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Subcommittee Chairman Strong Schedules Hearing to Review FEMA's Capabilities and Readiness

Subcommittee Chairman Strong Schedules Hearing to Review FEMA's Capabilities and Readiness

Subcommittee on Emergency Management and Technology Chairman Dale Strong (R-AL) has announced a hearing for Thursday, November 19, to assess the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) capabilities and readiness. The hearing, titled “Beyond the Storm: Assessing FEMA’s Mission Readiness,” will feature testimony from The Honorable Cameron Hamilton, Administrator of FEMA. Key discussion points will include recent developments concerning FEMA’s structure and governance, such as the addition of federal disaster assistance delivery to the Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) High-Risk List. The hearing will also address FEMA’s administration of preparedness grants and its integration of functions from the now-dissolved U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office (CWMD). This follows a previous subcommittee hearing in March 2025, which focused on the future of FEMA from the perspective of the emergency management community. Chairman Strong emphasized the criti...
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FEMA Releases Nearly $1 Million in Grant Funding to Guam Homeland Security/Office of Civil Defense

FEMA Releases Nearly $1 Million in Grant Funding to Guam Homeland Security/Office of Civil Defense

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has approved an amendment that releases $984,776 in Fiscal Year 2023 Emergency Management Performance Grant funds to the Guam Homeland Security/Office of Civil Defense (GHS/OCD). This approval allows GHS/OCD to submit eligible expenditures for reimbursement, marking a significant step in easing heightened federal oversight measures on local emergency management grants. The offices of GHS/OCD had previously faced grant restrictions due to millions in federal spending being flagged in audits, and current and former employees are subject to criminal prosecution from the Office of the Attorney General. According to Governor Lou Leon Guerrero, the release of these funds reflects the steady progress made by the GHS/OCD team in meeting federal documentation and financial tracking standards. The decision follows ongoing coordination between GHS/OCD and FEMA Region 9, including a recent federal monitoring review that acknowledged improvements in local payroll accountin...
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University of Cincinnati Establishes AI and Humanities Center with NEH Funding

University of Cincinnati Establishes AI and Humanities Center with NEH Funding

The University of Cincinnati (UC) announced on November 12, 2026, the official approval of its Center for Humanities and Technology (CHaT) as an AI and humanities research center within the College of Arts and Sciences. This approval followed a vote by the university’s Board of Trustees in October. The center's establishment was significantly supported by a $500,000 award from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) in 2025. CHaT, directed by André Curtis-Trudel, an assistant professor in the Department of Philosophy, focuses on humanities-based research concerning artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies that impact society. The center plans to host a regular speaker series, an annual conference (with the spring 2027 conference focusing on AI rhetoric and explainability), and public outreach initiatives, including AI ethics and critical-reasoning workshops for high school students in collaboration with the Cincinnati Ethics Center. It is also actively seeking applications from facul...
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Trend Forecasting Utilizes Moving Averages, Exponential Smoothing, and Regression Analysis for Data Prediction

Trend Forecasting Utilizes Moving Averages, Exponential Smoothing, and Regression Analysis for Data Prediction

Trend Forecasting Utilizes Moving Averages, Exponential Smoothing, and Regression Analysis for Data Prediction
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States Urged to Leverage Workforce Pell for Stackable Pathways to Enhance Labor Market Returns

States Urged to Leverage Workforce Pell for Stackable Pathways to Enhance Labor Market Returns

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), enacted in July 2025, established Workforce Pell, an expansion of the federal Pell grant designed to cover shorter credentials, typically eight to 14 weeks in duration. The program officially launched on July 1, 2026, but its decentralized structure has led to a slow rollout, with only a limited number of programs currently approved to award grants. Unlike traditional Pell grants, Workforce Pell delegates significant governance to individual states. Governors are tasked with developing state-specific Workforce Pell policies, operationalizing federal regulations, and approving programs for federal review. A key federal requirement for these programs is that they must be 'stackable and portable,' acknowledging that short-term workforce programs are most effective when they can be built upon to achieve longer certificates or associate degrees. The Department of Education has granted states the authority to define and apply their own criteria for credential 'stackability...
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Albright College Eliminates 20 Academic Programs and 17 Faculty Positions Amid Financial Strain

Albright College Eliminates 20 Academic Programs and 17 Faculty Positions Amid Financial Strain

Albright College is eliminating 20 academic programs and 17 faculty positions as it confronts declining enrollment, financial difficulties, and new federal student loan policies. The Board of Trustees approved these changes on November 1, with students and faculty informed two days later. Affected programs include dance, painting, film & video, digital and strategic communications, public health, Holocaust studies, and women’s & gender studies. Administrators cited low enrollment as the primary reason for the cuts, noting that eliminated programs often had fewer than nine students majoring in them. The college's financial struggles have been ongoing for several years, marked by a material weakness in its latest audited financials and a noncompliance warning from its accreditor. New federal accountability standards from the U.S. Department of Education, which emphasize graduate earnings and educational value, also influenced the decision.
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Xcel Energy Seeks Senior Workforce Analytics Consultant to Enhance Data-Driven Decision-Making

Xcel Energy Seeks Senior Workforce Analytics Consultant to Enhance Data-Driven Decision-Making

Xcel Energy Seeks Senior Workforce Analytics Consultant to Enhance Data-Driven Decision-Making
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Montgomery College Offers Organic Chemistry I Course Focusing on Fundamental Concepts

Montgomery College Offers Organic Chemistry I Course Focusing on Fundamental Concepts

Montgomery College is offering CHEM 203 - Organic Chemistry I, a course designed to introduce students to the fundamental concepts of organic chemistry. The curriculum emphasizes aliphatic hydrocarbons, alkyl halides, and alcohols. Key topics covered include bonding theories, molecular structures, nomenclature, physical properties, synthesis methods, and reaction mechanisms. The course also incorporates laboratory work, where students will gain practical experience in the preparation, analysis, and purification of organic compounds, utilizing spectroscopic techniques. To enroll, students must have achieved a grade of C or better in CHEM 132 within the last five years, or obtain consent from the department chair, course coordinator, or a designated member of the Chemistry faculty. The course structure includes three hours of lecture, one hour of discussion, and four hours of laboratory work each week, totaling five semester hours. This offering is part of the college's broader science curriculum, aiming to ...
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Morgan State University Outlines Policies for Emotional Support Animals in Housing

Morgan State University Outlines Policies for Emotional Support Animals in Housing

Morgan State University Outlines Policies for Emotional Support Animals in Housing
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Senate Unanimously Passes Bipartisan Weather Forecasting Bill to Modernize NOAA Programs

Senate Unanimously Passes Bipartisan Weather Forecasting Bill to Modernize NOAA Programs

The U.S. Senate has unanimously passed the bipartisan Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2026 (Weather Act). This legislation reauthorizes numerous weather forecasting and hazard communication programs at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The bill, a bicameral agreement, is now expected to be taken up by the House of Representatives and sent to the President's desk before the end of the 119th Congress. Key sponsors include Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, and Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member. The Weather Act incorporates over a dozen bipartisan bills, including Senator Cruz’s NOAA Weather Radio Modernization Act, which aims to upgrade weather radio equipment for more reliable emergency broadcasts. The legislation was developed in response to gaps identified after the deadly July 2025 floods in Texas’ Hill Country.
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Iowa Board of Regents Appoints Brian Lai as Director of Intellectual Freedom Center After Previous Candidate Declined

Iowa Board of Regents Appoints Brian Lai as Director of Intellectual Freedom Center After Previous Candidate Declined

The Iowa Board of Regents has selected Brian Lai, a political science associate professor at the University of Iowa (UI), as the new permanent director for the Center for Intellectual Freedom. This appointment follows the previous selection, Carson Holloway, a professor from the University of Nebraska at Omaha, declining the offer to take a position at the University of Florida. Board President Robert Cramer stated that the center, which was inactive this past year, is undergoing a restart. The board conducted closed-session interviews before announcing Lai's appointment at its November 12 meeting. Lai has been with the UI since 2001 and holds bachelor's degrees in political science and international studies from Northwestern University, along with a political science doctorate from Emory University. The center's advisory council presented two candidates to the board after a national search was relaunched.
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Former Walgreens CEO Rosalind Brewer Recognized as Distinguished Alumna of Spelman College

Former Walgreens CEO Rosalind Brewer Recognized as Distinguished Alumna of Spelman College

Former Walgreens CEO Rosalind Brewer Recognized as Distinguished Alumna of Spelman College