Michael T. Nietzel

A new NBER study reveals that Ivy League intercollegiate athletics can significantly affect graduates' early career prospects through the influence of "old boys" networks. Researchers analyzed over 120,000 Ivy League graduates from 1950-2020, including 5,658 athletes, to track their first jobs. The study found that if a firm employs just one additional alum from a specific Ivy League sports team, the probability of another same-team athlete joining that firm increased by 194%. This impact is far greater than general university alumni connections or even same-sport connections. Both direct peer and older alumni network ties formed through sports are crucial, with direct peer effects showing more persistence. The findings highlight how athletic team connections create unique social capital, influencing initial job placements, particularly in elite sectors like finance and consulting. However, these strong effects might not directly translate to non-Ivy League institutions.

Recent research finds a strong influence on where Ivy League graduates take their first jobs through an “old boy” network formed by playing college sports.

Sonoma State University is reinstating its intercollegiate athletics program, set to resume NCAA Division II sports in Fall 2027. This comes just one year after the program was eliminated due to a $24 million budget deficit and a significant enrollment drop. President Michael E. Spagna cited a "reimagining" of the university, supported by enrollment growth in some academic areas and an additional $8 allocated from a special state fund, as key to the decision. The initial cuts sparked widespread protest and a civil rights complaint. The university plans to field 10 teams, carefully selected for Title IX compliance and fiscal sustainability, with over $2.8 million allocated for the restart from various funding sources.

The National Science Foundation is investing $47 million to pilot a new four-year Ph.D. model, aimed at training over 250 doctoral students with significant hands-on industry research and development experience. Starting this fall at approximately 30 universities, the program implements recommendations from the White House's "Science: A New Golden Age" report, which called for reallocating research funding and overhauling a "calcified system." Students will be co-advised by academic and industry mentors, with funding from universities, NSF, and industry partners. This initiative shifts doctoral training towards industry applications, addressing the NSF's view that current programs inadequately prepare the majority of STEM PhDs who enter industry. However, any need for this shift needs to be balanced against the historical success of basic research.

Vanderbilt University is pioneering a "locational portfolio strategy" for higher education, as outlined by Chancellor Daniel Diermeier and Richard Florida. This approach involves establishing strategic campuses in global innovation hubs, moving beyond a single home base. Vanderbilt's expansions include new sites in New York City, West Palm Beach, Chattanooga, and a recently funded San Francisco campus, backed by a $75 million gift. The strategy aims to position universities "where breakthroughs happen," connecting students and faculty to talent and economic growth concentrated in "superstar" cities. This "hub and spoke" model allows for new academic approaches while maintaining the core institution's identity. Other institutions, like USC, Northeastern University, and a consortium of Midwestern universities, are also adopting similar distributed models, signaling a shift in university expansion.

Vanderbilt University's campus expansion strategy is being watched closely by other major universities seeking to gain a larger market presence.getty

Recent college graduates face a challenging job market as entry-level positions requiring no prior experience rapidly disappear. New data from Cadient reveals a 73% drop in such salaried openings over four years, now representing just one in 50 jobs. This trend spans various sectors, not just tech, with employers increasingly seeking experienced workers. The unemployment rate for recent grads is 5.6%, higher than the overall rate. Graduates face a dilemma: they can't gain experience without a job, but jobs demand experience, often filtered by applicant tracking systems. This also creates a "perfect storm" for colleges, which must now demonstrate their graduates' earning potential under new federal accountability rules, risking loss of federal funding if programs fail to show a financial return on investment.

The Trump administration has sent a letter to the nation’s universities asking them to answer how they will address reforms in seven policy areas before the end of 2026.

Rice University announced an expansion of its "Rice Investment" financial aid program, effective fall 2027. The university will now offer free tuition to students from families earning up to $200,000 annually. For those from families earning less than $100,000, Rice will provide full coverage of tuition, mandatory fees, and room and board. The institution will continue to meet 100% of demonstrated financial need for all students without requiring loans. President Reginald DesRoches stated this expansion, supported by philanthropy, aims to open doors for more students, ensuring talent from all socioeconomic backgrounds can access a Rice education without financial barriers. This move aligns with a growing trend among elite universities to dramatically extend financial aid.

A five-year InsideTrack study reveals sustained one-on-one coaching significantly boosted student retention and re-enrollment at 39 Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The program, supporting over 43,800 students, saw stopped-out individuals re-enroll at 2.5 times the national average, while actively enrolled students achieved an 83.8% fall-to-spring retention rate. This initiative recovered an estimated $26.9 million in tuition revenue for participating institutions. Notably, Black men at a subset of public HBCUs who received coaching re-enrolled 10.8 percentage points higher than their uncoached peers. The success highlights the impact of targeted support, especially for adult learners and Black male students, strengthening HBCUs' vital role in student success and economic mobility. InsideTrack is now helping HBCUs build their own coaching capacity.