Nick Anderson

The ⁦@washingtonpost⁩ op-ed page on Friday, October 5, 2018

Grateful to @laurameckler and @DaniDougPost for their reporting. My North Star question about the ongoing demolition of the Education Department: How does any of this actually help actual students?

Let's also remember, the hit squad with a bone saw. That was the "thing" that "happened."

Just, wow. "Whether you like him or didn’t like him, things happen." -- President Trump. Jamal Khashoggi, Mr. President, was a human being who made a living expressing his opinions in words. Let's not forget that. washingtonpost.com/world/2025/11/…

@usedgov .... Umm.. one little thing: Brown didn't agree to pay a "fine." The document that secretaries McMahon and Kennedy and AG Bondi signed, along with Brown president Paxson, nowhere mentions a fine. Brown agreed to pay $50m to state workforce development organizations.

The Trump Administration is continuing to lead a transformative shift in higher education, restoring confidence in our nation’s colleges and universities to support merit and academic success.

@UC_Newsroom Which is unacceptable.

This is what the Trump administration's proposed funding cuts would impact.

True yesterday before the election, true today after it, and true in all the tomorrows you envision: #HigherEdBuildsAmerica acenet.edu/BuildAmerica. We at @ACEducation are ready to build.

And congrats to all these scientists! @UofCalifornia, building America since 1868.

Let’s get real: Nobel Prizes don’t come out of nowhere. Federal funds seeded the ground for these amazing discoveries from UC. That funding stream now faces massive and pointless stress. If these cuts continue, who knows how many future Nobels we’ll forgo? #HigherEdBuildsAmerica

You can get Hot Takes on higher ed anywhere. But for What is Actually Happening in the policy chaos of Washington, you need a readout from Fansmith, Spreitzer and Gunja. Tune in at 2 pm to dotEDU from @ACEducation. acenet.edu/Pages/dotedu/h…

@ENERGY dc

She's an icon She's a legend And she is the moment✨

"This cannot be a template for the government’s approach to American higher education,” @ACEducation's Ted Mitchell tells @AP. “Columbia was put in an untenable position by the outrageous actions of the executive branch of the government.” apnews.com/article/columb…

@LHSummers @Columbia @Harvard With respect, I see it differently. Not an excellent template for government action. The real template should be following due process and the rule of law.

Based on what I have read and heard so far, the agreement reached between the Federal government and @Columbia is an excellent template for agreements with other institutions including @Harvard. First, academic freedom is preserved as the University maintains academic autonomy. Second, ongoing reform with respect to anti Semitism, maintenance of order, promoting merit-based admissions and hiring, and strengthening the commitment to intellectual excellence is reinforced and a framework for further reform is established. Third, normality is restored with a return to normal funding patterns, availability of visas for foreign students and removal of legal overhangs. I, like anyone, could quibble with aspects of the program and much will depend on what both Columbia and the government do in the future. But this may be the best day higher education has had in the last year.

Spellings now leads the @BPC_Bipartisan, and Mitchell is president of @ACEducation.

In Fox News online, Margaret Spellings (former Bush Education secretary) and Ted Mitchell (former Obama senior ED official) argue for a new wave of bipartisan education reform to address challenges in K12 and higher education. foxnews.com/opinion/americ…

Love the points Mark Schlissel, former U-Michigan president, makes here in @detroitnews. Federal funding for research and student aid is an investment, not a subsidy. #HigherEdBuildsAmerica detroitnews.com/story/opinion/…

@erichoov @JonBoeckenstedt In honor of his last day, with equal gratitude, I offer you this from deep in the archives. With a dandy photo of @JonBoeckenstedt peering deep into the VR-aided Cosmic Future of College Enrollment... washingtonpost.com/local/educatio…

A Friday shoutout to @JonBoeckenstedt on his last day as an EM VP. He has helped me 1,000 times, deepened my knowledge of higher ed, and, so often, made me think hard and laugh harder. I’m a better journalist because of him. Thank you, Jon, for all of it. Prost! 🍻

@JoeDavidsonWP Bravo, Joe! What a magnificent run you've had. It is, in its own way, a model of service to readers and the public. Thank you for all you've reported and written.

My final WaPo Post Federal Insider posted today. It’s a tribute to the many accomplishments of feds, even in the face of Trump’s harsh attacks. Restrictions on commentary in Post columns led me to say farewell. DM me if you want to stay in touch. bit.ly/3TfxJ9N

Tools to advocate for Pell Grant and other student aid: acenet.edu/Policy-Advocac…

Let’s spell it out clearly: Pell Grants are, right now, propelling millions of Americans of modest means toward their life goals. Any notion to the contrary, I declare, is hereby EXPELLED. 3/

COMPELLED to speak up, I file this brief to an appellate court: Public opinion. It is wholly repellant to me that the pellucid idea of financial aid for those in need is under siege. 1/

We at @ACEducation know this: #HigherEdBuildsAmerica

Congress cannot rush pell-mell to pass any big bill that includes these appalling new restrictions on access to higher education.2/