AXIOS (Avery Lotz) - Trump's higher ed shakeup starts a new semester
Students are returning to campus as the Trump administration continues to reshape American academia. The big picture: The administration has leveraged federal education funding and threatened litigation against universities deemed misaligned with policy priorities — moves critics say subject academia to political whims. State of play: The all-of-government squeeze on higher education continues a 19-month battle that has brought scrutiny of international collaboration, threats to research funding, litigation and possible accreditation overhauls. - "It was an earthquake in January of 2025," says Stuart Shapiro, the dean of Rutgers' School of Planning and Public Policy who worked in the Office of Management and Budget. "The…