Dept. of Education Releases FAQs on Dear Colleague Letter

Over the weekend, the U.S. Department of Education released additional guidance regarding the "Dear Colleague" letter concerning DE&I in higher education.

As Colleges Face Funding Threats, Accreditors Offer Flexibility

In the past few weeks, colleges have been scrambling to determine how to comply with the Trump administration's DE&I executive order and "Dear Colleague" letter. Despite pending legal challenges, accreditors are treading lightly and allowing colleges leeway on certain standards.

What the U.S. Education Department Does and Doesn't Do, and How it Affects Higher Ed

No doubt you have heard about the Trump Administration's plans to dismantle the U.S. Education Department. But how much would these plans, if brought to fruition, actually impact community colleges? Learn more about what the Education Department does (and doesn't do), and how the proposed changes could affect your institutions.

How will nixing ED research contracts affect IPEDS?

Nearly $900 million in contracts supporting the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) have been cancelled. IES is an independent research agency within the Education Department that houses the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and funds research on improving educational outcomes. NCES is responsible for collecting, cleaning, and disseminating data from higher education data collections, including IPEDs. Which leads to the question...if the cuts are upheld in court, what could defunding of the IES mean for IPEDS and your institutions?

Amid Federal Upheaval, a Pell Shortfall Looms

The Pell Grant is facing a projected $2.7 billion budget shortfall. By fiscal year 2026-27, the Congressional Budget Office projects that the program will be short $10 billion unless Congress puts more money toward the grants. With the Education Department in turmoil and the cuts to federal spending, advocates fear that cuts may be unavoidable.

STATE NEWS

Arkansas ACCESS Bill for Higher Education

House Bill 1512 -- the Governor's ACCESS plan for higher education -- is expected to be heard at a joint meeting of the house and senate education committees in the coming week. ACCESS stands for:

Acceleration

Common Sense

Cost

Eligibility

Scholarships

Standardization.

Some of the bill highlights include: weighted high school GPAs that encourage students to take concurrent courses; changes to the concurrent funding model; new rules regarding tenure and tenure review; plans for a task force to review the productivity funding model and incorporate return on investment (ROI); plans to create a funding model for short term programming; a statewide admissions application; changes to state scholarships including Workforce Challenge, Concurrent Challenge, and Academic Challenge; and common course numbering.

READ THE BILL (note: an amendment significantly impacting sections related to higher education is expected as soon as this afternoon)

ACC News

ACC Student Leadership Academy

More than 50 students from community colleges across the state attended the 2025 Student Leadership Academy in February. Students learned about the legislative process, toured the Capitol, and even had a photo op with the Governor.

Stakeholders Convene to Address Student Parent Supports and Family Economic Mobility

ACC, in partnership with Jobs for the Future (JFF), hosted a convening of more than 40 representatives from state agencies, nonprofits, and community colleges across the state to discuss the "2Gen" approach to supporting student parents and increasing family economic mobility. Stakeholders gathered at the University of Arkansas Pulaski Technical College (UAPTC) for the second meeting in a three-part series funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

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