The HEat Index
A quick look at the hot topics in higher education news that we’re reading here at Evisions each week
HEat Index, Issue 101 – Going to Graduate School and the College Narrative
HEat Index, Issue 100 – Fixing College Assessment, the Importance of Writing, and Something New
HEat Index, Issue 99 – Three-year Degrees and Strategic Budgeting
HEat Index, Issue 98 – The Cost of College, International Student Enrollment, and AI Literacy
HEat Index, Issue 97 – Professional Development and AI Cheating
HEat Index, Issue 96 – The College Narrative, First-Generation Students, and a New AI Tool
HEat Index, Issue 95 – AI for Learning and AI for Operations
HEat Index, Issue 94 – Shifting Admissions and the Fight Over Bachelor’s Degrees
HEat Index, Issue 93 – AI Adoption, Noncredit Goals, and Earning a Degree
HEat Index, Issue 92 – Higher Education Value and Accreditation Reform
HEat Index, Issue 91 – Graduate School Enrollments, Higher Ed’s Value, and Faculty Thoughts About AI
HEat Index, Issue 90 – AI Impacts on Work, AI’s Hidden Tax, and Fall 2025 Enrollment
HEat Index, Issue 89 – Trends for 2026, Bad Data & AI, and Boosting Graduation Rates
HEat Index, Issue 88 – AI “Proofing” Assignments, Impacts of Research Spending, and Managing Vendor Projects
HEat Index, Issue 87 – FAFSA Warning, Workforce Pell, and Employer Confidence
HEat Index, Issue 86 – International Student Enrollment, Easing Admissions, and the Department of Education
HEat Index, Issue 85 – Preliminary Fall Enrollment and Doubling Down on Majors
HEat Index, Issue 84 – Student Success Leader Survey Results, Faculty AI Adoption, and Going MAD Again
HEat Index, Issue 83 – EDUCAUSE Top 10, Decreasing College Prep, and Splitting Degree Programmes
HEat Index, Issue 82 – Reverse Transfer, Majors Matter, and AI Data Foundations
HEat Index, Issue 81 – New Admissions Data, Declining Confidence, and Shaping Students
HEat Index, Issue 80 – EDUCAUSE Horizon Report and Cost of Attendance
HEat Index, Issue 79 – AI Action Plans, Proposed Changes to IES, and the First-Generation Completion Gaps
HEat Index, Issue 78 – AI Narratives, AI Literacy, and AI Critics
HEat Index, Issue 77 – A Growing Skills Shortage, How Relationships Impact Leadership, and What Provosts Think
HEat Index, Issue 76 – Syllabus AI Statements, Manufacturing Training Programs, and Micro-credentials & the Liberal Arts
HEat Index, Issue 75 – AI’s Impacts on Employment, Admissions Competition, and Student Mental Health
HEat Index, Issue 74 – Institutional Resilience, Student Trust, and Student Aid Issues
HEat Index, Issue 73 – Effective Learning Analytics, Online Learning, and AI Literacy
HEat Index, Issue 72 – Project Management Skills, Reduced College Boost, and Rising Unemployment
HEat Index, Issue 71 – 3-Year Degrees on the Rise, International Enrollments Could Fall, and Assessing Ed Tech Claims
HEat Index, Issue 70 – A Whole Lot of AI and Perspectives from Chief Business Officers
HEat Index, Issue 69 – Institutional Resiliency, Public Confidence, and How Students Use AI
HEat Index, Issue 68 – Federal Policy Changes, Transfer Challenges, and AI & Thinking
HEat Index, Issue 67 – Enrollment Management, AI Ethics, and Middle-skills Careers
HEat Index, Issue 66 – Nondegree Credential Outcomes, Clearer College Costs, and the Need for Public Higher Education Data
HEat Index, Issue 65 – Data Fluency, Preparing for the Future, and Parental Guidance
HEat Index, Issue 64 – Some College, No Credential Population Grows, Proposed Changes to Pell, and Academic Program Costs
HEat Index, Issue 63 – Creating AI Policy, Helping Students Feel at Home, and the Impacts of International Enrollment
HEat Index, Issue 62 – Workforce Preparedness, The College Premium Shrinking, and Addressing Academic Integrity with the boom of AI
HEat Index, Issue 61 – Growth of Independent Students, Working with Consultants, and the Promise of Dual Enrollment
HEat Index, Issue 60 – The Value of Degrees, TRIO Programs, and Education Deserts
HEat Index, Issue 59 – Digital Transformation, Student Financial Struggles, and the Impact of AI on Learning
HEat Index, Issue 58 – Teaching Skills, the Labor Market, and New Carnegie Classifications
HEat Index, Issue 57 – EDUCAUSE Technology Report, College Worth, and NCES Data
HEat Index, Issue 56 – 2025 Trends, Possible Enrollment Growth, and Growth in Certificates
HEat Index, Issue 55 – Data-Empowered Decision Making, Skills from Degrees, and Interpreting ROI
HEat Index, Issue 54 – Impacts to Financial Aid, Role-Specific Analytics, and Thoughtful AI Policies
HEat Index, Issue 53 – Regional Public Universities, Greater Accountability, and Online Degrees
HEat Index, Issue 52 – Department of Education, Mental Health Challenges, and DeepSeek for Education
HEat Index, Issue 51 – Storytelling, Transfer Enrollment, and Lumina Foundation Goals
HEat Index, Issue 50 – Survey of Institutional Presidents, Degree Costs, and Critical Thinking & AI
HEat Index, Issue 49 – EDUCAUSE AI Study, Building AI Agents, the Earnings of Graduates
HEat Index, Issue 48 – Direct Course Placement, Online Course Costs, and Processing Grief
HEat Index, Issue 47 – Data Classification, Student Trust, and the Importance of Writing
HEat Index, Issue 46 – The Hidden Job Market, Small Colleges Collaborate, and Employers Look for Skills
HEat Index, Issue 45 – First-year Enrollment Gains, Navigating Edtech Mergers, and Divided Ideas about AI
HEat Index, Issue 44 – Enrollment Increases, AI Predictions, and Closing Public Institutions
HEat Index, Issue 43 – Enrollment Risks, the New Normal in Higher Education, and Online Students Face Challenges
HEat Index, Issue 42 – Nudges Work, Higher Ed Accountability, and a Look Back at 2024
HEat Index, Issue 41 – Demographic Cliff Update, Ethics and AI, and a CDO Conversation
HEat Index, Issue 40 – College Completion, Student Privacy, and EdTech Conferences
HEat Index, Issue 39 – Change Management, International Enrollment, and the Potential New Education Secretary
HEat Index, Issue 38 – FAFSA Enrollment Impacts, Skills Over Degrees, and Experiential Learning Programs
HEat Index, Issue 37 – Using AI for Reporting, LMS & Lifelong Learning, and Remedial Education Reform
HEat Index, Issue 36 – Student Success, Middle Class Financial Aid, and Microcredential Growth
HEat Index, Issue 35 – First-Year Enrollment, Tuition Costs, and AI Policies
HEat Index, Issue 34 – CTO Survey Results, FAFSA Updates, and Lessons from Free Community College Programs
HEat Index, Issue 33 – An EDUCAUSE QuickPoll, Managing Data, and the Decline of OPMs
HEat Index, Issue 32 – Overcoming Transfer Student Challenges and a Double Dose of Microcredentials
HEat Index, Issue 31 – FAFSA Investigation, Human Skills Needed, and Online Data Training
HEat Index, Issue 30 – Gainful Reporting Delayed, a Student AI Guide, and Perspectives on Higher Ed Costs
HEat Index, Issue 29 – An Analytics Playbook, 3-Year Degrees, and High School Grads’ Future Plans
HEat Index, Issue 28 – Faculty Burnout, Student Use of AI, and Becoming Student Ready
HEat Index, Issue 27 – Re-enrolling Students, Transfer Pathways, and AI Education Strategies
HEat Index, Issue 26 – Why Students Leave, Online Learning, and Higher Ed Leadership
HEat Index, Issue 25 – FAFSA Delayed, CIO Reporting Lines, and Abandoned AI Projects
HEat Index, Issue 24 – Value of 4-year Degrees, College Tuition, and Digital Upskilling
HEat Index, Issue 23 – NACUBO Themes, A Functional FAFSA, and Tuition Pricing Explained
HEat Index, Issue 22 – Better Data Usage, CBO Survey Results, and An AI Dilemma
HEat Index, Issue 21 – Confidence in Higher Ed, the Liberal Arts, and Building a Data Culture
HEat Index, Issue 20 – Financial Aid & Enrollment, Internships, and IT Modernization
HEat Index, Issue 19 – Student Voices, Data Security, and AI in Student Success
HEat Index, Issue 18 – AI Action Plan, Graduate Programs, and Congressional Scrutiny
HEat Index, Issue 17 – Enrollment Opportunities and Double AI News
HEat Index, Issue 16 – Considering leadership, future jobs, and three-year degrees
HEat Index, Issue 15 – Spring enrollment increases, data & retention, and AI at ASU
HEat Index, Issue 14 – Adults Pursuing Higher Ed, New AI Features, and Student Advising
HEat Index, Issue 13 – FAFSA Outreach, AI Concerns, and State Funding Increases
HEat Index, Issue 12 – More FAFSA News, AI & Data Literacy, and Supporting Middle-Class Families
HEat Index, Issue 11 – New Overtime Rules, Career Guidance Needed, and More AI News
HEat Index, Issue 10 – The Need for AI Strategy and Learning & Employment Records
HEat Index, Issue 9 – AI Readiness, Who Earns a Degree, and Successful Data Meetings
HEat Index, Issue 8 – The FAFSA, Gainful Reporting, and We Go MAD
HEat Index, Issue 7 – Data Visualizations and AI Institutional Journeys
HEat Index, Issue 6 – College Student Skills, User Testing in EdTech, and College Preparation
HEat Index, Issue 5 – FAFSA Data, Unified Data Models, and the Value of College
HEat Index, Issue 4 – FAFSA Deep Dive, IT Workforce Insights, and Admissions Trends
HEat Index, Issue 3 – IT Governance, 2024 Trends, and the Annual Survey of College and University Presidents