Todd Wallack

Did you happen to see the announcement that the Defense Department ordered 30 universities to review their connections with "foreign entities of concern," which could potentially obtain sensitive American technology? 1/ 🧵

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wapo.stThe Pentagon pushed colleges to cut ties with China. Some pushed back.Several of the 30 schools contacted by the Defense Department said their relationships with foreign entities didn’t threaten research security, and some said they planned to keep the ties.

You can read more details here @washingtonpost.com wapo.st/4zM9PpD (gift link)

P.S. I wasn't able to mention all the universities in my story. I uploaded additional responses from the schools to Documentcloud. Let me know if you need the direct links to any of them. I imagine reporters who cover the schools might be interested.

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One of the schools said it had nine partnerships with nine Chinese schools, but they existed only on paper. There was no activity with any of them. 3/

Most said the partnerships didn't even involve sensitive research. Some were study abroad programs. One was a degree program in hospitality and tourism management. 4/

I wondered what that meant. So I contacted all 30 organizations and got records from 17. What I found was a bit surprising. 2/

wapo.stOregon town known for its safety and natural beauty reels after school shootingFast-growing Bend, known for good schools, a great park and trail system and a laid-back vibe, hadn’t had a murder in more than a year — until Thursday.

Thousands of people have moved to Bend, Oregon in search of someplace beautiful and safe. That peace was shattered in last week's elementary school shooting. wapo.st/4zG4i3T

washingtonpost.comCollege program known for fast degrees will now need approval to add majorsThe New England Commission of Higher Education suspended the blanket approval for the University of Maine System to expand its online YourPace program. The move comes amid concerns that the program wa...

The New England Commission of Higher Education also plans to review its broader policies next month around competency-based education and transfer credits, which could affect additional colleges.

Todd Wallack@twallack.bsky.social

A New England accreditor is tapping the brakes on a fast-growing college program known for letting people graduate in as little as a few months. www.washingtonpost.com/education/20...

washingtonpost.comLawyer for Jane Doe in Cornell case accuses defendants’ attorneys of leaksThe court filing includes complaints dating back to when Doe’s lawyer and an attorney for one of the defendants were on opposite sides of litigation involving Sean “Diddy” Combs.

The attorneys in the Cornell litigation are firing accusations at each other in a way I don't normally see. www.washingtonpost.com/education/20...

A New England accreditor is tapping the brakes on a fast-growing college program known for letting people graduate in as little as a few months. www.washingtonpost.com/education/20...

wapo.stHe shares a name with a Cornell rape suspect. Strangers started hunting him down.As vigilantes race to expose those connected to the case, innocent people have been doxed, threatened and falsely accused.

Vigilantes are targeting people connected to the Cornell rape case. They are often hitting people who happen to share similar names. wapo.st/3VEWsJ8

Todd Wallack reposted

Washington Post Data Team

@wpdatateam.bsky.social

Replying to @wpdatateam.bsky.social

See all 8 charts on the rise of sexual violence reports on college campuses here. Story from @twallack.bsky.social & @kcrowebasspro.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/education/20...

wapo.stReports of sexual violence are up. Data from Cornell and other colleges in 8 charts.Incidents at Cornell are more likely to be reported to law enforcement but less likely to result in serious discipline compared to statewide figures, data shows.

I took a look at sexual assault data for both Cornell and colleges across the country. Only 1% of incidents result in expulsions at schools in NY state. It's even lower at Cornell. wapo.st/4dSEgSs

Most US students graduate college in 4 years or less, a new study finds. 8% complete a bachelor's in 3 years or less. Nearly 7K finished within a year in 2024-25. wapo.st/4AFdBSU (gift link)

washingtonpost.comCarnegie Mellon nets $3 billion gift, most ever given to a universityEntrepreneur Ken Griffin’s donation will launch a new campus in Miami and support the school’s Pittsburgh campus.

Carnegie Mellon just got the biggest donation ever made to a single college ($3 billion), largely to open a new campus in Miami. www.washingtonpost.com/education/20...

wapo.stHegseth bars military academies from hiring civilians as tenured professorsThe move marks the latest effort by the Trump administration to exert more control over faculty at service academies.

There's been an effort in some red states to restrict tenure at public universities. Now the Trump administration is taking action at the US service academies. wapo.st/4hDFceJ

wapo.stOne professor’s AI-assisted output: 200 papers and 14 books this yearAn online platform removed 257 papers written or co-written by the University of Chicago’s Nicholas Polson after other academics raised questions.

It's not just students using AI. A University of Chicago professor used AI to help produce over 200 papers so far this year. He's also written or co-written as many as 14 books, with more in the works. wapo.st/4xCaFUf (gift link) @washingtonpost.com

wapo.stState college in Maine draws scrutiny from accreditor over fast online degreesThe University of Maine at Presque Isle is facing a review after a Washington Post article reported that some students completed degrees in just a few months.

18 Sept

A college known for letting students graduate in as little as a few months is gaining attention...both from prospective students and its accreditor. @washingtonpost wapo.st/4yJ2wyk (gift link).

18 Sept

The accreditor, which oversees more than 200 universities, also plans to examine its broader policies around transfer credits and competency-based education (which lets students go at their own pace).

What do you think of the Princeton Review's list of brst college newspapers?

Princeton Review says the list is based on surveys of students on campus, rather than expert opinions.

What great college papers do you think are missing from the list?

wapo.stThese students weren’t alive on 9/11. They’re reading letters from teens who were.In the months after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York, history teacher John Buglione asked his students to write letters to the future. Now he uses those documents to teach his current...

Really interesting look at students learning about 9/11 by my colleague @laurenmlumpkin wapo.st/3T0Sz0b (gift link)

washingtonpost.comJudge blocks DHS rule limiting foreign students to four-year staysThe court ruling came one day before the new regulation was set to take effect.

There's a lot of uncertainty surrounding student visas. A judge just blocked the latest changes. www.washingtonpost.com/education/20...

intern.washpost.comWashington Post Newsroom Summer Internship ProgramGeneral information and FAQ for The Washington Post's newsroom summer internship program.

14 Sept

Washington Post is accepting applications for summer internships. Deadline is Oct. 9. intern.washpost.com

wapo.stReport finds flaws in hunt for Brown University shooter who went on to kill againThe findings raise questions about whether the shooter could have been identified before he went on to kill an MIT professor.

Brown just released a report finding it highly unlikely the school could have prevented the shooting.

Todd Wallack@twallack.bsky.social

A report on the Brown shooting in December leaves some unanswered questions. Could the shooter have been caught earlier? And did "John" the homeless tipster ever receive the $50K reward? wapo.st/4hZOSSC (gift link)

brown.eduBrown releases Safety and Security Action Plan to further strengthen preparedness and response following Dec. 13 shootingExternal review finds it “highly unlikely” Dec. 13 shooting at Brown could have been prevented; focuses on continuing to bolster safety and security for the future.

New report is here: www.brown.edu/news/2026-08...

The report generally praises the city's response, but did find some challenges that slowed down the hunt for the shooter.

ohiocapitaljournal.comOhio's public universities are eliminating nearly 90 degree programs as a result of Senate Bill 1 • Ohio Capital JournalNearly 90 degree programs have been identified to be cut at Ohio’s public universities since Senate Bill 1 was signed into law a year ago.

26 Aug

A reader just told me we omitted a state college in Ohio, Kent State. This link also lists Wright State and Ohio University. ohiocapitaljournal.com/2026/04/16/o...

Todd Wallack@twallack.bsky.social

More than a dozen US colleges have made cuts in African American Studies and related fields since Jan 2025. I compiled a list. www.washingtonpost.com/education/20...

washingtonpost.comWhy colleges are cutting Black studies departments, majors and classesMore than a dozen schools have scaled back such programs, citing low enrollment, budget issues and state laws, a Washington Post review found.

26 Aug

As you can see, state schools in Ohio are making cuts to other programs with low enrollment as well.

More than a dozen US colleges have made cuts in African American Studies and related fields since Jan 2025. I compiled a list. www.washingtonpost.com/education/20...

Some people suspect politics is a factor. Schools cite low enrollment and limited funding.

Good reporting by @bostonglobe.com

The Boston Globe@bostonglobe.com

Harvard University spent years conducting research into a Hingham woman’s genealogy without her knowledge. They discovered she is a descendant of a man who had been enslaved by a member of Harvard’s Board of Overseers. A Globe reporter told her the news. trib.al/AongqAl

wapo.stWhy colleges are cutting Black studies departments, majors and classesMore than a dozen schools have scaled back such programs, citing low enrollment, budget issues and state laws, a Washington Post review found.

More than a dozen US colleges have scaled back African American Studies and related programs since Jan 2025. I compiled a list. wapo.st/4y0rbhp

20 Aug

This statue is in Franklin Square in DC. It does not depict Ben Franklin (or any Franklin).

washingtonpost.comChronic absenteeism remains high six years after pandemic beganNearly a quarter of U.S. children did not show up for school regularly in 2025, a slight decline from the previous year but still up from about 15 percent before covid.

13 Aug

Nearly 1 in 4 US K-12 students missed school regularly last school year. wapo.st/4c78oZF

the74million.orgAbsenteeism Is a Major Problem. So Why Can’t Schools Agree on How to Measure It?From state to state, and sometimes from district to district, schools use different metrics to decide what constitutes an absence.

13 Aug

Some readers asked to me break it out by state, but there is no uniform way to measure absenteeism, as the 74 notes. www.the74million.org/article/abse...

11 Aug

I looked into the firestorm about @umich.edu's plans to mask grades for first-semester students. Turns out some other schools have had similar programs for decades.

washingtonpost.comUniversity of Michigan plans to mask grades for new studentsIt's not the first school to try the tactic in an effort to ease stress for freshmen.

11 Aug

Link: www.washingtonpost.com/education/20...

wapo.stTrump administration takes aim at website listing diversity scholarshipsCareerOneStop, which is funded and overseen by the Labor Department, lists hundreds of scholarships for women, men and students of color.

10 Aug

A federally funded website features hundreds of scholarships aimed at women and students of color. That could change. wapo.st/4woCkHP (gift link).

10 Aug

Outside the National Museum of the American Indian today.

washingtonpost.comInside school investigations frozen under Trump: Racial slurs, sexual harassment and moreThe Education Department was in talks with dozens of districts at the end of the Biden administration. The cases have stalled since the president took office.

9 Aug

My colleague @laurameckler uncovered details about civil rights investigations that have been frozen by the Trump administration, including ones in Arizona, Michigan and Massachusetts. www.washingtonpost.com/education/20...

2 Aug

Washington, DC has a replica of the Liberty Bell without the famous crack.

wapo.stShrinking student populations cause spike in public school closures across U.S.Limited funds and low enrollment forced districts to close more than 1,000 schools in 2025-26.

20 July

My latest: US school closures inched up for the 4th year in a row, driven by fewer kids and limited revenue. gift link: wapo.st/3RGhmWB

18 July

I guess you can bet on anything.