Trump Ed Department Rescinds ‘Largest’ Fine Ever Levied Against Christian School

The Department of Education (ED) on Friday rescinded a $37.7 million fine applied to Grand Canyon University (GCU) under the Biden administration.
The fine was the largest ever proposed against a university and sparked allegations that the Biden administration was targeting and harshly punishing Christian universities. ED under the Trump administration dismissed the case with “no findings” of wrongdoing by the university, according to GCU, and with prejudice, meaning the suit can’t be brought again.
“Unlike the previous Administration, we will not persecute and prosecute colleges and universities based on their religious affiliation,” Ellen Keast, an ED spokesman, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “The Trump Administration will continue to ensure every institution of higher education is held accountable based on facts – but Department enforcement will be for the purpose of serving students, not political bias.”
ED announced in 2023 it was issuing the fine due to an investigation allegedly finding GCU “substantially” misrepresented the cost of its doctoral program.
“The facts clearly support our contention that we were wrongly accused of misleading our Doctoral students and we appreciate the recognition that those accusations were without merit,” GCU President Brian Mueller (pictured above) said in the university’s announcement. “GCU is a leader in innovation, transparency and best practices in higher education and we look forward to working cooperatively with the Department in the future – just as we have with all regulatory agencies.”
That same year ED attempted to go after GCU’s tax-exempt nonprofit status, claiming it did not fit the requirements, evne though the IRS had recognized its status. GCU ended up suing and winning against the department in 2024.
The American Principles Project in April called on Congress to investigate former President Joe Biden’s “attacks” on Christian colleges and universities, alleging they were targeted at an unfair rate compared to secular institutions. The letter, first obtained by the DCNF, found that the fine levied against GCU combined with a $14 million fine issued against Liberty University “total more than all other penalties assessed by the Department of Education over the past seven years.”
GCU did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.

 
https://arizonasuntimes.com/news/trump-ed-department-rescinds-largest-fine-ever-levied-against-christian-school/dcnf/2025/05/19/

SCOTUS Hinting It Might Throw Out Affirmative Action Used In College Admissions.

The Supreme Court is expected to roll back affirmative action policies at universities.

Per Axios, many schools are already preparing for the consequences of this alleged ruling, because “if overturned, corporate hiring and recruiting practices could be next to land in the crosshairs.”
In case you missed it, the Students for Fair Admissions group sued Harvard University and the University of North Carolina for unfairly factoring race into their admissions processes.
According to The Daily Wire: The group pointed to the high test scores of Asian-American and white applicants who were rejected.
Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) argues that Harvard has violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act by discriminating based on race while still obtaining federal funding. SFFA challenges the University of North Carolina by accusing it of violating the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause by using race in its admissions policy when the university already has a diverse student body.
With the potential roll back of affirmative action on the horizon, schools like Cornell University have already established a task force to figure out how it will continue to recruit diverse classes.
Per the university, the task force will “examine pipelines and pathways to college, as well as recruitment and retention strategies.”
Moreover, “the task force then will recommend ways for admissions teams to identify attributes and experiences that have prepared applicants to succeed in the university’s academically rigorous programs, positively contribute to the campus community and use their Cornell education to address society’s most challenging problems.”
Axios has warned that if this “discriminatory” SCOTUS ruling happens, “companies could see an uptick in reverse discrimination claims from employees.”
A study from Harvard was included in Axios’s article to emphasize that this ruling could, and likely would, lead to less diverse organizations.
U.S. states that eliminated affirmative action hiring requirements have seen a significant decrease in workplace diversity, compared to the states that kept affirmative action programs in place.
As The Daily Wire summarized, “both a broad or a narrow ruling will likely spark future legal challenges from affirmative action supporters.”
Even though 62% of Americans oppose race-based college admissions.

https://www.dailywire.com/news/scotus-hinting-it-might-throw-out-affirmative-action-used-in-college-admissions