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Education Department to Lay Off Nearly Half of Staff
Not yet clear what specific departments or positions were affected
Steve Ulrich
March 12, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 9 minutes
MARCH 12, 2025 | composed by STEVE ULRICH
What administrators, coaches, parents and fans are reading. #whyD3
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☀️ Welcome to Wednesday
Headlines
Education Department to Lay Off Nearly Half of Staff
6 Key College Sports Reform Groups Vie for Influence
Whitewater, ETBU Top Diamond Polls
College Sports Communicators Student Program
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🗓️ What’s Happening Today. The DIII Nominating Committee meets in Indianapolis.
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TOP STORY
1. Education Department to Lay Off Nearly Half of Staff
by Liam Knox and Jessica Blake, Inside Higher Ed
“The Education Department is moving to lay off nearly 50 percent of its more than 4,100 employees as of Tuesday evening, according to four sources inside the agency who were told about the plans.
It’s not yet clear what specific departments or positions were affected, though officials planned to tell affected employees this evening, sources told Inside Higher Ed. The department previously offered employees buyouts to cut down the workforce. The goal to reduce staff by 50 percent includes prior reductions. Those affected will receive 90 days’ severance and will have 10 days to transfer their job duties to another staffer or political appointee, according to a longtime staffer with inside knowledge of the reduction-in-force details.
The department said in its announcement that the employees will be placed on administrative leave, starting March 21, and that core programs such as distributing student loans and Pell Grants will continue.”
» Unemployment Line. “The Washington Post reported that 1,315 employees would lose their jobs, in addition to the roughly 600 who took the buyouts. The reductions will bring the total workforce down to fewer than 2,200.”
» Work From Home. “The email instructed department staff to take their laptops home with them on Tuesday in order to telework Wednesday, and that they would “not be permitted in any ED facility on Wednesday, March 12th, for any reason.””
» Quotable. ““Today’s reduction in force reflects the Department of Education’s commitment to efficiency, accountability, and ensuring that resources are directed where they matter most: to students, parents, and teachers,” Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in a statement.”
» What They’re Saying. ““We will not stand idly by while this regime pulls the wool over the eyes of the American people,” Sheria Smith, president of American Federation of Government Employees Local 252 added. “We will state the facts. Every employee at the U.S. Department of Education lives in your communities—we are your neighbors, your friends, your family. And we have spent our careers supporting services that you rely on.”
NCAA
2. 6 Key College Sports Reform Groups Vie for Influence as NCAA Roils
illustration by Lorenzo Gordon
by Daniel Libit, Sportico
“Nearly a century after the founding of the NCAA, the college sports landscape is undergoing a profound transformation, one that increasingly demands input beyond the governing body. In response, a handful of nonprofit organizations have asserted themselves as crucial stakeholders in the reform conversation, competing for limited resources while navigating a system dominated by powerful financial interests.
Here are six notable organizations seeking to shape the future of intercollegiate athletics.”
Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics
National College Players Association
The Drake Group and Drake Group Education Fund
College Football Players Association
Athletes.org
United College Athletes Association
RANKINGS
3. Whitewater, ETBU Top Diamond Polls
 photo by Bridget Duffy |  Tristan Maddox, ETBU |
UW-Whitewater and East Texas Baptist are the choice of the voters as the No. 1 baseball and softball teams, respectively, in DIII according to D3baseball.com and the NFCA.
NCBWA Baseball
» Top 25 | NFCA Softball
» Top 25 |
» Baseball Highlights. Linfield’s Hunter Klingelhoffer, Whitman’s Halen Otte, and Denison’s Erik Sundgren all hit three home runs in a game last Saturday. Eureka’s Ethan McDonald struck out 16 batters in a seven-inning no-hitter vs. Maranatha Baptist.
» Softball Highlights. Christopher Newport’s Kate Alger twirled a seven-inning no-hitter last Saturday against NYU, walking two and fanning seven in a 4-0 win. Randolph-Macon senior RHP Gracie Ellis leads DIII in strikeouts with 70 in just five appearances.
STUDENTS
4. College Sports Communicators Student Program
“For the seventh time, Division III will support a cohort of students who are women and/or students of color to attend the annual College Sports Communicators convention through the Division III CSC Student Program. This year, the cohort will double in size to 16 students.
Students who meet the following criteria will be given preference:
Female and/or students of color.
Current junior class academic standing.
Work experience in a campus or conference athletics communication/sports information office.
Strong interest in a career in Division III athletics communication (sports information).
At the 2025 CSC convention, the selected students will participate in Division III Day and be exposed to the College Sports Communicators convention programming, its delegates and the athletics communication profession. Grant recipients will attend welcome and debriefing meetings and be assigned a mentor. The goal is to build the pipeline to diversify the Division III athletics communication landscape.
The nomination/application process will be available on the NCAA Program Hub through 5 p.m. Eastern time March 14.
NEWS YOU CAN USE
5. Lightning Round ⚡️
🥎 Softball. Moravian RHP Sarah DeStefano and Christopher Newport OF Candance Slaw were named the DIII Pitcher and Player of the Week.
🏐 Volleyball (M). NYU, Southern Virginia, Springfield, Carthage and Juniata are the top five teams in DIII, according to the latest AVCA rankings. New Jersey City sophomore OH Marcus Pardasie was named the AVCA DIII National Player of the Week.
🥍 Lacrosse. Cortland GK Travis Wagner and Gettysburg A Grace Battle were named the USA Lacrosse DIII Players of the Week.
TRANSACTIONS
6. Comings and Goings
BETHANY - Announced addition of men’s wrestling as a varsity sport in 2025-26. Pete DiPol named director of wrestling operations
CARTHAGE - Jake Calhoun will no longer serve as head women’s wrestling coach
GALLAUDET - Chuck Goldstein stepped down as head football coach
LESLEY - Devon Mayo will not return as head men’s basketball coach
MIDWEST CONFERENCE - Announced addition of Milwaukee School of Engineering as an affiliate member in swimming and diving
PENN STATE ABINGTON - Justin Dunbar-Stevens is no longer head men’s basketball coach
RANDOLPH-MACON - Michael E. Hill named president
YORK (Pa.) - Betsy Witman announced her retirement as head women’s basketball coach. Katie Kilpatrick named head coach
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