Molly Bohannon

Molly Bohannon

@molboha.bsky.social

Higher education reporter at AZCIR Previously reported at Forbes and The Coloradoan

988 followers50 following9 posts

Molly Bohannon reposted

Open Campus
@opencampus.org

Workforce Pell promised to make short-term training more affordable for Arizona students. Schools identified 60+ programs that might qualify this year. But just 3 are advancing for federal approval. @molboha.bsky.social at our partner @azcir.org reports on what got in the way: tinyurl.com/yc6x8m28

opencampus.orgArizona community colleges lower expectations for Workforce Pell as state approves first programs - Open CampusArizona community colleges initially identified more than 60 programs that might benefit from new federal financial aid for short-term credentials. But amid tight timelines and strict federal requirem...

Molly Bohannon reposted

Brandon Quester
@bquester.bsky.social

"(Workforce Pell) is not going to be the panacea I think some people had maybe hoped for." @azcir.org's latest via @molboha.bsky.social, and the first of more to come thanks to a new yearlong partnership with @opencampus.org

Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting@azcir.org

Expanded Pell grants promised to make short-term workforce training more affordable for AZ students.But of 60+ programs schools thought could benefit this year, just three are advancing. @molboha.bsky.social reports on the tight rollout, strict reqs that got in the way: azcir.org/news/2026/09...

azcir.orgWorkforce Pell falls short of early hopes in ArizonaMore than 60 Arizona workforce programs initially appeared poised to benefit from expanded Pell grants this year. Just three are advancing for federal consideration.

Molly Bohannon reposted

Brandon Quester
@bquester.bsky.social

Worth noting: The financial calculations used in this lawsuit misinterpret AZCIR's findings. The number of students reported was cumulative since the program began, up until the fall 2025 semester (not in a single semester)

Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting@azcir.org

AZCIR previously reported that fewer undocumented students than anticipated were receiving reduced tuition under AZ's Prop. 308, partly due to its disjointed implementation. Now, the DOJ is suing the state, saying the policy is unlawful regardless of how many benefited: azcir.org/news/2026/08...

azcir.orgDOJ lawsuit seeks end to in-state tuition for Arizona’s undocumented studentsThe Trump administration’s lawsuit against Arizona’s in-state tuition law for undocumented students alleges the voter-backed initiative is “squarely prohibited and preempted by federal law.”

Molly Bohannon reposted

Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting
@azcir.org

AZ has spent years and millions of dollars trying to get more students to continue their education after high school. So why are fewer students enrolling? Tune in to @kjzzphoenix.bsky.social's The Show this AM at 9 to hear AZCIR's @molboha.bsky.social discuss her latest investigation: www.kjzz.org

kjzz.orgKJZZKJZZ is an award-winning, listener-supported public radio station. Listen to KJZZ in the Phoenix area at 91.5 FM and HD, on our mobile app or stream it at kjzz.org.

Molly Bohannon reposted

Brandon Quester
@bquester.bsky.social

AZ’s three public universities quietly dismantled DEI programs over the past year, following threats from the federal gov to cut funding. When @azcir.org asked what changed and how, officials denied interviews, records requests and ignored detailed questions. Our latest: azcir.org/news/2026/04...

azcir.orgArizona universities quietly altered DEI offerings after Trump threatened cutsArizona's three public universities quietly dismantled diversity, equity and inclusion offerings over the past year, yet failed to communicate the changes publicly.
Molly Bohannon
@molboha.bsky.social

When I first looked into how schools were handling the potential of ICE visits last summer, I found students were worried and wanted to feel more supported by their schools. Read that story here: azcir.org/news/2025/09...

azcir.orgAmid student fear and uncertainty, Arizona colleges split on clear policies for ICE on campusArizona’s 20 higher education institutions with the largest in-person enrollments are split on providing clear policies for what to do if ICE shows up on campus.

Molly Bohannon reposted

adriana-navarro.bsky.social
@adriana-navarro.bsky.social

Here it is! My first story with @azcir.org. When I saw AZ lawmakers had introduced laws that would restrict abortion access, I wondered if their actions reflected how their districts voted for Prop. 139. I found it didn't: Each LD voted in favor of the right to abortion care.

azcir.orgDespite broad support for abortion access in their Arizona districts, GOP lawmakers push new restrictionsVoters in 2024 passed Proposition 139, a constitutional amendment guaranteeing Arizonans the right to abortion, with nearly 62% support statewide. An AZCIR analysis shows Republican lawmakers responde...

Molly Bohannon reposted

Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting
@azcir.org

3 years after AZ voters approved in-state tuition for undocumented students through Prop 308, it’s unclear how many have actually benefited. The state had no centralized system to oversee the law's rollout or ensure consistent implementation, AZCIR found. Read our latest: azcir.org/news/2026/01...

azcir.orgArizona voters approved in-state tuition for undocumented students. The state left implementation to chanceAfter Arizona voters approved a 2022 ballot initiative granting in-state tuition to undocumented students, the state put no centralized system in place to track participation or ensure consistent impl...
Molly Bohannon
@molboha.bsky.social

My colleagues @azcir.org found more than 99% of cropland in the Hualapai Valley Basin is now owned or controlled by out-of-state entities. Read the story here: azcir.org/news/2025/11...

azcir.orgArizona's Hualapai Valley now a 'de facto transfer basin' for out-of-state interestsSince 2014, an influx of out-of-state interests have drilled nearly 200 agricultural wells in Mohave County’s Hualapai Valley groundwater basin, straining the aquifer and putting residential water sup...

Molly Bohannon reposted

Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting
@azcir.org

ICYMI: Ten colleges in Arizona are losing millions of dollars after federal cuts hit grants to minority-serving institutions. Without the additional funds, schools are reducing services that helped raise GPAs and made students feel at home, AZCIR’s @molboha.bsky.social found: bit.ly/4o1dPNF

bit.lyArizona colleges face ‘devastating impact’ after Trump slashes grant funds to minority-serving institutionsTen community colleges and universities in Arizona will lose at least $13.8 million after President Donald Trump's administration cut discretionary funding to minority-serving institutions.
Molly Bohannon
@molboha.bsky.social

read my latest, looking at the local impact of federal cuts to minority-serving institutions:

Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting@azcir.org

When the Trump administration recently cut certain grants to minority-serving institutions, millions of dollars earmarked for student support at 10 Arizona schools disappeared—forcing some to end student support programs and reduce staff, via AZCIR’s ‪@molboha.bsky.social‬ azcir.org/news/2025/10...

azcir.orgArizona colleges face ‘devastating impact’ after Trump slashes grant funds to minority-serving institutionsTen community colleges and universities in Arizona will lose at least $13.8 million after President Donald Trump's administration cut discretionary funding to minority-serving institutions.

Molly Bohannon reposted

Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting
@azcir.org

When the Trump administration recently cut certain grants to minority-serving institutions, millions of dollars earmarked for student support at 10 Arizona schools disappeared—forcing some to end student support programs and reduce staff, via AZCIR’s ‪@molboha.bsky.social‬ azcir.org/news/2025/10...

azcir.orgArizona colleges face ‘devastating impact’ after Trump slashes grant funds to minority-serving institutionsTen community colleges and universities in Arizona will lose at least $13.8 million after President Donald Trump's administration cut discretionary funding to minority-serving institutions.

Molly Bohannon reposted

Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting
@azcir.org

Thanks to @kjzz.org for having @azcir.org's @molboha.bsky.social on to discuss her recent reporting about ICE policies at Arizona's largest universities. Listen in: www.kjzz.org/the-show/202...

kjzz.orgThis reporter looked at Arizona universities' policies about ICE on campus — and how they variedBack in January, the Trump administration revoked an Obama era memorandum preventing Immigration and Customs Enforcement from conducting enforcement actions in certain areas, such as schools, hospital...

Molly Bohannon reposted

Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting
@azcir.org

NEW: What would your university do if ICE agents showed up? In Arizona, the answer isn’t always clear. Experts say schools should have explicit protocols, but @azcir.org's @molboha.bsky.social found some of the state’s largest universities don’t. azcir.org/news/2025/09...

azcir.orgAmid student fear and uncertainty, Arizona colleges split on clear policies for ICE on campusArizona’s 20 higher education institutions with the largest in-person enrollments are split on providing clear policies for what to do if ICE shows up on campus.

Molly Bohannon reposted

Brandon Quester
@bquester.bsky.social

Thrilled to welcome three new investigative reporters to our @azcir.org team, @molboha.bsky.social, @allymarkovich.bsky.social & @adriana-navarro.bsky.social. Give them a follow—and share your story ideas and tips!

Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting@azcir.org

📣 Exciting news from @azcir.org — we’re welcoming three new investigative reporters: – @molboha.bsky.social‬: higher education –‪ @allymarkovich.bsky.social‬: criminal justice – ‪@adriana-navarro.bsky.social‬: gender, politics & policy Give them a follow!

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