Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Katherine Knott

@knottkatherine.bsky.social

We added a new category to our tracker to cover this stance www.insidehighered.com/news/governm...

A light orange circle followed by the words "indicated interest"

October 28, 2025 at 5:11 PM

Katherine Knott

@knottkatherine.bsky.social

Me whenever I find a feature in the CMS

Jeb bush telling an audience to “please clap.”

October 23, 2025 at 11:04 PM

Katherine Knott

@knottkatherine.bsky.social

Dartmouth, U of A, Texas and Vandy. We broke it down here 👇

October 18, 2025 at 3:47 AM

Katherine Knott

@knottkatherine.bsky.social

The plans:

An ice rink awash in red for the Washington caps

October 17, 2025 at 11:30 PM

Katherine Knott

@knottkatherine.bsky.social

For those not keeping track, here’s where we stand with the initial nine, though the compact is open to all of higher ed now.

A table showing names of nine universities and how they’ve responded to the Trump administration’s compact. Brown, MIT, Penn, USC and UVA have rejected it

October 17, 2025 at 10:18 PM

Katherine Knott

@knottkatherine.bsky.social

And now UVa rejects the compact.

white words on a black background

October 17, 2025

The United States Department of Education
Washington, DC 20202

Dear Secretary McMahon, Ms. Mailman, and Mr. Haley,

Thank you for your letter inviting comment on the proposed Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education. We wholeheartedly agree that “American higher education is the envy of the world.” We also agree with many of the principles outlined in the Compact, including a fair and unbiased admissions process, an affordable and academically rigorous education, a thriving marketplace of ideas, institutional neutrality, and equal treatment of students, faculty, and staff in all aspects of university operations. Indeed, the University of Virginia leads in several of these areas and is committed to continuous improvement in all of them.

We seek no special treatment in exchange for our pursuit of those foundational goals. The integrity of science and other academic work requires merit-based assessment of research and scholarship. A contractual arrangement predicating assessment on anything other than merit will undermine the integrity of vital, sometimes lifesaving, research and further erode confidence in American higher education.

Higher education faces significant challenges and has not always lived up to its highest ideals. We believe that the best path toward real and durable progress lies in an open and collaborative conversation. We look forward to working together to develop alternative, lasting approaches to improving higher education.

Sincerely yours,

Paul Mahoney
Interim President
University of Virginia

October 17, 2025 at 9:08 PM

Katherine Knott

@knottkatherine.bsky.social

In finding that the Trump administration violated the First Amendment rights of noncitizens, Judge William Young seems resigned to the fact that his ruling might not lead to much change.

storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

Black text on a white background that says: "Finally, perhaps we don't much care. After all, these Plaintiffs, a group of non-citizen pro-Palestinians are relatively small compared to the much larger interest groups who have every right vigorously to espouse the cause of the State of Israel. Palestine is far away and its people are caught up in
the horrors of a modern war with heavy ordinance wreaking
massive indiscriminate destruction, a war that is not one of our
making. Why should we care about the free speech rights of
their compatriots here among us?
Here's why:
The United states is a great nation, not because any of us
say so. It is great because we still practice our frontier
tradition of selflessness for the good of us all. Strangers go
out of their way to help strangers when they see a need."

Black text on a white background that says: Each day, I recognize (to paraphrase Lincoln again) that
the brave men and women, living and dead, who have struggled in
our Nation's service have hallowed our Constitutional freedom
far above my (or anyone’s) poor power to add or detract. The
only Constitutional rights upon which we can depend are those we
extend to the weakest and most reviled among us.
Expecting no self correction -- or even outcry -- for the
amalgam of reasons above this Court proceeds to lay the legal
groundwork supporting an effective order (Sections III and IV)
and then sketches the special issues extant today (Section V).

September 30, 2025 at 5:41 PM

Katherine Knott

@knottkatherine.bsky.social

This game had everything: a Rodman goal, a win and me holding the flag beforehand.

August 3, 2025 at 7:29 PM

Katherine Knott

@knottkatherine.bsky.social

The Youngkin administration defended the selections and is fighting a lawsuit from state Democrats trying to unseat some board members.

black text on a white background. text is: And Youngkin’s office bristled at the notion that the governor has stocked the board with Republican donors and conservative political figures, arguing all appointees are highly qualified.

“The premise of your question is absurd—to diminish Governor Youngkin’s imminently qualified higher education board appointees as mere partisans is an insult to the citizens who willingly put in the time and effort to voluntarily serve our Commonwealth,” Press Secretary Peter Finocchio wrote in an emailed statement to Inside Higher Ed. “Governor Youngkin is proud to have appointed individuals who are distinguished alumni of our universities, respected business executives, and integral community leaders who have demonstrated experience overseeing complex budgets, running large organizations, and implementing long-term strategies.”

July 24, 2025 at 3:19 PM

Katherine Knott

@knottkatherine.bsky.social

Senate GOP’s higher ed overhaul departed from the House’s plan in several key ways, but it seems like Rep. Walberg doesn’t care.

July 1, 2025 at 4:18 PM

Katherine Knott

@knottkatherine.bsky.social

Another year, another new bag. If you are at #EWA25 and want to chat about higher ed, the joys of journalism and/or romance novels, come find me. I’m around.

May 28, 2025 at 10:53 PM

Katherine Knott

@knottkatherine.bsky.social

And we’re still doing our weekly Trump newsletter but now it’s got a new name. Enjoy!

mailchi.mp/10424650f0f1...

May 9, 2025 at 4:08 PM

Katherine Knott

@knottkatherine.bsky.social

It was just a bit of rain

April 26, 2025 at 8:31 PM

Katherine Knott

@knottkatherine.bsky.social

Suscribe to our weekly Trump newsletter and witness my slow mental spiral. It’s fun, I promise.

Become a member here: www.insidehighered.com/ihe-insider/...

White text on a black image that says, “So that’s a wrap for Week 8. If I were a math person, I would make a Pi Day pun here. But my brain’s baked. (Get it?) Anyone else exhausted and nervous to check their push notifications? No? Just me. OK.”

March 14, 2025 at 4:25 PM

Katherine Knott

@knottkatherine.bsky.social

In Austin for #SXSWedu. Should be a good time.

March 3, 2025 at 5:56 PM

Katherine Knott

@knottkatherine.bsky.social

No promises but there might be photos of Lois, so really you should sign up. Becoming a member is a great way to support our coverage of the new administration and all the other great work from the team.

February 20, 2025 at 1:39 PM

Katherine Knott

@knottkatherine.bsky.social

Mark your calendars, folks!

February 6, 2025 at 3:16 PM

Katherine Knott

@knottkatherine.bsky.social

It was pretty

January 7, 2025 at 3:49 AM

Katherine Knott

@knottkatherine.bsky.social

As a higher ed reporter, I’m contractually obligated to visit Trinity College while on vacation. So I’m just here, doing my job. It’s a hard life.

December 13, 2024 at 2:14 PM

Katherine Knott

@knottkatherine.bsky.social

I think we need pet photos on this site so here’s Lois, my precious, judgy child.

November 14, 2024 at 1:30 AM

Katherine Knott

@knottkatherine.bsky.social

And that’s a wrap on the year! I have one more story to file before the end of 2023, so everyone chill for the next week. We can make more news in 2024.