Senior writer covering leadership at Chronicle of Higher Education. Ex-Detroit Free Press. Spencer Education Reporting Fellow. Once named best education reporter in country by Education Writers Association https://www.chronicle.com/author/david-jessehttps://bsky.app/profile/reporterdavidj.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/reporterdavidj.bsky.social/post/3mmtswyiqt22wOutgoing Michigan State University President rips board: "“The ongoing and continuous nature of the aforementioned actions has created an unsustainable situation." https://chronicle.com/liveblog/heres-the-latest-news-on-campus-leadership27 May 2026 15:25 +0000at://did:plc:nwceuvo2lyll5edaj2peddtw/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmtswyiqt22whttps://bsky.app/profile/reporterdavidj.bsky.social/post/3mjmxyeur222sThe contest is a combustible stew that illustrates just how large the 2024 protests still loom over higher education — and may reveal the lean of the Democratic Party in an all-important swing state. https://www.chronicle.com/article/in-this-trustee-election-the-gaza-protests-take-center-stage-again16 Apr 2026 17:51 +0000at://did:plc:nwceuvo2lyll5edaj2peddtw/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjmxyeur222shttps://bsky.app/profile/reporterdavidj.bsky.social/post/3mjk4gfnons2jBREAKING NEWS: Incoming University of Michigan president Kent Syverud has a form of brain cancer and will not take up the presidency, he and the university announced Wednesday morning. https://www.chronicle.com/article/u-of-michigans-incoming-president-has-brain-cancer-and-wont-take-office?utm_source=Iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=campaign_17707283_nl_Breaking-News_date_2026041515 Apr 2026 14:33 +0000at://did:plc:nwceuvo2lyll5edaj2peddtw/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjk4gfnons2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/reporterdavidj.bsky.social/post/3micklyjqr225Wyoming's Freedom Caucus tried to cut $40 million from the state's lone four-year university. Establishment Republicans fought back and defeated the cut. What does it mean for higher ed in red states? https://www.chronicle.com/article/wyoming-has-one-university-can-it-survive-its-own-legislature30 Mar 2026 21:00 +0000at://did:plc:nwceuvo2lyll5edaj2peddtw/app.bsky.feed.post/3micklyjqr225https://bsky.app/profile/reporterdavidj.bsky.social/post/3mgdnguxyyc2iSpent some time talking sports with the University of Louisville president and board chair the other day. They just released an interesting call for college sports reform (the letter is linked in the story). t.co/djpLo3HFbF https://t.co/djpLo3HFbF05 Mar 2026 20:33 +0000at://did:plc:nwceuvo2lyll5edaj2peddtw/app.bsky.feed.post/3mgdnguxyyc2ihttps://bsky.app/profile/reporterdavidj.bsky.social/post/3mde6gffbdk2kI am betting you can guess why cuts are on the way https://www.chronicle.com/article/this-state-has-plenty-of-money-its-weighing-cuts-to-its-only-public-university-anyway26 Jan 2026 21:21 +0000at://did:plc:nwceuvo2lyll5edaj2peddtw/app.bsky.feed.post/3mde6gffbdk2khttps://bsky.app/profile/reporterdavidj.bsky.social/post/3m6hjgizaxs2kI'm excited to be named as an @edwriters.bsky.social reporting fellow. I've long been interested in rural education and will be spending time in Wyoming digging into how higher ed there is working, what changes might be on the horizon and how they impact students. #EWAFellows https://ewa.org/members-news/announcements/ewa-reporting-fellowship-meet-the-class-21-fellows25 Nov 2025 14:10 +0000at://did:plc:nwceuvo2lyll5edaj2peddtw/app.bsky.feed.post/3m6hjgizaxs2khttps://bsky.app/profile/reporterdavidj.bsky.social/post/3m5erfasoe22qThe life expectancy of a presidency at any institution is rapidly falling, with little time for ruminations about a vision. Instead, because time is fleeting, the transition period between presidencies is even more important, experts said. https://www.chronicle.com/article/inside-the-all-important-presidential-transition11 Nov 2025 18:30 +0000at://did:plc:nwceuvo2lyll5edaj2peddtw/app.bsky.feed.post/3m5erfasoe22qhttps://bsky.app/profile/reporterdavidj.bsky.social/post/3m4itv46oqs2sFor those of you who visit different campuses or talk with friends at different campuses than yours: I'm looking for campuses that are struggling with deferred maintenance issues because of tight budget. Send me a DM or an email (david.jesse@chronicle.com) with suggestions for where I should look.31 Oct 2025 16:00 +0000at://did:plc:nwceuvo2lyll5edaj2peddtw/app.bsky.feed.post/3m4itv46oqs2shttps://bsky.app/profile/reporterdavidj.bsky.social/post/3lynfzkhxn22gWhat will the killing of Charlie Kirk mean for higher education and the country? Check out the College Matters podcast to hear analysis from The Chronicle’s Jack Stripling and Nell Gluckman. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-meaning-of-charlie-kirk/id1766357400?i=100072640805312 Sep 2025 13:54 +0000at://did:plc:nwceuvo2lyll5edaj2peddtw/app.bsky.feed.post/3lynfzkhxn22ghttps://bsky.app/profile/reporterdavidj.bsky.social/post/3lyi273hzek27https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-secretary-of-education-outlined-a-vision-for-higher-ed-in-a-speech-heres-some-context10 Sep 2025 10:39 +0000at://did:plc:nwceuvo2lyll5edaj2peddtw/app.bsky.feed.post/3lyi273hzek27https://bsky.app/profile/reporterdavidj.bsky.social/post/3lyfn6d4lgc23In Detroit this week for the annual Education Writers Association's gathering of higher education reporters. Are you in town to attend or speak? Want to catch up over a cup of coffee? Grab me and we'll make it happen.09 Sep 2025 11:41 +0000at://did:plc:nwceuvo2lyll5edaj2peddtw/app.bsky.feed.post/3lyfn6d4lgc23https://bsky.app/profile/reporterdavidj.bsky.social/post/3ly4kjkjlgs2dDid Northwestern University's president think about hiring an anti-Israeli rabbi in order to get students to take down a campus encampment? https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-gaza-protests-are-still-haunting-college-leaders-a-candid-interview-with-one-president-shows-how05 Sep 2025 21:00 +0000at://did:plc:nwceuvo2lyll5edaj2peddtw/app.bsky.feed.post/3ly4kjkjlgs2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/reporterdavidj.bsky.social/post/3lwox274ki22xHave you been through, or are currently going through, a leadership training aimed at turning you into a senior academic leader - even a president? I'd like to talk to you for a story I'm doing. Feel free to DM me, or email me david.jesse@chronicle.com18 Aug 2025 17:41 +0000at://did:plc:nwceuvo2lyll5edaj2peddtw/app.bsky.feed.post/3lwox274ki22xhttps://bsky.app/profile/reporterdavidj.bsky.social/post/3lvswxytkys2r“Most people want a college degree and have options to choose from, just as they do vehicles. We built a system of education organized around competition. Why, then, are we surprised when we see it?” https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-college-thats-thriving-under-trump07 Aug 2025 14:25 +0000at://did:plc:nwceuvo2lyll5edaj2peddtw/app.bsky.feed.post/3lvswxytkys2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/reporterdavidj.bsky.social/post/3lvooprolf22lIf Harvard and Columbia are the clear losers under the Trump administration, Grand Canyon is a clear winner. On a campus that celebrated in the streets when Trump won, the change in administrations has meant a seismic shift in how the college is viewed in D.C. https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-college-thats-thriving-under-trump05 Aug 2025 21:47 +0000at://did:plc:nwceuvo2lyll5edaj2peddtw/app.bsky.feed.post/3lvooprolf22lhttps://bsky.app/profile/reporterdavidj.bsky.social/post/3lvjoqsgjfs2gWe’ve been vacationing at this same spot on Lake Huron for the last dozen years or so, just outside Mackinac city at the top of Michigan’s lower peninsula. If you’ve never been up here before, you should put it on your list — it’s the perfect spot.03 Aug 2025 22:04 +0000at://did:plc:nwceuvo2lyll5edaj2peddtw/app.bsky.feed.post/3lvjoqsgjfs2ghttps://bsky.app/profile/reporterdavidj.bsky.social/post/3lv7fj5nyus2kYou've still got time to get signed up for tomorrow's panel I'm hosting, featuring University of Michigan Regent Jordan Acker, Washington State University CFO Leslie Brunelli and Weber State University President Brad Mortensen https://www.chronicle.com/events/virtual/keeping-your-institution-moving-forward-in-turbulent-times30 Jul 2025 19:52 +0000at://did:plc:nwceuvo2lyll5edaj2peddtw/app.bsky.feed.post/3lv7fj5nyus2khttps://bsky.app/profile/reporterdavidj.bsky.social/post/3lv3xpf4ir22wExcited to host this virtual conversation on Thursday with University of Michigan Regent Jordan Acker; Weber State University President Brad Mortensen and Washington State University CFO Leslie Brunelli. Join us by signing up below. https://www.chronicle.com/events/virtual/keeping-your-institution-moving-forward-in-turbulent-times29 Jul 2025 11:07 +0000at://did:plc:nwceuvo2lyll5edaj2peddtw/app.bsky.feed.post/3lv3xpf4ir22whttps://bsky.app/profile/reporterdavidj.bsky.social/post/3ltzbmsdxi22pA new leader for the Chron: https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-chronicle-of-higher-education-names-brad-wolverton-as-editor?sra=true15 Jul 2025 16:02 +0000at://did:plc:nwceuvo2lyll5edaj2peddtw/app.bsky.feed.post/3ltzbmsdxi22phttps://bsky.app/profile/reporterdavidj.bsky.social/post/3ltxemjikfk2yMy late-afternoon office. Days like these are why we put up with Michigan winters.14 Jul 2025 21:50 +0000at://did:plc:nwceuvo2lyll5edaj2peddtw/app.bsky.feed.post/3ltxemjikfk2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/reporterdavidj.bsky.social/post/3ltkjcxrgis2rDespite being dissolved as an official entity in early May by the state of South Carolina, Bob Jones University has continued to operate as normal – including graduating students and running summer orientation – despite state law saying it should cease operations. https://www.chronicle.com/article/apparent-paperwork-error-threatens-bob-jones-u-s-legal-standing-in-south-carolina09 Jul 2025 19:09 +0000at://did:plc:nwceuvo2lyll5edaj2peddtw/app.bsky.feed.post/3ltkjcxrgis2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/reporterdavidj.bsky.social/post/3ltiebufxdc2kLooking for someone with expertise in required legal corporation filings universities have to make. Who should I reach out to? DM me or email me: david.jesse@chronicle.com08 Jul 2025 22:34 +0000at://did:plc:nwceuvo2lyll5edaj2peddtw/app.bsky.feed.post/3ltiebufxdc2khttps://bsky.app/profile/reporterdavidj.bsky.social/post/3lswdhexunc2mAre you currently, or have you been, an appointed board member at a public university? If so, I'd like to talk to you for a story. Please DM me or email me at david.jesse@chronicle.com01 Jul 2025 18:31 +0000at://did:plc:nwceuvo2lyll5edaj2peddtw/app.bsky.feed.post/3lswdhexunc2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/reporterdavidj.bsky.social/post/3lst73pxswk2lIf a college flipped to not accepting federal funds to get away from government control, they would see a fund-raising boom, one president of a college that doesn't take federal funds said. “I think they would see a financial uplift from their supporters rallying around them,” he said. https://www.chronicle.com/article/under-trump-colleges-wonder-how-to-do-without-federal-money-these-campuses-already-know30 Jun 2025 12:35 +0000at://did:plc:nwceuvo2lyll5edaj2peddtw/app.bsky.feed.post/3lst73pxswk2l