Here’s how President Donald Trump’s administration has roiled higher ed, and how the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University and other colleges and universities have responded.
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Maddy Franklin covers higher education. Email her at madison@publicsource.org
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CMU got a record $3 billion donation toward a new campus. What does that mean for Pittsburgh?
Hedge fund billionaire Kenneth Griffin’s unprecedented donation will go largely to a new Miami campus for Carnegie Mellon University, but Pittsburgh will see investment in computer science and unspecified priorities.
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With federal aid stalled, Pitt offers med students notes to landlords
The university is offering students food and household products while they resolve a jam in loan money stemming from new Department of Education codes.
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Professor Claude? College unions negotiate for protection against AI teachers and evaluators.
As AI threatens to supplant jobs and possibly upend teaching norms, university faculty, grad students and staff at Pitt seek security through contracts.
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Tuition rises at Pitt’s main campus while satellites go free
A new tuition-free program at the University of Pittsburgh’s regional campuses has students at its main campus confused.
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CMU president’s recorded comments reflect campus free speech tensions
Carnegie Mellon University has seen heightened debate over expression since President Donald Trump visited campus in 2025. University President Farnam Jahanian’s comments following that visit come amid renewed campus discussions of The Fence and national concern about academic freedom.
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Recording captures CMU president’s dilemma, thinking on controversial Trump visit
In audio of a Carnegie Mellon staff council meeting a year ago, university President Farnam Jahanian called the administration in D.C. “toxic” and characterized students as naive while detailing his efforts to protect the school by painting The Fence.
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Pittsburgh refugee youth camp works to weather federal funding cuts
Terminated federal grants left the region’s only organization dedicated solely to refugee and immigrant youth, with a significant gap. Its leaders are working to keep year-round programming intact.
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Two years after Gaza encampment, expelled Pitt student awaits his day in court
Muhammad Ali is among the last two participants in the 2024 encampments on Pitt’s campus facing unresolved criminal charges. Judges rejected his arguments of selective prosecution, and his plans are in limbo pending a September trial date.
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Pittsburgh cosmetology school teaches on despite state probes, complaints
A Public Source investigation revealed the school has repeatedly faced court and regulator complaints from former students and employees.