With our "Interesting Policy Reads" blog posts, the EDUCAUSE Policy Office highlights recent articles on federal policy issues and developments that are directly relevant to members or provide insights on higher education policy in general. This post includes articles on company cyberculture, the delay of a distance education rule, online community college, and new support for a student data bill.
- Big Tech's Fight For Net Neutrality Moves Behind The Scenes, Wired, May 27, 2018. (Some argue that tech giants such as Facebook and Google should be doing more to fight for restoring Obama-era net neutrality rules, but the companies may be preoccupied with a host of other policy issues.)
- How Companies Can Create a Cybersafe Culture at Work, The Wall Street Journal, May 29, 2018. (Traditional methods of informing employees about cybersecurity are largely not effective, and companies and institutions should rethink how they are shaping their “cyberculture.”)
- 2-Year Delay for State Authorization Rule, Inside Higher Ed, May 25, 2018. (The US Department of Education formally announced that it will delay the effective date of its 2016 final state authorization rule for online education for two years.)
- The US is limiting visas for Chinese international students majoring in tech, The Verge, May 30, 2018. (The US State Department has announced that it will shorten the length of visas given to Chinese citizens wishing to study at US institutions, in a move to combat the alleged theft of intellectual property.)
- Market Changes, Missteps and Marylhurst's Closure, Inside Higher Ed, May 30, 2018. (Marylhurst University, a pioneer in nontraditional, online, and adult education, will close after 125 years.)
- No Consensus Yet on Online Community College, Inside Higher Ed, May 30, 2018. (California Governor Jerry Brown's request for a fully online community college has been met with skepticism from the state legislature.)
- White House says Trump nominates Geoffrey Starks to FCC, Reuters, June 1, 2018. (President Trump has nominated Geoffrey Starks to serve as a Democratic Commissioner on the FCC to replace outgoing Commissioner Mignon Clyburn, whose term ended on June 30, 2017.)
- It may be 'wait 'till next year,' but push for breach-notice bill continues, Inside Cybersecurity, June 4, 2018. (As the congressional calendar slips away, it seems likely that the production of any data-security and breach notification legislation will have to wait until next year, despite a series of listening sessions conducted with business, state, and consumer groups.)
- Apple's New Focus: Student ID Cards, Inside Higher Ed, June 6, 2018. (Six universities have been working with Apple and Blackboard to develop digital student ID cards that are compatible with iPhones and Apple Watches.)
- Chinese Students: Security Threat or Stereotype Threat? Inside Higher Ed, June 7, 2018. (As the debate over whether Chinese students and scholars pose a threat to US national security, Democrats are concerned about what implications the discussion will have on law-abiding visa holders.)
- Private Colleges Give Ground on Student Data, Inside Higher Ed, June 8, 2018. (The National Association of Independent Colleges have signaled its support for the Student Right to Know Before You Go Act, noting that it strikes a balance between data collection and privacy concerns. However, NAICU has made clear that it still opposes a federal system of student-level data.)
Kathryn Branson is an associate with Ulman Public Policy.
© 2018 Kathryn Branson. The text of this work is licensed under a Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 International License.