Covering higher education is especially challenging for college students who are already in a complex system and whose outlines are not easy to see. Nevertheless, college students need news about their college and the policies of other colleges around the state. And generally, educators are happy to have questions from students, unlike the sources in some other beats were the best you can hope for is tolerance.
Some of the main topics according to the Education Writers Association include admissions, costs, funding, diversity, the role of sports,
Free speech on campus is a frequent topic of conversation and controversy. Radford University has annual reports about campus speech. Here is the link to the 2025 report and the 2024 report. Here is a link to RUspeechless.com, a web site critical of the university’s speech policies.
RESOURCES in Virginia
At RU, statistics on enrollment and majors are available at the Electronic Fact book.
SCHEV has reports on higher education in Virginia. Especially interesting is the December 2025 Strategic Plan. One interesting point is the celebration of the 250th anniversary of US independence with debates across Virginia campuses in the “braver angels” format.
The Joint Legislative Audit & Review Committee has reports on all areas of government in Virginia.