinn as deputy secretary on Friday. Schwinn, who will most likely focus on K-12 policy, was part of former University of Florida president Ben Sasse’s cabinet as vice president for PK-12 and undergraduate programs.

McMahon’s nomination surprised education policy observers because of his lack of experience in education. But others see him as a reliable lieutenant with a strong track record in business who can get things done in the department.

First Day Plans

Trump doesn’t need McMahon and his team to get started. While the administration’s first day will be full of pomp and circumstance, the president’s transition team also said it will include the signing of orders by 200 officials, Fox News reported on Sunday, which would be a record.

It’s unclear how many of those orders will affect colleges and universities, but higher education, which has received little attention from Trump in his first term, is expected to be high on the administration’s list this time around. Actions related to diversity, equity and inclusive initiatives; transgender students; campus antisemitism; and immigration can be among the first on the docket.

During his first administration, Trump scaled back oversight of for-profit colleges, issued new Title IX laws strengthening due process protections for those accused of assault and appointed a conservative majority to the US Supreme Court, paving the way for later judicial strikes. affirmative action in June 2023, among other changes.

Now, as he did in the first term with Obama’s policies, Trump will likely roll back many of the laws President Biden put in place. Those include additional steps in the college admissions process, protections for borrowers who have been misled by their institution of higher education and an income-driven repayment plan that lowers the monthly payments of millions of borrowers. Others, however, including gainful employment, may remain in place, as the GOP considers increased state oversight of colleges and universities.

Biden’s Team Concludes

Trump’s list of potential repeals grew shorter when a federal judge struck down Biden’s Title IX executive order. Other lawsuits challenging the rules made by the Biden administration are pending.

The outgoing president and his team have been scrambling to wrap their heads around it. In just a few weeks, they finalized new rules for online education and college prep programs, announced the settlement of a civil rights and anti-Semitism investigation, and issued several rounds of debt relief. That’s in line with new guidance related to online program administrators and Title IX requirements for financial payments to college athletes.

Before the holidays, Biden withdrew two debt relief proposals, half-baked legislation on accreditation and federal accreditation, and controversial legislation on the participation of transgender athletes in women’s sports. The decision forces Trump to start from scratch rather than leaving existing policies open to amendment.

But the president may not even need to deal with some of these issues as Republicans take the lead in Congress. House Republicans have passed legislation to ban transgender women from women’s sports teams across the country and to crack down on the detention of undocumented immigrants. The immigration bill could make it more difficult for international students from China and India to study in the U.S. The Senate voted Friday to advance that bill to a final vote, which could come as soon as Monday.