(The Lion)–Less DEI and more AI could be in store this year for institutions of higher education.

That’s according to Missouri State University President Emeritus Michael Nietzel, who suggests in a recent piece with Forbes that those issues and four others could alter the 2026 higher education landscape:

1. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion reductions

More than 24 states have enacted bills to uproot DEI departments and policies in higher education, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education’s tracker. Nietzel cited Missouri and South Carolina as two states with anti-DEI bills before the legislatures. The changes follow President Donald Trump’s executive order, signed early in his second term, to abolish government-funded DEI programs that encourage “immense public waste and shameful discrimination.”

2. Community Colleges expand degrees

Currently two dozen states permit community colleges to grant four-year degrees in “high-demand areas” such as health care, education and manufacturing, Nietzel writes. The Iowa Legislature is considering a bill that would do something similar.

3. Faculty tenure modifications

A handful of conservative education organizations are behind model legislation, dubbed the American Higher Education Restoration Act, which would alter tenure requirements for college faculty. The legislation would establish a pathway to tenure for faculty of Western and American history courses, create an oversight group to monitor instruction policies and launch a board to oversee the hiring of faculty, Nietzel explains.

4. Reduction of higher education funds

Nietzel said Alabama and Oklahoma are both reconsidering their state’s approaches to higher education funding. He believes other states may follow, as the Trump administration continues to reduce federal funding and shrink the Department of Education.

5. College accreditation shifts

Higher education’s accreditation system is shifting to regional systems and outside alternatives after President Trump’s condemnation of the current system. He promised to reform it to deliver “high-quality academic programs at a reasonable price.”

Six universities in southern states formed the Commission for Public Higher Education as an alternative to the existing agency – the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. Texas A&M University, the State University System of Florida, the University System of Georgia, the University of Tennessee System, the University of North Carolina System and the University of South Carolina System allied to create the new commission, changing how their universities are evaluated.

6. AI regulations for educational institutions 

Nearly 40 states adopted artificial intelligence policies in 2025, and several more have proposed legislation for monitoring the technology in 2026, Nietzel said. While Trump has ordered a single federal AI policy to govern the states, Nietzel said states will continue to propose distinct policies that would affect college campuses and their use of the technology.