Higher Education

Washington – November 12, 2026 -- American University will award an honorary degree to Cleveland Mayor Justin M. Bibb, a 2009 alumnus, when he addresses 1,100 graduates at its December commencement on December 20, 2026.

Ceremony Covers Eight Academic Units at Bender Arena

The ceremony begins at 9:00 a.m. in Bender Arena on the AU campus. Graduates will receive degrees from eight academic units. Bibb, who earned a BA from the School of Public Affairs, will be the university's 152nd commencement speaker.

AU's David Marchick will join Bibb at the ceremony. Marchick described Bibb as Cleveland's first millennial mayor and said he demonstrates the impact AU graduates can make.

HONG KONG – November 03, 2026 -- City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) rose three places to 4th among 1,725 institutions in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Asia University Rankings 2027, entering Asia's top five for the first time and placing 2nd in Hong Kong.

Three Hong Kong universities now sit in Asia's top five, a first for the city's higher education sector.

CityUHK ranks 1st in Asia on three indicators and 1st in Hong Kong on eight

CityUHK took the top position in Asia for "Staff with PhD", "International Faculty" and "Outbound Exchange Students". In Hong Kong, it ranked 1st for "Staff with PhD", "Citations per Paper" and "Papers per Faculty", as well as "Faculty Student Ratio".

Vienna – November 02, 2026 -- The University Council of mdw – University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna unanimously elected Oliver Vitouch as its next rector on 31 October 2026. He takes office on 1 October 2027 for a four-year term, succeeding Ulrike Sych, who has led the university since 2015.

Council selects a former Klagenfurt rector with national sector experience

Vitouch, born in Vienna in 1971, is a professor of general psychology. He chaired the Senate at the University of Klagenfurt from 2006 to 2012 and served as its rector from 2012 to 2024. From 2016 to 2024 he alternated as president and vice president of the Austrian Universities Conference (uniko).

San Antonio – October 01, 2026 -- Frost & Sullivan has launched a Top Performers program to independently evaluate and spotlight high-performing college programs at U.S. institutions that often lack regional visibility beyond a 10-mile radius of campus.

Program targets program-level ROI rather than institutional rankings

The research analyzes academic programs based on graduate earnings, licensure outcomes, peer context, and career market indicators rather than evaluating entire institutions. Frost & Sullivan says most students attend college within 50 miles of home and compare a small number of nearby options primarily based on economic outcomes, a decision factor the company argues national rankings fail to address.

Pittsburgh -- September 20, 2026 -- Duquesne University formally inaugurated Dr. David J. Dausey as its 14th president on Sept. 17, drawing nearly 1,000 students, faculty, staff, alumni and guests to UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse as the institution approaches its 150th anniversary in 2028.

Board chair invests Dausey with historic 1931 presidential medallion

Duquesne Board of Directors Chair Diane Hupp presented Dausey with the University's presidential medallion, first commissioned in 1931, mounting it on a newly designed chain of office intended to carry the names of future presidents. Dausey is the first president to wear the medallion in this new format. The ceremony, themed 'Enduring Mission. Emerging Pathways,' included a nearly 300-person academic procession featuring more than 30 delegates from other colleges and universities.

Phoenix – September 19, 2026 -- A peer-reviewed study of 380 U.S. college graduates has identified curriculum-career alignment as the highest-rated strategy for building employability, ahead of critical thinking training and real-world application opportunities.

Researchers surveyed 380 graduates across 11 employability strategies

The mixed-methods study, published in the International Journal of Innovative Business Strategies under the title "Graduate Employability in a Changing World," was conducted by scholars affiliated with the Center for Educational and Instructional Technology Research (CEITR) at University of Phoenix College of Doctoral Studies. Respondents ranked connecting curriculum to careers as the top employability factor, followed by teaching critical thinking and adaptability, incorporating real-world applications, and encouraging internships or employment.

Phoenix – September 18, 2026 -- Ninety-eight percent of managers who directly supervise University of Phoenix graduates report overall satisfaction with those employees, and 97% say they would likely hire another University of Phoenix graduate in the future, according to new research from The Harris Poll commissioned by the university.

Harris Poll surveys 408 U.S. managers to benchmark employer experience

The Harris Poll conducted an online survey from June 4-25, 2026, among 204 U.S. managers supervising at least one University of Phoenix graduate and 204 managers supervising graduates from other colleges and universities. Of 1,796 individuals contacted, 96% met screening requirements (n=1,728), and 24% of the qualified sample completed the survey. Results carry a Bayesian credible interval of ±8.6 percentage points for the University of Phoenix group and ±8.0 percentage points for the benchmark group at a 95% confidence level.