Top stories in higher ed for Thursday
Lumina Foundation is committed to increasing the proportion of Americans with high-quality degrees, certificates and other credentials to 60 percent by 2025.
September 7, 2017
A University's Big Move On Socioeconomic Diversity
Doug Lederman, Inside Higher Ed
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Using funds from its endowment to expand financial aid, Boston University creates a sizable increase in the proportion of its freshmen who come from low-income backgrounds.

After All But Closing, Sweet Briar Will Shift Curriculum and Pricing
Lawrence Biemiller, The Chronicle of Higher Education
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Two years after alumnae filed a lawsuit and raised $12 million in a matter of weeks to keep the tiny institution from closing, Sweet Briar College’s faculty and its new president unveiled ambitious plans yesterday to overhaul the curriculum, calendar, and pricing model. 

Their hope is to turn what has been a genteel women’s college with horses and lakes into a 21st-century liberal-arts institution that attracts young women by promising them leadership skills—and that appeals to their families by costing about the same as Virginia’s flagship public universities.

ACT Scores Are Up
Scott Jaschik, Inside Higher Ed
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ACT scores are up this year, but the scores of black and Latino students and those who did not complete recommended college preparatory courses remain far behind those of other students.
Hidden in Plain Sight: Understanding Part-Time College Students in America
Center for American Progress
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Many of today’s college students are older and balancing college with family and work demands. In many cases, that means they can only pursue their studies part time. 

A new report from the Center for American Progress details what is known about part-time students and their experiences, and explores what still needs to be learned to help them persist on the long road to a college credential. 

Today at 10 a.m. ET, the Center for American Progress will host a conversation and panel to consider how advocates, policymakers, and institutional leaders can better address the unique challenges faced by part-time students. You may view the discussion via a live webcast

Photo: Reynaldo Leanos Jr./PRI
DACA Recipients Won’t Go Back Into the Shadows Quietly
Angilee Shah, Reynaldo Leanos Jr., Sophie Chou and Tania Karas, PRI 
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Julio Ramos, 24, is undocumented and a recipient of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Ramos just began his training to become a medical doctor in August 2017. His dreams to become a physician may now be in jeopardy, however, following President Trump’s decision to roll back DACA. 

Diversity Is Up in Humanities at 2-Year Colleges
Ashley A. Smith, Inside Higher Ed
Blog: Speaking Out for DACA
John Warner, Just Visiting
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