Shantay Bolton was appointed the 11th president and CEO of Columbia College Chicago at what she calls a “pivotal moment” for the school. Bolton, who is the first woman of color to lead the minority-serving institution, inherits a campus that has seen enrollment steadily decline over the last decade.

The Higher Education Student Loan Repayment Assistance for Engineers Pilot Program will reimburse engineers up to $15,000 annually after four years of service at the agency.

As the U.S. sheds manufacturing jobs, Illinois is accepting applications for $24 million in grant funding to establish training facilities at community colleges aimed at bolstering the state’s manufacturing labor pool.

For the first time in five years, certain forms of student loan forgiveness will be taxable following a change in federal tax policy this year.

The “professional” label would allow students to borrow larger amounts of federal loans to pursue graduate degrees.

Northwestern University has agreed to pay $75 million to the federal government. The settlement with the Trump administration would restore $790 million in federal research grants that were frozen earlier this year, and end investigations on discrimination.

The proposal has drawn pushback from the nursing community, which argues the reclassification could limit students’ financial access to advanced nursing degrees.

Since he took office, President Donald Trump has called for the dismantling of the Education Department, saying it has been overrun by liberal thinking. In July the U.S. Supreme Court upheld mass layoffs that halved the department’s staff.

Gov. JB Pritzker and the Illinois Board of Higher Education on Monday announced that total enrollment in Illinois public universities increased for the second year in a row and hit its highest overall level in 10 years.

The University of Chicago ranked sixth in the nation, jumping up five spots from eleventh last year, while the Evanston-based Northwestern University fell one spot into a tie for seventh.

The U.S. Department of Education is cutting hundreds of millions of dollars in grants to universities serving predominantly students of color — known as minority-serving institutions.

HBCUs, or historically Black colleges and universities, have been around for more than 188 years. They were founded out of necessity when predominantly White institutions barred Black students from attending.

The nearly 190,000-square-foot, multi-use building will be home to NEIU’s Daniel L. Goodwin College of Education. The facility, set to open in 2027, will include classroom space, laboratories, administrative and office space, and general campus space.

President Donald Trump signed the tax increase into law last month as part of his signature spending bill.

The study found students from lower-income families tend to earn less than those from wealthier families, even after they went on to earn similar credentials.

Applicants must be Chicago residents, be enrolled as a full time student in the fall at any Illinois college, university or vocational training program, and meet income eligibility requirements. Scholarships range from $1,000 to $5,000.