This week in college admissions, the University of Michigan announces a new president, UT Austin introduces a new general education curriculum, there’s a massive increase in classes and majors focused on AI fluency, and a whistleblower from the US Department of Justice explains the political motivations behind the Trump administration’s investigations into Brown, Columbia, and Harvard.
Dr. C. Cybele Raver has been named the new president of the University of Michigan. Dr. Raver, a psychology professor specializing in child development, joins Michigan after having served as provost at Vanderbilt University.
The University of Texas at Austin has announced plans to transform its core curriculum. Beginning in fall 2027, UT Austin’s general education requirements will focus on US history and Western civilization. The new core curriculum comes after two developments: Texas enacted laws empowering public university boards to oversee general education courses, and UT Austin announced plans to steer general education courses away from “controversial and contested topics.”
Course catalogs for fall 2026 are increasingly featuring AI-based classes. As employers seek college graduates with AI fluency, universities are quickly expanding and adapting their curricula to focus on AI. Some universities, including Northwestern, the University of Southern California, and the University of Maryland, have introduced new AI majors.
A whistleblower from the Department of Justice has come forward to say that antisemitism investigations into Brown, Columbia, and Harvard were politically motivated. The lawsuits led these universities to “disgorge money” that they each previously received through government-funded research grants. In response to the whistleblower’s claims, Congress plans to question Harmeet Dhillon, the DOJ’s assistant attorney general for civil rights.
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