Generated by Rank Math SEO, this is an llms.txt file designed to help LLMs better understand and index this website.

# Lumina Foundation: Lumina Foundation is an independent, private foundation in Indianapolis committed to making opportunities for learning beyond high school available to all. We envision higher learning that is easy to navigate, delivers fair results, and meets the nation’s talent needs through a broad range of credentials. We work toward a system that prepares people for informed citizenship and success in a global economy.

## Sitemaps
[XML Sitemap](https://www.luminafoundation.org/sitemap_index.xml): Includes all crawlable and indexable pages.

## Pages
- [Today's Students]https://www.luminafoundation.org/topics/todays-students/
- [Disparities in Higher Learning]https://www.luminafoundation.org/topics/racial-justice-and-equity/disparities-in-higher-learning/
- [Addressing Equity in Education]https://www.luminafoundation.org/topics/racial-justice-and-equity/
- [Lumina's Goal for the Nation]https://www.luminafoundation.org/our-work/75x2040/
- [10 Steps to Building Talent Locally]https://www.luminafoundation.org/local-talent-handbook/
- [FutureReady States]https://www.luminafoundation.org/our-work/futureready-states/
- [Tools to create a better-educated nation.]https://www.luminafoundation.org/resources/
- [Great Admissions Redesign]https://www.luminafoundation.org/admissions-redesign/
- [Lumina's public policy agenda]https://www.luminafoundation.org/our-work/public-policy/
- [First-Generation Students]https://www.luminafoundation.org/topics/todays-students/first-generation-students/
- [Working Adults]https://www.luminafoundation.org/topics/todays-students/working-adults/
- [Credentials of Value]https://strongernation.luminafoundation.org/credentials-of-value
- [U.S. Education Levels](https://www.luminafoundation.org/topics/todays-students/education-levels/): To realize this level of education, business, community, education, and government leaders must rethink and restructure education and training systems.
- [Lumina Core Values](https://www.luminafoundation.org/about/people/lumina-core-values/): At Lumina, how we approach the work is as important as what we accomplish. Candor, collaboration, and connection are the organization’s core values, and everyone at Lumina strives to live these values through their words and actions.
- [Community Colleges](https://www.luminafoundation.org/topics/todays-institutions/community-colleges/): The first step after high school for many adults is an affordable community college.
- [Disparities in Higher Learning](https://www.luminafoundation.org/topics/racial-justice-and-equity/disparities-in-higher-learning/): Policies, practices, and beliefs—rooted in history and yet still affecting people—keep many Black, Latino, Hispanic, and Native American people from receiving the education they need. These systems unfairly hold back students who are seeking a better life, regardless of family income or where they live, whether urban, rural, or suburban.
- [Associate Degrees](https://www.luminafoundation.org/topics/todays-credentials/associate-degrees/): Nearly 9 million people (about half the population of New York) are enrolled in community colleges, but only one-third of those who enter will complete an associate degree within three years. However, earning an associate degree can improve employment outcomes and boost lifetime earnings, according to Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce.
- [Application](https://www.luminafoundation.org/admissions-redesign-archive/application/): Please remember to fill out this application during one session. Your work will be lost if you refresh the page.
- [Protected: Lumina State Attainment Collaborative](https://www.luminafoundation.org/our-work/public-policy/state-policy/): Members of the first cohort will get state-catered guidance, proven goal development tools, and a supportive network of peers—all focused on designing, measuring, and refining goals that drive real policy change. This is more than a group of states setting goals—it’s the beginning of a shared journey toward a prosperous future for students across your state.
- [Do non-white respondents describe themselves as “people of color”?](https://www.luminafoundation.org/interactive-data-racial-equity/preferred-racial-identifiers/do-non-white-respondents-describe-themselves-as-people-of-color/)
- [How do people understand the word “equity”?](https://www.luminafoundation.org/interactive-data-racial-equity/awareness-and-attitudes-about-racial-equity/how-do-people-understand-the-word-equity/)
- [How do people respond to an inclusive vision for our education systems?](https://www.luminafoundation.org/interactive-data-racial-equity/messages-about-racial-equity/how-do-people-respond-to-an-inclusive-vision-for-our-education-systems/)
- [Awareness and Attitudes About Racial Equity](https://www.luminafoundation.org/interactive-data-racial-equity/awareness-and-attitudes-about-racial-equity/): People need to understand equity in order to care about it and take action to advance a more just and fair world. However, not everyone is familiar with the concept of equity, and those who are familiar define it in many different ways.
- [Local Talent Handbook step 1: Create a cross-sector partnership committed to changing systems](https://www.luminafoundation.org/local-talent-handbook/create-a-cross-sector-partnership-committed-to-changing-systems/): “We can accomplish more together than we can alone.” That simple philosophy demands a new way of thinking. Talent-focused communities create strong systems and frameworks for scaling successful work—expanding on it, spreading it, replicating it—and for continuing that work regardless of particular individuals, organizations, or funders. Your goal is not another new program or initiative; it is a fundamental redesign of the work—a paradigm shift.
- [Racial Equity Framework](https://www.luminafoundation.org/talking-about-racial-equity-and-racial-justice/racial-equity-framework/): Communicate about equity in an aspirational way that moves beyond buzzwords and invites new audiences to the conversation.
- [Events](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resources/events/): Lumina Convenings tackle the most pressing issues for today’s students. Join us for upcoming events.
- [Today’s Students](https://www.luminafoundation.org/topics/todays-students/): Today’s students are more likely than in the past to be Black, Hispanic, Latino, or Native American. Many are from low-income families. These nontraditional students are in college or are pursuing training after high school.
- [Our Evaluative Approach at Lumina Foundation](https://www.luminafoundation.org/our-work/research/our-evaluative-approach/)
- [Charts and Graphs](https://www.luminafoundation.org/contact-us/brand-guidelines/brand-guidelines-charts-and-graphs/): Pie charts can also be used to convey parts of a whole, and as such, the data in the chart should all add up to 100 percent. They should be styled similarly to the doughnut chart, but will feature no white circle on top of the chart. Pie charts should be used when the chart would be so small that the ring of a doughnut chart would cause legibility issues. Pie sections should be organized starting at the top center (12 on a clock) and go clockwise around from greatest amount to least, as that is the easiest to read. Relevant labels can be placed to the right of the chart.
- [Use of Research and Other Lumina Content](https://www.luminafoundation.org/contact-us/permissions-creative-commons/): Lumina Foundation-produced content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
- [Protecting Privacy](https://www.luminafoundation.org/index/privacy-policy/): This privacy policy is designed to help you understand how Lumina Foundation collects, uses, and shares your personal information, including personally identifying information, how tracking “cookies” are used; and other information collected.
- [Careers at Lumina](https://www.luminafoundation.org/about/careers/): Lumina Foundation seeks talented people to help carry out its work. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer located in downtown Indianapolis, USA.
- [Brand-Building at Community Colleges](https://www.luminafoundation.org/telling-a-better-story-about-community-colleges/brand-building-at-community-colleges/)
- [Order Printed Back Issues](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resources/publications/order-printed-copies-and-back-issues/): Printed copies of Lumina publications are available at no charge.
- [Daily Headlines  Copy](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news/subscription-confirmation/): Lumina compiles a daily digest of the best stories on topics like college affordability, quality assurance, state and federal policy, talent development, and work and learning.
- [Your Experience with Lumina’s Grant Process](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resources/grants/grantee-resources/grantee-experience/)
- [Alternate versions of the Lumina logo](https://www.luminafoundation.org/contact-us/brand-guidelines/brand-guidelines-logo/logo-variants/): Lumina Foundation logo in other formats and configurations: vertical logo, EPS version of logo, reversed, color etc.
- [How was Lumina Foundation founded?](https://www.luminafoundation.org/about/lumina-foundation-faq/how-was-lumina-foundation-founded/): Lumina was created in August 2000 with an initial endowment of $770 million in cash and stock. From the beginning, Lumina has been committed to working toward a better-educated country. We focus on learners who are Black, Hispanic, Latino, and Native American, the first in their families to go to college, or are from low-income families. Many attend community colleges, public universities, historically Black colleges, Hispanic-serving institutions, and tribal colleges.
- [Messages About Racial Equity](https://www.luminafoundation.org/interactive-data-racial-equity/messages-about-racial-equity/): The first thing you say about a topic influences the perceptions, judgments, and emotional responses that follow. Framing a topic effectively means using familiar language that is true to your values—and also reflects values and beliefs your audiences already hold.
- [The Million Dollar Community College Challenge](https://www.luminafoundation.org/telling-a-better-story-about-community-colleges/challenge/)
- [Grants](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resources/grants/): We're making grants to support racial justice and equity efforts, enrollment in community colleges, and nonpartisan policy education
- [Do people prefer African American or Black?](https://www.luminafoundation.org/interactive-data-racial-equity/preferred-racial-identifiers/do-people-prefer-african-american-or-black/)
- [How do people respond to a vision for equitable outcomes in education?](https://www.luminafoundation.org/interactive-data-racial-equity/messages-about-racial-equity/how-do-people-respond-to-a-vision-for-equitable-outcomes-in-education/)
- [Budding Activists](https://www.luminafoundation.org/talking-about-racial-equity-and-racial-justice/budding-activists/)
- [Work with Lumina Foundation](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resources/grants/2021-rfps/): We are inviting ideas that advance racial equity and justice in pursuit of Lumina's mission of ensuring 60 percent of working-age adults have college degrees, certificates, industry certifications, and other credentials of value by 2025.
- [Using Lumina Foundation’s Name](https://www.luminafoundation.org/contact-us/brand-guidelines/brand-guidelines-name/)
- [Philanthropy](https://www.luminafoundation.org/about/philanthropy/): Lumina Foundation works to create meaningful, long-term change that improves higher education for today's students.
- [Grantee Reporting Forms](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resources/grants/grantee-resources/grantee-reporting-forms/)
- [Self-Assessment Memo](https://www.luminafoundation.org/talent-hubs/self-assessment/): This self-assessment tool is designed to assist local and regional cross-sector partnerships in their continuous improvement efforts, and serves as a first step towards achieving the Talent Hub designation.
- [Board of Directors](https://www.luminafoundation.org/about/people/board-of-directors/): Lumina's board conducts the affairs of the Foundation in accordance with high standards of ethics, integrity and accountability and in compliance with law. See our disclosures page for complete governance details.
- [Bachelor’s Degree Attainment](https://www.luminafoundation.org/our-work/higher-education-redesigned/bachelors-degree-attainment/)
- [Local Talent Handbook step 2: Focus on increasing education attainment](https://www.luminafoundation.org/local-talent-handbook/focus-on-increasing-education-attainment/): The U.S. has made substantial progress recently in improving access to higher education: High school graduates are enrolling in college in record numbers, and first-generation students now make up a third of all college enrollees thanks to increased awareness and outreach, scholarships, and economic forces.
- [College Affordability](https://www.luminafoundation.org/topics/todays-institutions/college-affordability/): A student should pay 10 percent of disposable income for 10 years and earnings from 10 hours of work every week while in school to cover college expenses.
- [Today’s Institutions](https://www.luminafoundation.org/topics/todays-institutions/): Most of today’s students attend community colleges, regional public universities, open-access private colleges, and minority-serving institutions such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal College and Universities, and Hispanic-Serving Institutions. Compared to residential colleges and universities, these institutions accept more students who apply, focus on teaching and learning, and help people find their places in the American middle class.
- [Goal 2040: A Stronger Nation and a Brighter Future](https://www.luminafoundation.org/our-work/75x2040/): In a changing world, education is more important than ever. It gives people the skills they need to secure good jobs, build stable careers, and contribute to strong communities. At Lumina Foundation, we believe that higher education should be a tool for opportunity, helping people create a better, more prosperous future for themselves and their families.
- [First-Generation Students](https://www.luminafoundation.org/topics/todays-students/first-generation-students/): First-generation college students come from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds: More than a third of college students are first-generation.
- [Credential to Degree Pathways](https://www.luminafoundation.org/reach/credential-to-degree-pathways/): Too often, life gets in the way of adult students, forcing them to delay or abandon their studies. On top of losing valuable time and money, they have nothing to show for their hard work. By stacking short-term credentials in a sequence that leads to an associate degree, students can start to make faster academic and career gains, allowing them to apply for higher-wage jobs more quickly while continuing to grow their skills and work toward their larger goals. To be most effective, these pathways should be built to progress toward high-wage, high-demand careers available in the same region as the college. Their speed and stackability are a necessary and practical response to the expensive stops and restarts adult learners of color have faced for far too long.
- [Are people familiar with the concept of racial equity?](https://www.luminafoundation.org/interactive-data-racial-equity/awareness-and-attitudes-about-racial-equity/are-people-familiar-with-the-concept-of-racial-equity/)
- [Finalists](https://www.luminafoundation.org/telling-a-better-story-about-community-colleges/challenge/finalists/): We challenged colleges to tell us how they would transform their brand-building and marketing efforts to be more inclusive of today’s students. Ten finalists submitted videos expressing their brand promise and encouraging adult student students to enroll in their college. See their videos below.
- [Certificate Programs](https://www.luminafoundation.org/topics/todays-credentials/certificate-programs/): College-level certificates and industry-recognized certifications, generally take less time and money to earn than degrees.
- [Our Research Approach at Lumina Foundation](https://www.luminafoundation.org/our-work/research/our-research-approach/): Lumina Foundation defines research as the process of systematic inquiry or review that is designed to document, collect, analyze, interpret, and use data.
- [Lumina’s Data & Measurement Approach](https://www.luminafoundation.org/our-work/research/our-data-measurement-approach/): At Lumina Foundation, data and measurement help us understand progress, support partners, and strengthen the field’s ability to help more people earn credentials of value.
- [RSS Feed](https://www.luminafoundation.org/rss-feed/)
- [Publications](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resources/publications/): Communication is central to our mission, and we offer a range of online and print publications to share information about our work.

## Campaigns
- [Today’s Students](https://www.luminafoundation.org/campaign/todays-student/): Too many Americans are failing to graduate college. Why? In part, because our assumptions about them are wrong.
- [Glossary](https://www.luminafoundation.org/campaign/beyond-financial-aid/bfa-resources/glossary/): Child care subsidies help low-income parents afford the child care needed to go to work or school. The primarily federal funding stream is the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), but many states also use funding from the Social Services Block Grant (SSBG) and the TANF block grant. Eligibility levels are set by states, but federal funding is so limited that, nationally, only about one in seven eligible children receives subsidies. Subsidies may be paid directly to child care providers or through reimbursements to parents.
- [About BFA](https://www.luminafoundation.org/campaign/beyond-financial-aid/about-bfa/): Postsecondary learning has never mattered more than it does right now—to individual Americans or to the nation. Labor experts and economists agree that 21st-century jobs that offer a family-sustaining income require elevated knowledge and skills, the type of learning acquired through high-quality education and training beyond high school.
- [Interpretation Guide: Strategy 1](https://www.luminafoundation.org/campaign/beyond-financial-aid/bfa-interpretations/interpretation-guide-strategy-1/): Interpretation guide
- [Strategy 1:  Know Your Low-Income Students](https://www.luminafoundation.org/campaign/beyond-financial-aid/bfa-strategies/strategy-1-know-your-low-income-students/): The facts enumerated in the Introduction (and the Appendices) describe the challenges facing today’s students. While national data outline the nature and scope of the issues low-income students face, they smooth out variations that may exist across regions and states and between two-year and four-year institutions. Each college and university is unique in the composition of its students, services, and resources. Likewise, each institution varies in the specific makeup of its low-income students, the range of unmet needs, and the supports required to address their needs.
- [Making the Case for Supporting Low-Income Students](https://www.luminafoundation.org/campaign/beyond-financial-aid/about-bfa/making-the-case-for-supporting-low-income-students/): The perception of the “typical” American college student – an 18- to 22-year-old who lives in a residence hall and studies full time in pursuit of a bachelor’s degree – is no longer a reality. Times have changed. The percentage of Hispanic college students is 240 percent higher than it was 20 years ago. During that period, while the percentage of white students increased 11 percent, the percentage of African-American students jumped 72 percent. Roughly 40 percent of today’s undergraduates are over 25 years of age, and only 13 percent live in on-campus housing. Forty percent of today’s students attend school part-time.
- [Solutions](https://www.luminafoundation.org/campaign/todays-student/solutions/): Data gathered about students should represent the full spectrum of today’s students, not just first-time, full-time enrollees. Policymakers and students need actionable, useful information to make smart decisions about postsecondary education.
- [Technical Assistance FAQ](https://www.luminafoundation.org/campaign/technical-assistance-faq/): The purpose of the program is to support state and local nonprofits' efforts to increase higher education attainment.
- [Beyond Financial Aid](https://www.luminafoundation.org/campaign/beyond-financial-aid/): Beyond Financial Aid is a toolkit designed to help colleges and universities graduate students from low-income families at higher rates.
- [Strategy 1: Know Your Low-Income Students](https://www.luminafoundation.org/campaign/beyond-financial-aid/bfa-assessments/strategy-1-know-your-low-income-students/): Assessment 2: Review Internal Processes and Organize Student Sponsors »
- [Strategy 2:  Review Internal Processes and Organize Student Sponsors](https://www.luminafoundation.org/campaign/beyond-financial-aid/bfa-strategies/strategy-2-review-internal-processes-and-organize-student-sponsors/): Low-income students face many hardships outside the classroom that can undermine educational success. These hardships may include unreliable and inadequate access to food, shelter, transportation, health care and child care, and the inability to manage with limited incomes. Many postsecondary institutions provide a mix of on-campus services and off-campus services to assist low-income students beyond grants, scholarships, and loans. These services primarily help students build financial stability in the short term, and strengthen their skills to establish long-term self-sufficiency. When institutional practices and policies are created, they are created to fit specific conditions. However, unless practices and policies account for changing student needs and circumstances, what was designed as an appropriate intervention or support may become obsolete or have unintended negative consequences.
- [BFA: Its Purpose and Elements](https://www.luminafoundation.org/campaign/beyond-financial-aid/about-bfa/bfa-purpose-and-elements/): BFA presents an expanded concept of support for low-income students that extends beyond financial aid. It is based on research and promising practices from initiatives in which institutions have demonstrated the ability to effectively serve and graduate low-income students. BFA is designed to guide action to increase the success of low-income students at all institutions by addressing the following questions:
- [Strategy 2: Review Internal Processes and Organize Student Sponsors](https://www.luminafoundation.org/campaign/beyond-financial-aid/bfa-assessments/strategy-2-review-internal-processes-and-organize-student-sponsors/): Assessment 3: Build internal and external partnerships »
- [Interpretation Guide: Strategy 2](https://www.luminafoundation.org/campaign/beyond-financial-aid/bfa-interpretations/interpretation-guide-strategy-2/): These questions deal with engaging multiple stakeholders, aligning activities to institutional strategies, evaluating the impact of services, and engaging the student voice.
- [About](https://www.luminafoundation.org/campaign/about/): Strategy Labs provides a network for leaders and influencers in all 50 states to share research, data, and professional experiences to increase student success.
- [More about today’s student](https://www.luminafoundation.org/campaign/beyond-financial-aid/bfa-resources/more-about-todays-student/): For most of today’s low-income students, the impact of unmet financial need begins at home and ripples into the classroom. Indirect costs are estimated to make up 60 percent of the total cost of attending college, 44  and three critical cost items – food, housing, and child care – significantly threaten many students’ ability to persist in and complete college. Many students sacrifice necessities – including textbooks, computers, or other key supplies – to make ends meet. Some incur personal debt to pay for recurring expenses like rent and utilities. Some are hungry, homeless, or both.
- [Strategies](https://www.luminafoundation.org/campaign/beyond-financial-aid/bfa-strategies/): Beyond Financial Aid (BFA) includes five core strategies based on emerging research from partners and institutions across the country. The basic premise of BFA is that, to meet student needs, campus leadership must clearly, intentionally, and consistently convey a clear vision about the importance of student success. Institutions should regularly and systematically analyze data with a focus on goals for improving the retention and completion of low-income students. Evidence-based supports should be organized and aligned around those needs. BFA is designed to support colleges and universities in that work.
- [Strategy 3: Build internal and external partnerships](https://www.luminafoundation.org/campaign/beyond-financial-aid/bfa-assessments/strategy-3-build-internal-and-external-partnerships/): Assessment 4: Optimize student use of services »
- [Citations](https://www.luminafoundation.org/campaign/todays-student/citations/): Here are the sources used to compile updated facts about today's student. For a richer understanding of the reality students face, explore these resources.
- [Assessments](https://www.luminafoundation.org/campaign/beyond-financial-aid/bfa-assessments/): The BFA Institutional Self-Assessment Guide is designed to help your institution take stock of how low-income student concerns are being addressed. These questions are designed to spur thinking about how deeply integrated low-income student support services and approaches are, and about whether they have been implemented in ways that best serve the students who need them.
- [Campus-based exemplars for serving low-income students](https://www.luminafoundation.org/campaign/beyond-financial-aid/bfa-resources/campus-based-exemplars-for-serving-low-income-students/): Benefits Access for College Completion (BACC) was a $4.8 million, three-year initiative to increase college completion rates by improving students’ access to a range of public benefits to reduce financial barriers to college completion. Seven participating community and technical colleges developed practices to 1) systematically integrate benefits access into college processes and into existing college operations, and 2) strengthen partnerships with local and state human services agencies to better provide these integrated services.
- [Interpretation Guide: Strategy 3](https://www.luminafoundation.org/campaign/beyond-financial-aid/bfa-interpretations/interpretation-guide-strategy-3/): These questions explore the variety and nature of your institution’s relationships with community partners.
- [Strategy 3:  Build internal and external partnerships](https://www.luminafoundation.org/campaign/beyond-financial-aid/bfa-strategies/strategy-3-build-internal-and-external-partnerships/): Collaborating with groups inside and outside the institution can complement current programming and fill gaps in services designed to assist low-income students. Given the increasing demands on today’s students, growing concerns about accountability for student outcomes, and shrinking postsecondary budgets, it is increasingly important that postsecondary institutions look for partners to address the challenges faced by low-income students.
- [Strategy 4:  Optimize student use of services](https://www.luminafoundation.org/campaign/beyond-financial-aid/bfa-strategies/strategy-4-optimize-student-use-of-services/): Offering a full suite of on- and off-campus services is critical to address the financial hardships of low-income students. However, these services can only be effective if the students who need them actually use them.
- [From Analysis to Action](https://www.luminafoundation.org/campaign/beyond-financial-aid/bfa-resources/from-analysis-to-action/): In a recent practice guide titled Learning from High-Performing and Fast-Gaining Institutions, the Education Trust identifies 10 analyses institutions might make – essentially, 10 questions to answer – that will prompt action to increase college completion among low-income and students of color.
- [Strategy 4: Optimize Student Use of Services](https://www.luminafoundation.org/campaign/beyond-financial-aid/bfa-assessments/strategy-4-optimize-student-use-of-services/): Assessment 5: Create a culture of support »
- [Interpretation Guide: Strategy 4](https://www.luminafoundation.org/campaign/beyond-financial-aid/bfa-interpretations/interpretation-guide-strategy-4/): This question addresses the importance of clearly communicating the full cost of attendance.
- [Interpretations](https://www.luminafoundation.org/campaign/beyond-financial-aid/bfa-interpretations/): After your team has completed the BFA Self-Assessment, the next step is to identify opportunities for action in support of low-income students.
- [Affordability Benchmark](https://www.luminafoundation.org/campaign/affordability-benchmark/): Experts suggest students should pay no more than 10% for 10 years + 10 hrs. of work per week for college.
- [Sign Up For E-mail Updates](https://www.luminafoundation.org/campaign/barnacle-holder/old-bfa-subpages/bfa-newsletter-signup/): Want to stay up-to-date on BFA news, upcoming learning opportunities, and examples from the field? Sign up to receive periodic updates delivered directly to your inbox.
- [Interpretation Guide: Strategy 5](https://www.luminafoundation.org/campaign/beyond-financial-aid/bfa-interpretations/interpretation-guide-strategy-5/): These questions reflect institutional commitment and related activities that foster a culture of support for low-income students. Identifying and rating a culture of student support is a tricky endeavor; the seven items included in the Self-Assessment attempt to operationally define the markers of such a culture.
- [Strategy 5:  Create a culture of support](https://www.luminafoundation.org/campaign/beyond-financial-aid/bfa-strategies/strategy-5-create-a-culture-of-support/): Understanding the complex and difficult experiences of low-income students and addressing their needs for financial support is critical. However, steps to better support low-income students can’t be taken in isolation. Low-income students continue to trail their higher-income peers in attaining certificates and degrees. 38  The systematic, broad-scale implementation of what works to improve low-income student success remains, at best, uneven within and across institutions. 39  The current smorgasbord of discrete, disconnected programs at most institutions has manifest as “solution-itis” instead of a culture of support. 40  Increased support for low-income students needs to be strategic, integrated, and sustained as part of the broader institutional efforts to improve student retention, completion, and learning outcomes.
- [Borrowers of Color-now a page redirected HTT](https://www.luminafoundation.org/campaign/campaigns-that-redirected-to-pages-on-old-site/borrowers-of-color/): A collection of essays from experts on Black, Hispanic, Latino, and Native American student borrowing sets the record straight on student debt.
- [Resources](https://www.luminafoundation.org/campaign/beyond-financial-aid/bfa-resources/): Child care subsidies help low-income parents afford the child care needed to go to work or school. The primarily federal funding stream is the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), but many states also use funding from the Social Services Block Grant (SSBG) and the TANF block grant. Eligibility levels are set by states, but federal funding is so limited that, nationally, only about one in seven eligible children receives subsidies. Subsidies may be paid directly to child care providers or through reimbursements to parents.
- [Strategy 5: Create a Culture of Support](https://www.luminafoundation.org/campaign/beyond-financial-aid/bfa-assessments/strategy-5-create-a-culture-of-support/): Next: Interpretation guide »
- [BFA implementation guide: The pros and cons of taking BFA individually or as a group](https://www.luminafoundation.org/campaign/beyond-financial-aid/bfa-assessments/bfa-implementation-guide-the-pros-and-cons-of-taking-bfa-individually-or-as-a-group/): BFA implementation guide: The pros and cons of taking BFA individually or as a group As a group Pros Good learning opportunity Individuals may learn about existing institutional efforts of which they were not aware Additional epiphanies triggered by other responses Cons Time-consuming Groupthink may suppress individual voices Potential scheduling challenges Individually Pros Get purer baseline of knowledge Engage more individuals, especially those who may be less likely to speak in a larger group setting Efficient, time-wise Cons Each member may work under different definitions of terms/scale Individuals may not know if or how deep something is happening in an area where they are not involved
- [Sources](https://www.luminafoundation.org/campaign/beyond-financial-aid/sources/): Back To Beyond Financial Aid
- [BFA implementation guide: Conduct the Institutional Self-Assessment](https://www.luminafoundation.org/campaign/beyond-financial-aid/bfa-assessments/bfa-implementation-guide-conduct-the-institutional-self-assessment/): Leadership and team composition are critical in developing strategies to support low-income students. Ideally, the president or provost should appoint one or two facilitators to shepherd the BFA Institutional Self-Assessment process and support the work of a cross-functional core team. The process will be more effective when led by someone in a position of influence with strong change-management skills.

## News, Blog Posts, and Leadership Perspectives
- [The state of short-term credentials](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/the-state-of-short-term-credentials/): The demand for short-term credential programs is growing, and state leaders are responding. In 2025, a total of $8.1 billion was spent across 34 states to help students and institutions deliver high-quality, short-term education and training programs. This growing state investment, combined with Workforce Pell, has states contending with new issues: How will states approve programs? How do students know which programs lead to better wages? How will institutions help keep people on a pathway to degree programs? This month, Kermit Kaleba from Lumina Foundation discusses the FutureReady States initiative—a program helping state leaders work through these issues and more. Governor Jared Polis of Colorado and Nathan Rankin of Alabama’s Department of Workforce discuss their strategies to improve short-term credential programs and outcomes.
- [Why is applying to college so complicated? How to simplify it](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/why-is-applying-to-college-so-complicated-how-to-simplify-it/): Not everyone has to go to college, but everyone should know if they could.
- [A hidden student success strategy? Rethink course scheduling.](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/a-hidden-student-success-strategy-rethink-course-scheduling/): A student’s course schedule is one of the most consequential (and often overlooked) factors shaping whether they stay on track for their degree or credential.
- [America’s learning opportunities shouldn’t be this hard to find.](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/americas-learning-opportunities-shouldnt-be-this-hard-to-find/): “Where can I learn to fix boat engines?” my teenage son asked one day.
- [Americans haven’t given up on college. They’ve changed the scorecard.](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/americans-havent-given-up-on-college-theyve-changed-the-scorecard/): For decades, colleges benefited from a simple assumption: prestige signaled value. A bachelor's degree from a respected institution was widely seen as the gold standard, while community colleges and certificates occupied lower rungs of the educational hierarchy.
- [Your best student success strategy? Let advisors advise.](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/your-best-student-success-strategy-let-advisors-advise/): Advisors are among the most consequential professionals on a college campus. But often the systems in place around them don’t reflect that reality.
- [Americans haven’t given up on higher ed. They’re asking more of it.](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/americans-havent-given-up-on-higher-ed-theyre-asking-more-of-it/): Every year, Gallup's survey on confidence in higher education generates a familiar headline: Americans are losing faith in colleges and universities.
- [Getting into college shouldn’t be this complicated: Building a more human-centered path](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/getting-into-college-shouldnt-be-this-complicated-building-a-more-human-centered-path/): For many students, the journey to college begins with stress, not excitement. They’re left asking fundamental questions: Do I belong in college? Can I afford it? Where do I even begin?
- [Workforce Pell and the changes it brings](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/workforce-pell-and-the-changes-it-brings/): Workforce Pell takes effect on July 1 this year. The expansion of the entitlement program opens access to many more Americans seeking high-quality, short-term training programs that lead to in-demand jobs.
- [Adults want to go back to school. We should make it easier.](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/adults-want-to-go-back-to-school-we-should-make-it-easier/): If millions of adults say they want more education or training, why aren’t more of them enrolling?
- [‘Liberal Arts’ may be a troubled brand—But its value has never been higher.](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/liberal-arts-may-be-a-troubled-brand-but-its-value-has-never-been-higher/): We live in a world where language is regularly weaponized for political, economic, or other purposes. One of the best examples of that in recent years has been the way in which critics of higher education have seized on the term “liberal arts” to confuse and distort what is behind the term.
- [Data, ROI, and credentials of value](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/data-roi-and-credentials-of-value/): This month’s episode, Dakota investigates the creation of the A Stronger Nation data tool, and talks with Tom Harnisch of SHEEO on states that are making exemplary progress on attainment and how current state leaders are contending with ROI and changes to the social safety net. 
- [A fragile foundation: The skills gaps holding adults back](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/a-fragile-foundation-the-skills-gaps-holding-adults-back/): Workforce education has inspired plenty of enthusiasm lately, but enthusiasm can't bridge foundational skills gaps.
- [The rules changed while they were in class.](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/the-rules-changed-while-they-were-in-class/): What if the problem with higher education isn't that students have lost faith in college?
- [Pope Leo’s powerful call to center humanity in the AI conversation](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/pope-leos-powerful-call-to-center-humanity-in-the-ai-conversation/): Pope Leo XIV’s new encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, arrives at a moment of profound uncertainty about the future of human work and human purpose. The document is formally rooted in Catholic social teaching, but its central questions belong to everyone: What does it mean to live a meaningful life in an age of intelligent machines? What responsibilities do societies have to workers displaced by technology? And how do we ensure that innovation strengthens our magnificent humanity instead of diminishing it?
- [What helps students get ahead? Sometimes it starts with help getting by.](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/what-helps-students-get-ahead-sometimes-it-starts-with-help-getting-by/): What if the programs designed to help people get by are also some of the most effective tools we have to help them get ahead? New research suggests that helping students meet basic needs can make a meaningful difference in enrollment, persistence, and completion.
- [College graduates face a better job market than you think](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/college-graduates-face-a-better-job-market-than-you-think/): The doom narrative is getting the shape of the problem wrong. Health, education and social services are hiring at close to normal levels. Tech-related fields feel the brunt of AI's impact.
- [Humanity AI announces more than $18 million in new grants to shape AI for the public good](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/humanity-ai-announces-more-than-18-million-in-new-grants-to-shape-ai-for-the-public-good/): Pooled philanthropic fund awards $8 million to inaugural grantee organizations, with an additional $10 million committed to a forthcoming open call
- [I thought I understood college admissions until I went through it with my own kid](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/i-thought-i-understood-college-admissions-until-i-went-through-it-with-my-own-kid/): The author, an expert in college pathways, shares the personal and complex experience of navigating the admissions process with her daughter, highlighting that despite strong academic credentials, the journey involved confusion, emotional challenges, and the importance of fit, community, and support systems.
- [Awareness isn’t enough: Turning interest into adult enrollment](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/awareness-isnt-enough-turning-interest-into-adult-enrollment/): Clever campaigns create awareness. But strong systems create results. 
- [Will AI Replace College? Not So Fast.](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/will-ai-replace-college-not-so-fast/): Four years after the debut of ChatGPT, the first class to have the powerful tool of generative AI throughout their entire college career will soon graduate. At the current pace of change, it’s worth asking: Are these students among the last to work with an all-human faculty?
- [Missing puzzle piece for student success: New national center for teaching excellence](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/missing-puzzle-piece-for-student-success-new-national-center-for-teaching-excellence/): National debates about improving higher education show one key puzzle piece for student success is often missing: the kind of meaningful, connected teaching that helps all students learn, thrive, and gain real-world skills.
- [How do you know a career is possible if you’ve never seen someone who looks like you in it?](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/how-do-you-know-a-career-is-possible-if-youve-never-seen-someone-who-looks-like-you-in-it/): An #EdUp podcast from ASU+GSV 2026 hosted by Joe Sallustio, featuring Destin Mizelle, Enoch Ellis, and Tobias M. Brown.
- [From access to value: Community colleges expand pathways for Hispanic students](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/from-access-to-value-community-colleges-expand-pathways-for-hispanic-students/): Community colleges are key to expanding equitable, career-connected pathways for Hispanic students, but gaps remain in attaining credentials of value. Strengthening clear, affordable, and workforce-aligned education systems is essential to improve outcomes, economic mobility, and meet future labor market demands.
- [A deep dive into high-impact practices](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/a-deep-dive-into-high-impact-practices/): In this deep-dive episode, we talk with experts and practitioners to better understand what makes a practice high-impact, the factors that drive institutional change, and the importance of authentically engaging faculty in the design and implementation of HIPs.
- [Lumina Foundation invests over $3.5 million to simplify college admissions and expand student access](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/lumina-foundation-invests-over-3-5-million-to-simplify-college-admissions-and-expand-student-access/): Through its Great Admissions Redesign initiative, Lumina today announced over $3.5 million in grants to 10 states, systems, and institutions that are leading a national shift to make admissions simpler, more proactive, and student-centered.
- [What if the path to college felt easier—and even joyful?](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/what-if-the-path-to-college-felt-easier-and-even-joyful/): We believe there’s a better way for students to navigate to college. A way where students see their next move clearly, the route ahead is straightforward, and where stress and uncertainty are replaced with excitement—even joy.
- [The AI debate is over. Students have already decided.](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/the-ai-debate-is-over-students-have-already-decided/): Earlier this month, I was at the airport on my way to a meeting on artificial intelligence in higher ed when I noticed an ad for another AI conference. Headlines about AI dominate my phone notifications. I flip on the TV, and there’s more news coverage about what the technology means for our future, our jobs, our lives.
- [The degree isn‘t dead, but it‘s on trial](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/the-degree-isnt-dead-but-its-on-trial/): For a decade, we’ve heard that the college degree is fading. Employers are dropping requirements. Skills matter more than credentials. The four-year diploma is an outdated filter in a world of AI and rapid disruption.
- [Low wages among Puerto Rican adults, despite high education levels](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/low-wages-among-puerto-rican-adults-despite-high-education-levels/): Puerto Rico is the seventh U.S. jurisdiction with the highest percentage of adults ages 25 to 64 who hold postsecondary credentials, with 60.1% of that population having completed a credential beyond a high school diploma, according to a study by Lumina Foundation.
- [In the age of AI, humanity is the advantage](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/in-the-age-of-ai-humanity-is-the-advantage/): It’s hard to know what to think about artificial intelligence these days. The pendulum swings wildly, with some people warning of a robotic surveillance state while others dismiss the trend as overblown hype.
- [From campus to career: A new era of high-impact practices](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/from-campus-to-career-a-new-era-of-high-impact-practices/): High-impact practices have long been part of higher education for years. Yet too often, they are treated as optional experiences available to only some students. A new generation of colleges and universities is working to change that by embedding career-connected learning directly into the fabric of the undergraduate experience so that every student can connect their education to meaningful work.
- [Lumina Foundation announces 16 institutions selected to advance career-connected high-impact practices](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/lumina-foundation-announces-16-institutions-selected-to-advance-career-connected-high-impact-practices/): Lumina Foundation announces the selection of 16 colleges and universities from across the United States to participate in From Campus to Career, a national initiative designed to scale career-connected high-impact practices (HIPs) and strengthen workforce outcomes for students.
- [IBJ Podcast: What are the opportunities for humans as AI impacts workforce?](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/ibj-podcast-what-are-the-opportunities-for-humans-as-ai-impacts-workforce/): Jamie Merisotis, president and CEO of Indianapolis-based Lumina Foundation, is one of the nation’s top experts on providing access to higher education and the ways higher education can prepare the future workforce. Several years ago, he realized how the rapidly accelerating development of artificial intelligence could profoundly impact these two vital currents of American life. In 2020 he published a book titled “Human Work in the Age of Smart Machines,” warning that the roles of workers will radically shift and spotlighting the need to redesign education, training and the workplace as a whole.
- [States are further along than we think on short-term workforce credentials](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/states-are-further-along-than-we-think-on-short-term-workforce-credentials/): When Lumina Foundation launched the FutureReady States initiative in 2025, we went in with more questions than answers.
- [After the buzz cut: Rebuilding the nation’s education data agency](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/after-the-buzz-cut-rebuilding-the-nations-education-data-agency/): In 2025, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) didn’t just get a trim. It got a buzz cut. The office already operated efficiently compared to other federal statistical agencies, but the cuts they experienced were drastic and shortsighted.
- [Highlights from 2025](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/highlights-from-2025/): Reflecting on 2025, this show brings back key conversations that are sure to carry over into 2026. This episode revisits a conversation about American prosperity and Lumina’s new goal focused on credentials of value, a discussion about higher education’s role in shaping artificial intelligence, and a review of three states working to redesign admissions systems.
- [What if the story we’re telling about college is wrong?](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/what-if-the-story-were-telling-about-college-is-wrong/): If you listen to the national conversation about higher education, you’d think campuses are ideological battlegrounds, students are disillusioned, and employers are quietly questioning whether degrees still matter.
- [Honoring Black history by expanding opportunity for a stronger nation](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/honoring-black-history-by-expanding-opportunity-for-a-stronger-nation/): Morehouse College student Tobias Brown traveled the country to meet leaders—all Black men, like him, at the top of their fields, who could inspire his education and career dreams.
- [A bachelor’s isn’t obsolete in the AI age–It just needs an upgrade](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/a-bachelors-isnt-obsolete-in-the-ai-age-it-just-needs-an-upgrade/): When I graduated from college in 1986, I never once doubted that I would be able to use my degree to pursue professional success. I never wondered if the skills I spent thousands of dollars learning were already obsolete or if they would translate to my first job. I didn't have to ask myself: "If artificial intelligence can do this, then what was the point of going to college?"
- [Not a detour: Short-term workforce programs are bringing students back](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/not-a-detour-short-term-workforce-programs-are-bringing-students-back/): Many students enrolling in short-term workforce programs aren’t new to college. They’re coming back.
- [Proving higher education’s promise: We increased attainment. Now, to show value.](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/proving-higher-educations-promise-we-increased-attainment-now-to-show-value/): Every year, the release of new Stronger Nation data offers a snapshot of where the country stands on education after high school. This year’s release feels different. 
- [Building talent for an AI-driven future](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/building-talent-for-an-ai-driven-future/): In a speech at the Economic Club of Indiana, Lumina Foundation President and CEO Jamie Merisotis explored how reimagining higher education in the age of artificial intelligence can unlock talent and advanced prosperity across Indiana and the nation.
- [Counting vice presidents misses the point.](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/counting-vice-presidents-misses-the-point/): I've spent much of my career working as a college administrator. I’ve held senior roles, carried expansive portfolios, and had titles that critics of higher education increasingly cite as evidence of “administrative bloat.”
- [Lumina releases initial data tracking whether nation educated, trained for economic prosperity](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/lumina-releases-initial-data-tracking-whether-nation-educated-trained-for-economic-prosperity/): New baseline shows 43.6 percent of U.S. adults in the labor force have degrees or other credentials with economic value; the goal is 75 percent by 2040.
- [Making six figures without a college degree isn’t as simple as it sounds](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/making-six-figures-without-a-college-degree-isnt-as-simple-as-it-sounds/): Every so often, a new story makes the rounds about how Americans without four-year college degrees can still make six-figure salaries. Take this piece from LendingTree, which highlights elevator installers and repairers—47.5 percent of whom earn more than $100,000 a year without a bachelor’s degree. It’s the kind of story that spreads quickly: hope for the non-college majority, proof that not all good jobs require a diploma.
- [Is college still worth it? Debt-adjusted earnings say ‘yes’](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/is-college-still-worth-it-debt-adjusted-earnings-say-yes/): We know that education is a powerful tool for opportunity. But with rising college costs and more students relying on loans, this pressing question remains: Is college still worth it?
- [Aligning affordability, value, and trust to make college pay off](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/aligning-affordability-value-and-trust-to-make-college-pay-off/): If we can align affordability, value, and trust, we can once again make higher education the engine of upward mobility.
- [States see short-term credentials as key to long-term success](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/states-see-short-term-credentials-as-key-to-long-term-success/): More than 1M short-term workforce credentialing programs are offered today, but little has been done to help adults identify which programs meet industry standards and lead to higher-paying jobs. That’s changing.
- [Opportunity for All, Jamie Merisotis guests on EdUp Insights podcast](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/opportunity-for-all-jamie-merisotis-guests-on-edup-insights-podcast/): Lumina Foundation's Jamie Merisotis offers insight from his decades of experience as an author, policy innovator, and philanthropist on the future of education and work—and his vision for a world where learning and human potential drive progress and opportunity for everyone.
- [Lumina initiates multi-state effort using higher ed to drive economic prosperity](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/lumina-initiates-multi-state-effort-using-higher-ed-to-drive-economic-prosperity/): Thirteen states are working to set new goals for better-educated, better-trained residents.
- [How states can aim higher—and prove the value of higher education](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/how-states-can-aim-higher-and-prove-the-value-of-higher-education/): States need to help people complete credentials that pay off—in wages, career mobility, and community vitality.
- [America is slipping in higher education. The slide starts long before college.](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/america-is-slipping-in-higher-education-the-slide-starts-long-before-college/): Once a global leader in higher education, the United States now finds itself spending more than nearly all of its peer nations while delivering outcomes that fall increasingly short of expectations.
- [Rebuilding trust in higher ed through value and purpose](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/rebuilding-trust-in-higher-ed-through-value-and-purpose/): Few aspects of modern life are as closely scrutinized as higher education, and no wonder: Though most Americans believe that a college degree leads to better jobs, many also think it costs too much and may not be worth the time and money.
- [Humanity AI: Putting people at the center of the AI revolution](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/humanity-ai-putting-people-at-the-center-of-the-ai-revolution/): The announcement today of Humanity AI marks one of the most ambitious philanthropic responses yet to the disruptive rise of artificial intelligence. Backed by an initial $500 million in commitments, this five-year collaborative seeks nothing less than to rebalance the trajectory of artificial intelligence development, shifting power toward the public good.
- [I did the hard work. I just didn’t know how to talk about it.](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/i-did-the-hard-work-i-just-didnt-know-how-to-talk-about-it/): From campus to work: Why Lumina is investing in career-connected High-Impact Practices
- [Finding my footing as a SHEEO first-timer: What the shifts in higher ed reveal ](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/finding-my-footing-as-a-sheeo-first-timer-what-the-shifts-in-higher-ed-reveal/): Higher education is navigating unprecedented times marked by misinformation, public skepticism, and structural change.  The State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) meeting is critical for uncovering important research and practical strategies to help institutions maneuver through this shifting landscape. 
- [What declines in reading and math mean for the U.S. workforce](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/what-declines-in-reading-and-math-mean-for-the-u-s-workforce/): U.S. employers and colleges are contending with more young people who are behind academically. Some are trying to make up where schools have failed.
- [Lumina supports project to reimagine how community colleges connect with adults](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/lumina-supports-project-to-reimagine-how-community-colleges-connect-with-adults/): Lumina Foundation, CollegeAPP, and StrategyForward Advisors have joined to launch the Rural Community College Adult Learner Engagement initiative, supporting a cohort of rural colleges in strengthening their outreach to attract and enroll adults.
- [Adult learners need more than tweaks, and here’s how some colleges are stepping up](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/adult-learners-need-more-than-tweaks-and-heres-how-some-colleges-are-stepping-up/): Colleges eager to help adult learners—especially Black, Hispanic and Latino, and Native American adults who have historically been left behind—know this goal requires more than surface-level tweaks. It demands deep, sustained, and mission-driven institutional change.
- [Democracy vs. technocracy: Why AI needs a moral operating system](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/democracy-vs-technocracy-why-ai-needs-a-moral-operating-system/): Artificial intelligence, the fastest-growing force of change in society today, has captured the imagination and concern of leaders in fields such as education, economics, defense—and even religion.
- [Lessons from a year of college admissions redesign](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/lessons-from-a-year-of-college-admissions-redesign/): Hear insights from a nationwide movement. The live podcast includes real stories from the field illuminating how change happens—and where it’s heading.
- [Progress and potential: Adults with some college, no credential](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/progress-and-potential-adults-with-some-college-no-credential/): This summer, the National Student Clearinghouse issued a new report with mixed news. While many states have made progress in re-enrolling people who have some college credit but have yet to earn their credential, the total population of U.S. adults in this group has grown. Now, over 43 million Americans have some college credit but stopped out before they could complete their first credential.
- [Degrees of opportunity: Rethinking value in higher ed](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/degrees-of-opportunity-rethinking-value-in-higher-ed/): Colleges and universities are doing a better job lately explaining the value of their degrees, and increasingly they're getting important help in making that case.
- [Remapping higher ed: Here’s where innovation and equity are already taking root](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/remapping-higher-ed-heres-where-innovation-and-equity-are-already-taking-root/): Some of America’s most vital engines of post-high school learning and opportunity are overlooked and underfunded. Historically Black Community Colleges (HBCCs) and Predominantly Black Community Colleges (PBCCs) play an outsized role in connecting people to learning, credentials, and careers, especially in communities that traditional schools have long underserved.
- [Four-year degrees at two-year colleges: A growing trend](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/four-year-degrees-at-two-year-colleges-a-growing-trend/): Twenty-four states allow community and technical colleges to issue bachelor's degrees. Podcast guests Dr. Debra Bragg, Jim Reed, and Sunaina Virendra talk through the pros and cons and discuss recent efforts to launch new community college baccalaureate programs.
- [Rethinking college: How more valuable degrees are closing America’s talent gap](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/rethinking-college-how-more-valuable-degrees-are-closing-americas-talent-gap/): Critics of higher education have a point: Average inflation-adjusted tuition has gone down, but remains too high. Degrees pay off, but too many grads struggle finding good jobs.
- [Millions pressed pause on college. We can help them hit play again.](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/millions-pressed-pause-on-college-we-can-help-them-hit-play-again/): Forty-three million Americans have started college but left without earning a credential. That group, known as “some college, no credential,” or SCNC, is larger than the population of California. And it continues to grow.
- [Meaningful climate action is higher ed’s responsibility](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/meaningful-climate-action-is-higher-eds-responsibility/): Discover how higher education serves as a catalyst for climate solutions and societal progress in this live taping of Today’s Students, Tomorrow’s Talent podcast from the 2025 SXSW Podcast Lounge.
- [Is America falling back in love with higher ed, or are we measuring the wrong things?](https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/is-america-falling-back-in-love-with-higher-ed-or-are-we-measuring-the-wrong-things/): Something strange is happening in America: confidence in higher education is creeping back up. And not just among the usual suspects. Republicans, independents, people with and without degrees, Black and Hispanic communities. We're seeing a thaw across the board.

## History of Federal Financial Student Aid
- [Chapter Six—Student Loan Repayment Evolves](https://www.luminafoundation.org/history-of-federal-student-aid/chapter-six/)
- [Chapter Five—Student Aid Through Tax Benefits](https://www.luminafoundation.org/history-of-federal-student-aid/chapter-five/)
- [Chapter Four—How the Federal Government Distributes Financial Aid to Students](https://www.luminafoundation.org/history-of-federal-student-aid/chapter-four/)
- [Chapter Three: The Pell Grant—The Building Block of Student-Based Aid](https://www.luminafoundation.org/history-of-federal-student-aid/chapter-three/)
- [Chapter Two: Where Financial Aid Began](https://www.luminafoundation.org/history-of-federal-student-aid/chapter-two/)
- [Chapter One: The beginning of and growth of Federal Student Loans](https://www.luminafoundation.org/history-of-federal-student-aid/chapter-one/)

## Resources
- [Instructional capacity in US higher education](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resource/instructional-capacity-in-us-higher-education/): This report looks at whether U.S. colleges and universities have more teaching capacity than they are actually using. In simple terms, it asks: do schools have enough students to match the number of instructors, programs, classrooms, and academic resources they have built? The report finds that, in many places, the answer is increasingly no.
- [America’s Trusted Talent System](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resource/americas-trusted-talent-system-an-action-plan-2026/): Intentional Futures and Lumina Foundation collaborated to envision a integrated federal education and training data system.
- [Strategic Communications Worksheet](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resource/strategic-communications-worksheet/)
- [Beyond Financial Aid](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resource/beyond-financial-aid-3/): The Federal Work-Study (FWS) program provides more than $1 billion in support annually to more than 450,000 college students with financial need nationwide.
- [Putting State Dollars to Work](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resource/putting-state-dollars-to-work/): State-led workforce investments are emerging as flexible and consequential policy levers during a time of economic change.
- [How Congress Can Strengthen the Pell Grant Program to Make College More Affordable for Millions of Americans](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resource/how-congress-can-strengthen-the-pell-grant-program-to-make-college-more-affordable-for-millions-of-americans/): The Pell Grant program is the federal government’s most effective investment in college affordability, but the share of college costs covered by the grant is at an all-time low.
- [Federal Dual Enrollment Data Collection & Recommended Policy Changes](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resource/federal-dual-enrollment-data-collection-recommended-policy-changes/): Nationally, 82 percent of high schools offer dual enrollment, and about one-third of students take at least one dual enrollment course by graduation.
- [Making Short-Term Training Policy Work](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resource/making-short-term-training-policy-work/): Interest in how community colleges can improve short-term occupational training programs is gaining momentum.
- [65 Million Reasons Why Intent Matters Most](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resource/65-million-reasons-why-intent-matters-most/): Adding on to the largest national survey of prospective adult students. An updated view of demand, motivations, and barriers shaping postsecondary enrollment.
- [Student Parents in Community College](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resource/student-parents-in-community-college/): It is estimated that about a fifth of undergraduates in college are parents. A disproportionate share of student parents attends community colleges, which have more flexible programs that cater to adult students.
- [America Is Running Out of Nurses, and DACA Recipients Are Helping Provide Critical Care to Communities Despite Threats of Deportation From the Trump Administration](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resource/america-is-running-out-of-nurses-and-daca-recipients-are-helping-provide-critical-care-to-communities-despite-threats-of-deportation-from-the-trump-administration/): Nurses who are recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program possess language skills and cultural knowledge that are invaluable when trying to build trust with patients whose primary language is not...
- [Persistence and Retention](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resource/persistence-and-retention/): Of the 2.6 million college students who first enrolled in fall 2024, 85.8 percent returned to higher education in the spring for their second semester, according to new data by the National Student Clearinghouse...
- [For Most Renters, Eviction Threat Falls With Age. Not for Older Student Parents.](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resource/for-most-renters-eviction-threat-falls-with-age-not-for-older-student-parents/): For most renters, eviction risk declines with age. But for student parents aged 35 to 39, the data tell a different story, according to this analysis from New America and the Eviction Lab.
- [Intent Matters Most](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resource/intent-matters-most/): Over a quarter of U.S. adults between the ages of 25 and 64—representing 41.7 million people—intend to enroll in some type of higher education program or training within the next two years, says this report from the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning and CollegeAPP.
- [New Kentucky Research Complicates the Corequisite Course Consensus in Higher Education](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resource/new-kentucky-research-complicates-the-corequisite-course-consensus-in-higher-education/): New research from the Brookings Institution contends that while corequisite remediation shows modest benefits in English and quantitative reasoning math, it has not proven effective for college algebra.
- [Federal SNAP Cuts and Pell Funding Shortfall Risk Worsening Disparities in Food Insecurity, College Persistence, and Attainment](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resource/federal-snap-cuts-and-pell-funding-shortfall-risk-worsening-disparities-in-food-insecurity-college-persistence-and-attainment/): Federal supports like the Pell Grant and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are critical lifelines that help millions of students from low-income backgrounds afford college and meet basic needs each...
- [Shining the Spotlight on Regional Public University Students](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resource/shining-the-spotlight-on-regional-public-university-students/): The United States has nearly 4,000 degree-granting four-year colleges and universities.
- [New Pathways](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resource/new-pathways/): Millions of Americans can change their economic trajectories by upgrading their education and skills in their 20s, 30s, and 40s.
- [Reframing Support](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resource/reframing-support/): Over half of undergraduate students in the United States enter college with neither parent having completed a college degree.
- [Admissions <span class="blue__text">Redesign</span> at the State and System Levels](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resource/admissions-redesign-at-the-state-and-system-levels/): As the postsecondary education landscape changes, it is critical that the field develop a common language through the creation of a typology that can be used to describe the admissions redesigns being adopted and the characteristics of each as the basis to better understand their impact.
- [Public Benefits and Financial Aid Support Education Beyond High School and Long-Term Economic Well-Being for Low-Income Young Adults](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resource/public-benefits-and-financial-aid-support-education-beyond-high-school-and-long-term-economic-well-being-for-low-income-young-adults/): This study provides a comprehensive account of how the full portfolio of major public benefit programs and financial aid shapes educational decisions and long-term earnings, tracing effects for our cohort across nearly three decades, from young adulthood through approximately age 40.
- [Some College, No Credential (SCNC) Survey Report](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resource/some-college-no-credential-scnc-survey-report/): In the United States, approximately 43.1 million people, including 37.6 million working age adults under the age of 65, enroll in postsecondary education, but leave without earning their intended degree or certificate.
- [Methodological processes to estimate short-term credential of value](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resource/methodological-processes-to-estimate-short-term-credential-of-value-2/): This document details the methodology for counting certificates and certifications that are used for reporting beginning in 2024 (applies to 2023 data and forward).
- [Prosperity Benchmark Calculations](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resource/prosperity-benchmark-calculations/): The steps below describe the methods ECOnorthwest uses to calculate Lumina Foundation’s credential-of-value benchmark and identify the number and share of individuals meeting the benchmark, using Census Bureau’s American Community Survey Public Use Microdata (PUMS).
- [Academic Momentum and Credit Mobility](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resource/academic-momentum-and-credit-mobility/): Across the United States, many community college students intend to earn a bachelor’s degree, but far fewer do so.
- [Assessing Mississippi’s Higher Education in Prison Data Infrastructure](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resource/assessing-mississippis-higher-education-in-prison-data-infrastructure/): The restoration of Pell Grant eligibility for incarcerated students and the expansion of Prison Education Program approval requirements have increased expectations for how higher education in prison programs collect,...
- [Advancing Economic Mobility for Workers With Criminal Records](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resource/advancing-economic-mobility-for-workers-with-criminal-records/): Nearly one in three Americans has a record of arrest, conviction, or incarceration.
- [Americans Want College Students Taught AI But Wary of AI Use](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resource/americans-want-college-students-taught-ai-but-wary-of-ai-use/): As artificial intelligence transforms the way we live, work, and learn, Americans think it is important that students at colleges and universities receive information on how to use AI.
- [No Place to Land](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resource/no-place-to-land/): Caregiving students—those who are parenting, caring for other dependents, or providing financial support for family members—face housing insecurity at rates and in ways that the higher education system in the United...
- [Financial Aid for Students Without Financial Need](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resource/financial-aid-for-students-without-financial-need/): When people talk about college financial aid, they usually mean help for students who can’t afford to pay the full “sticker price” to attend.
- [The Golden Ticket](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resource/the-golden-ticket/): Increasing postsecondary attainment is critical to ensuring individuals are adequately prepared for the workforce of the future.
- [Undergraduate Degree Earners](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resource/undergraduate-degree-earners/): A growing number of students are completing undergraduate credentials at a younger age, according to this report from the National Clearinghouse Research Center.
- [AI in Higher Education: Widespread Use, Unclear Rules](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resource/ai-in-higher-education-widespread-use-unclear-rules/): Artificial intelligence has become a routine part of college life, even as many institutions struggle to set clear rules for its use. New research from Lumina Foundation and Gallup finds that a majority of college students now use AI tools such as ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, and Google Gemini for their coursework at least weekly, including many students at schools that discourage or prohibit their use.
- [Aligning education and work](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resource/aligning-education-and-work/): Higher education continues to play a central role in hiring decisions. However, employers report growing challenges in finding candidates with the right skills and preparing recent graduates for immediate effectiveness. The 2026 Gallup survey of 2,000 U.S. employers from Lumina Foundation and Gallup examines how employers view the state of higher education and the talent pipeline it produces.
- [Set Up to Succeed](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resource/set-up-to-succeed/): A new report from Complete College America and The Campaign for College Opportunity serves as a statewide playbook that outlines the policy and system-level reforms California must implement to meet Governor Gavin...
- [Lessons (So Far) From Lumina Foundation’s FutureReady States Initiative](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resource/lessons-so-far-from-lumina-foundations-futureready-states-initiative/): This report synthesizes landscape assessments from 12 states participating in Lumina Foundation’s FutureReady States (FRS) initiative.
- [IPEDS’ Post-SFFA Enrollment Dashboard](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resource/ipeds-post-sffa-enrollment-dashboard/): See the enrollment outcomes at more than 3,000 institutions in 2024, the first year affected by the Supreme Court's elimination of race-conscious admissions compared to 2018 and 2019. Enrollment data are drawn from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System.
- [Methodological Processes to estimate Short-term Credential of Value](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resource/methodological-processes-to-estimate-short-term-credential-of-value/): This document details the methodology for counting certificates and certifications that are
- [Value-Centered Attainment Goals Provide a Clear Signal](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resource/value-centered-attainment-goals-provide-a-clear-signal/): What Matters is the State Population Holding Credentials that Lead to Economic Opportunity
- [Value-Centered Attainment Goals](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resource/value-centered-attainment-goals/): PPTX to accompany the State Attainment Collaborative Webinar
- [Understanding Black Students’ Experiences and Outcomes at For-Profit Colleges to Inform State Oversight](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resource/understanding-black-students-experiences-and-outcomes-at-for-profit-colleges-to-inform-state-oversight/): In recent decades, a troubling pattern in higher education has emerged: the for-profit sector contains too many low-quality and predatory institutions that have failed to deliver on the promises they make to students.
- [Help More Students Complete College](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resource/help-more-students-complete-college/): Completing a quality degree is key to unlocking the benefits of higher education, including securing meaningful employment that pays a family-sustaining wage and allows borrowers to repay student loans.
- [The Economic Value of New Jersey’s Community Colleges](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resource/the-economic-value-of-new-jerseys-community-colleges/): New Jersey’s community colleges trace their roots back to 1933 when Union College was founded. Since then, the number of colleges has grown to 18 institutions across the state.
- [The College Reality Check](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resource/the-college-reality-check/): While public confidence in higher education has declined sharply in recent years, current students and graduates report far more optimistic experiences. The College Reality Check: What Students Experience vs. What America Believes report from Lumina Foundation and Gallup examines this divide, highlighting public skepticism alongside the positive outcomes described by those on campus and beyond.
- [Understanding the Needs of First-Generation College Students Who Stop Out](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resource/understanding-the-needs-of-first-generation-college-students-who-stop-out/): College stop-out rates have long been a challenge in higher education, and particularly at community colleges.
- [Debunking 10 Myths About Dual Enrollment](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resource/debunking-10-myths-about-dual-enrollment/): Dual enrollment programs are evidence-based practices that improve rates of college enrollment, high school and degree completion, and college credit accumulation.
- [Reconnecting Opportunity Youth to Work and a Future](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resource/reconnecting-opportunity-youth-to-work-and-a-future/): An estimated 5.5 million young Americans between the ages of 16 and 24 are neither enrolled in school nor serving as active participants in the workforce, according to a new report from the American Enterprise Institute.
- [Rethinking Underemployment](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resource/rethinking-underemployment/): Recent college graduates are facing a bumpy landing in the labor market.
- [The Causal Effects of Federal Work-Study Offers on College Enrollment and Program Participation](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resource/the-causal-effects-of-federal-work-study-offers-on-college-enrollment-and-program-participation/): Federal Work-Study (FWS) is a distinctive type of financial aid, originally intended to both reduce financial constraints and improve access to career-relevant job opportunities.
- [The Subprime PLUS Loan Crisis](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resource/the-subprime-plus-loan-crisis/): This report from identifies 41 universities that appear to be steering low-income families to Parent PLUS loan debt they cannot afford, at the same time that they are providing large tuition discounts to wealthier...
- [Supporting Multilingual Learners in Community Colleges](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resource/supporting-multilingual-learners-in-community-colleges/): For a wide variety of people learning English in the United States, community colleges provide access to key educational programs.
- [Invisible on Campus](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resource/invisible-on-campus/): Loneliness among college students is deeply intertwined with mental health, wellbeing, academic performance, and their ability to persist.
- [Protecting Tuition Equity Playbook](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resource/protecting-tuition-equity-playbook/): A new resource from the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration aims to support higher education institutions, state leaders, and advocates as they respond to heightened federal efforts to challenge...
- [The Future of Fair Admissions](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resource/the-future-of-fair-admissions-3/): Class Action’s new report, The Future of Fair Admissions: A First Look at College Enrollment Outcomes After the End of Affirmative Action, compares first-time enrollments in 2022 and 2023 to enrollments in 2024 at over 3,000 colleges and universities for more than 3 million freshmen.
- [Understanding Pathways to Enrollment in Community College Noncredit Workforce Programs](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resource/understanding-pathways-to-enrollment-in-community-college-noncredit-workforce-programs/): Noncredit workforce education has emerged as a vital yet underexamined pathway in American higher education. Accounting for an estimated 40% of community college enrollment nationwide (American Association of Community Colleges, 2024), noncredit programs attract millions of adult learners annually. These programs serve diverse needs, providing occupational training geared toward adults seeking skills for new or current jobs; occupational training arranged and paid for by employers for their employees; English as a Second Language (ESL) courses for non-native speakers; and courses to pursue personal interests (Van Noy and Hughes, 2022). Some programs lead to credentials, while others do not.
- [Federal Student Aid Portfolio Chartbook](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resource/federal-student-aid-portfolio-chartbook/): The federal government receives more than 17 million applications for federal financial aid each year, disburses grant and loan aid to more than 10 million individuals annually, and oversees a student loan portfolio of...
- [5 Ways Colleges Can Boost Graduation Rates](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resource/5-ways-colleges-can-boost-graduation-rates/): Research has long shown that graduation likelihood is linked to a student’s financial resources, family’s educational background, gender, and ethnicity. But Lumina-funded research now reveals that an institution’s actions and culture matter as well.
- [Registered Apprenticeship in Virginia](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resource/registered-apprenticeship-in-virginia/): Registered apprenticeship is at the center of Virginia governor-elect Abigail Spanberger’s plans to strengthen pathways from school to high-quality careers.
- [How States Are Funding and Expanding Short-Term Credential Pathways](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resource/how-states-are-funding-and-expanding-short-term-credential-pathways/): The 2025 update to HCM's landscape analysis of state investments in short-term credential pathways. The latest and most comprehensive analysis identifies 111 active state-funded initiatives across 34 states.
- [The Geography of California Community College Enrollment](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resource/the-geography-of-california-community-college-enrollment/): California students now have more options to take courses offered by institutions that are geographically distant from them, expanding the course-taking landscape for students statewide. This brief explores how the growth of online course taking over the past 10 years has affected the geography of enrollment, specifically the choices students make about where they take courses across California’s community college system.
- [State Uses of IPEDS Data (2025)](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resource/state-uses-of-ipeds-data-2025/): In collaboration with SHEEO and with support from Lumina Foundation, this study examines how state higher education agencies use IPEDS, drawing on a national survey and interviews with fourteen state higher education leaders.
- [College is still worth it, even with student debt.](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resource/college-is-still-worth-it-even-with-student-debt/): College remains a strong financial investment even after accounting for student loan payments: degree holders earn on average $8,000 more per year than similar non-completers when accounting for debt ($10,400 without accounting for debt).
- [Beyond Earnings Premia](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resource/beyond-earnings-premia/): Net returns on educational credentials still yield substantial net earnings gains, reinforcing higher education as a worthwhile investment.
- [Bolstering the Role of HBCUs in Federal Research and Development](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resource/bolstering-the-role-of-hbcus-in-federal-research-and-development/): A new report from the Center for American Progress and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund shows that Historically Black Colleges and Universities receive a disproportionately low percentage of federal research and development funding.
- [Why Data and Why Now?](https://www.luminafoundation.org/resource/why-data-and-why-now/): The restoration of Pell Grant eligibility in 2024 has catalyzed a new era for higher education in prison, opening doors for approximately 800,000 incarcerated individuals to pursue postsecondary education. Nearly 400 higher education in- prison programs now operate across the United States, yet basic data about these students at scale—such as enrollment, retention, and completion—is often inaccessible or inconsistent. As these programs expand, strengthening data infrastructure has become both a practical necessity and a moral imperative.

## Focus Articles
- [President’s Message](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/fall-2016/presidents-message/): America has always been billed as the land of opportunity, the setting for second chances. Even centuries before the founding of the Republic, people were drawn to the New World because it was just that: new. This has always been the place to start fresh … to break the mold … to build a different, better life.
- [Organizations that help student veterans](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/spring-2013/organizations-that-help-student-veterans/): American Council on Education — ACE offers a wealth of online services for colleges and universities that want to improve their service to student veterans, including a Toolkit for Veteran-Friendly Institutions American Legion — This national organization’s Veterans Education Center offers a wealth of education-related information and support. The Jed Foundation — This site offers resources for educators and students who seek to understand and support the emotional health of student veterans. Make the Connection — This site is a platform for shared experiences and also offers support for veterans pursuing education beyond high school. Operation College Promise — This national policy and research organization supports the transition and success of student veterans. It also provides colleges and universities with a comprehensive resource guide: Creating an Environment for Student Veteran Success on Campus RealWarriors.net — For resources related to educational and vocational counseling and making the transition to academic life. Student Veterans of America — This site offers a wealth of resources for student vets and can help them connect with SVA chapters on their campuses. VA GI Bill Website — This government site provides information on all educational benefits provided by the VA. It offers with tools and resources to help Veterans pursuing college degrees, on-the-job training, apprenticeships, or non-college degrees programs. Veterans of Foreign Wars — The VFW recently launched a new initiative called 1 Student Veteran aimed at helping student veterans cut through red tape and obtain their VA and GI Bill benefits.
- [President's Message](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/summer-2017/presidents-message-summer-2017/): We have a saying at Lumina Foundation that’s become something of a mantra: “It’s all about the learning.”
- [President’s Message](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/fall-2021/presidents-message/): The nation’s Indigenous peoples—infinitely varied in their cultures and scattered all across the continent— have at least one thing in common: Essentially, they’re forgotten. Overlooked. Invisible. Whether they live on a faraway reservation, along a suburban street, or in the high-rise condo unit next door, we non-Natives don’t see them. Not really.
- [President’s Message](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/fall-2019/presidents-message-fall-2019/): We’ve all heard the phrase “flyover country,” the dismissive term often used by coastal elites to describe the vast middle parts of the nation that they tend—or choose—to ignore. Those two words encapsulate a troubling view—the idea that the nation’s less populated areas are somehow less important or less valuable, that the people there can rightly be overlooked. No idea could be more wrong—or more dangerous to America’s future.
- [President’s Message](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/fall-2024/presidents-message/): Four-year colleges are taking a lot of flak these days. In poll after poll, Americans are questioning the value of the bachelor’s degree, with growing numbers saying the credential fails to provide sufficient return on investment. The findings come as tuition and student debt continue to climb, and as certificate programs and other alternatives emerge as gateways to well-paying jobs. With public confidence in college eroding, it’s understandable that more students choose these alternative paths.
- [Higher ed’s building a workforce with the savvy and skills to confront climate change](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/fall-2023/higher-eds-building-a-workforce-with-the-savvy-and-skills-to-confront-climate-change/): The alarm bells are ringing on climate change—and higher education is responding.
- [President’s Message](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/winter-2019/presidents-message/): If you’re of a certain age—or if you just haven’t thought much lately about career preparation—you likely hold a simple, two-track view. Let’s call it an either-or view: Blue-collar or white. Working with your hands or with your head. College-educated or … not.
- [President's Message](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/fall-2017/presidents-message-winter-2018/): Lumina President and CEO Jamie Merisotis cherishes the memory of his own college experience, yet he knows it's being shared by fewer and fewer of today's students.
- [Video feature on Utah State University’s Aggies Elevated program](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/summer-2020/video-feature-on-utah-state-universitys-aggies-elevated-program/): Aggies Elevated is a two-year program at Utah State University that is designed to serve students with intellectual disabilities well – not merely by providing opportunities for learning, but also by helping students land competitive, “real-world” employment after they graduate. The staff-intensive Aggies Elevated program typically serves about 15 students at a time. As of a few weeks after the 2019 class graduated, 93 percent of its graduates had found jobs.
- [President's Message](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/spring-2018/presidents-message-2018/): We’ve heard it for years from the nation’s employers—in CEOs’ speeches and op-ed pieces, in companies’ annual reports, even in advertisements: “At XYZ Corp., our single greatest asset is our people.”
- [President’s Message](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/summer-2022/presidents-message/): In social science textbooks—and often in our minds—life happens in stages. Many of us see it as a logical sequence of predictable steps: childhood to adolescence to adulthood … school to college to career … love, then marriage, and then parenthood.
- [Grant program gives California residents skills they can truly build on](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/spring-2023/grant-program-gives-california-residents-skills-they-can-truly-build-on/): Recalling her time as a college accounting major, Catiana “Cat” Beaver admits: “I was not about it. I ended up failing most of my classes because I just wasn’t into them.” These days, thanks to a program designed to help prepare California residents for construction jobs, the 22-year-old is firmly bonded to her new field of study: welding.
- [Dedication Speech (2009)](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/spring-2015/dedication-speech-2009-by-jacob-barnett/): By Jacob Barnett
- [President’s Message](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/spring-2021/presidents-message/): Ask anyone who attended college more than 10 years ago to name their student advisor, and you’ll likely be met with a blank stare. Ask them what that advisor did for them, and the response is no less predictable—something like: “He told me where to register,” or “She helped me drop a class.”
- [President’s Message](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/summer-2019/presidents-message-summer-2019/): There are at least two ways to look at everything, including innovation. One way—let’s call it the radical approach—was aptly expressed by Charles F. Kettering, the early 20th century engineer who invented the first electric cash register and later co-founded Delco. Kettering said this:“If you’ve always done it that way, it’s probably wrong.”
- [Institutions tackling student record reform](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/fall-2015/institutions-tackling-student-record-reform/): As colleges and universities all over the nation consider how they might create a more comprehensive student record, a group of institutions is embracing the idea in earnest, aided by a $1.5 million project supported by Lumina Foundation.
- [Links](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/summer-2014/links/): Rick on the Road - Kinder Caminata 2014 video. !Ad​elante! Club at Santa Ana College The Community Education Coalition is a partnership of education, business, and community leaders in Columbus, Indiana. Say Yes to Education Buffalo brings together the Buffalo Public School District, the District Parent Coordinating Council, the Buffalo Teachers Federation, the Buffalo Association of Administrators and Supervisors, and the City of Buffalo. Watch their video.
- [Summer 2026](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/summer-2026/): Direct admission programs help untangle the college application maze. In these stories, you'll meet several students who are using direct admission as a new, more welcoming college pathway
- [President’s message](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/summer-2026/presidents-message/): There’s a memory common to most of us—perhaps painfully common: With our high school years winding down and graduation day approaching, we anxiously perused the daily mail, hoping for that long-awaited acceptance letter from our college of choice.
- [President's Message](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/spring-2016/presidents-message-spring-2016/): That song lyric, a snippet from the Dire Straits hit Brothers in Arms, surely wasn’t written with a college campus in mind. But the sentiment fits. Many of today’s students—most notably, African-American males—can feel isolated or out of place. Although they share a physical space with their white, generally more privileged peers, they don’t share the same experience.
- [President’s Message](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/winter-2011/presidents-message/): For Americans to thrive individually and for the United States to compete in today’s global economy, our citizens must be committed to learning—rigorous, relevant, college-level learning.
- [President's Message](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/winter-2018/presidents-message-winter-2018-2/): Even in today’s digitized, algorithm-driven world, there’s a lot to be said for the do-it-yourself spirit. That drive—to blaze a trail, to shape a new tool or a work of art, to devise a unique solution for a particular problem—is deeply human, part of who we are.
- [A list of helpful links](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/spring-2014/a-list-of-helpful-links/): MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership Time magazine story on the power of “coaching” Infographic: facts about the College Advising Corps (PDF)
- [President’s Message](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/fall-2013/presidents-message/): “BE QUICK, BUT DON’T HURRY.”
- [Research program puts freshmen in the field, literally](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/spring-2025/research-program-puts-freshmen-in-the-field-literally/): First-year Adams State University student Natrielle Shorty, clad in a pair of hip-length rubber waders, swayed in the rapids of North Crestone Creek, fighting to keep her balance—and her dignity.
- [President's Message](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/fall-2018/presidents-message-fall-2018/): If you’re like most Americans, when you hear the term “college student,” a picture comes to mind: A young person—late teens or early 20s—walking across a leaf-strewn quad with a backpack slung across one shoulder. It’s an evocative image—iconic, even. It’s also wrong.
- [Purdue Tech engineering student Uriel Lopez earns while he learns](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/summer-2014/purdue-tech-engineering-student-uriel-lopez-earns-while-he-learns/): Web extra video from Focus Magazine. Purdue Tech engineering student Uriel Lopez earns while he learns.
- [At Eastern Connecticut, ‘dual advising’ keeps students singularly focused](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/spring-2021/at-eastern-connecticut-dual-advising-keeps-students-singularly-focused/): Jean Rienzo is something of an anomaly at Eastern Connecticut State University. She’s a 32-year-old single mother who lives off campus and has a demanding full-time job—certainly not the typical student at a public liberal arts university in New England. Still, Rienzo found her place—and succeeded—with the help of a caring, kindred spirit: her advisor.
- [Powerful Partnerships Fuel Detroit’s Rebirth](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/winter-2018/local-partnerships-fuel-detroits-rebirth/): From his downtown office, Detroit Regional Chamber President Sandy Baruah has an expansive view of his city’s recent renaissance. Just five years after declaring bankruptcy, the Motor City has shifted gears and turned itself around. Now recognized as a Talent Hub, Detroit is working hard – and in an intensely collaborative way – to ensure its residents have the education and training they need to succeed in today’s economy.
- [Honoring a sacred trust for those who came before us](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/fall-2021/honoring-a-sacred-trust-for-those-who-came-before-us/): Editor’s note: For this issue of Focus, Lumina relied on an experienced team of Native American journalists led by award-winning writer and producer Suzette Brewer, a member of the Cherokee Nation. This is her take on the project: its challenges,
- [P-TECH in Brooklyn](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/fall-2013/p-tech-in-brooklyn/): Not that he doesn’t appreciate a shout-out from the leader of the free world, but Rashid Davis plays the presidential card lightly when describing his innovative urban school, Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P- TECH). In fact, Principal Davis barely mentions Barack Obama’s praise for P-TECH in the 2013 State of the Union address and took in stride the president’s highly publicized late October visit to the Brooklyn, N.Y., school. He also discounts recent visits by CNN and the Chinese state news service, and he all but ignores the fact that P-TECH’s unique dual-enrollment approach will soon be scaled up and used at 16 other sites throughout New York state.
- [Amarillo College accepts ‘No Excuses’ in pursuing its anti-poverty mission](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/fall-2018/amarillo-college-accepts-no-excuses-in-pursuing-its-anti-poverty-mission/): Amarillo College President Russell Lowery-Hart has made it his mission – and that of his college – to help low-income students succeed. The key ingredient in his formula? Love. “When you love the students you have rather than the students you wish you had, and when you build your college around their needs, you can actually ensure that they complete what they’ve started,” he says.
- [Always racing to connect students with success](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/summer-2019/always-racing-to-connect-students-with-success/): Melvin Hines Jr. is an entrepreneur on a mission. As a teen in Albany, Georgia, Hines was disturbed by the high dropout rate among his high school classmates. That unease persisted when he went to college and saw scores of his fellow students hampered by economic and social inequities. It took a while, but Hines did something to address his concerns. Once he earned three degrees of his own, Hines and a partner founded a Texas-based educational software firm called Upswing. Today, Upswing’s online products are helping more than 80 colleges and universities boost students’ success by connecting them to peer tutoring, intensive advising, and other services.
- [CVS / An Rx for Workers’ Success](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/spring-2018/cvs-workers-success/): National drugstore chain CVS Health gives low-income workers a leg up on the career ladder – and fills a pressing need – through an innovative apprenticeship program. The program, now in its 14th year, prepares low-income job seekers for careers as pharmacy technicians. Workers learn while they earn, and their initial jobs often lead to management positions in the company’s nearly 10,000 retail stores. In 2017, CVS employed 4,600 apprenticeship-trained pharmacy techs and managers in 12 states.
- [President’s message](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/spring-2013/presidents-message/): These days, we’re often urged to “support the troops” — and rightly so. The men and women who have chosen to serve this nation, to protect us all as Americans, certainly deserve our gratitude and support.
- [President’s Message: Short-term programs boost careers and enrich lives](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/spring-2023/presidents-message/): If adversity is a great teacher, the COVID-19 pandemic is certainly one of the biggest learning opportunities in decades. Among other lessons, it taught us the “essential” nature of the workers we often ignore or take for granted—not just nurses and other health care professionals, but delivery drivers and IT workers, garbage collectors, and grocery clerks.
- [President’s Message](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/spring-2014/presidents-message/): The success of any college student is always a group project. No one crosses that stage to accept a degree or certificate unless there are people offstage — instructors who inspire, family members who care and cajole, friends who share and support. Role models are crucial, particularly for students who are unfamiliar with the college- going process or face other barriers to postsecondary success.
- [Spring 2025](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/spring-2025/): Today's college students gain vital lessons beyond classroom walls. In this issue, you'll meet several students who are benefiting from the trend back toward hands-on learning.
- [New ways to measure student learning](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/winter-2011/new-ways-to-measure-student-learning/): Layla Quinones, a bright, vivacious 19-year-old, has an unusually impressive Web page. She has posted an attractive photograph of herself, an engaging biography, and a personal statement about her passions and interests. She’s included a page of modern artwork that she likes, with insightful observations about each piece. She has the requisite headers and links. Yet there are elements noticeably missing from this page. There are no photos of her family, no shots of herself mugging for the camera, no “friending” requests from hopeful correspondents. That’s because this is not Quinones’ Facebook page; it’s her academic portfolio—a cross section of the work she has done, and an assessment of what she has learned, as an education and physics major at LaGuardia Community College in New York City.
- [Hoop Dream Shattered, but His Success is Still a Slam Dunk](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/spring-2016/hoop-dream-shattered-but-his-success-is-still-a-slam-dunk/): Not long ago, Evan Snelling was one of the top high school basketball prospects in Georgia – a likely Division 1 recruit with dreams of NBA glory. In his senior year, a devastating injury ended those dreams. But it didn’t derail his future. Now, as a mentor to dozens of young black men at Georgia Highlands College, Snelling revels in assisting others.
- [Innovative program turns prisoners into classroom peers](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/fall-2016/innovative-program-turns-prisoners-into-classroom-peers/): Temple University Professor Lori Pompa first brought classes into Philadelphia’s prisons in the early 1990s, seeking to deepen her students’ understanding of the criminal justice system. Pompa saw quickly that learning and teaching work both ways in prison – and that everyone benefits when inmates become classmates. And so, the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program was born.
- [President’s Message](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/fall-2015/presidents-message/): Michael Feldman has captivated public radio listeners for years by mining the comedic potential of one simple question - the question posed in the title of his popular quiz show, Whad’Ya Know?
- [Outside the college classroom and off the charts: These days, learning has legs](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/spring-2025/outside-the-college-classroom-and-off-the-charts-these-days-learning-has-legs/): Colleges and universities categorize learning outside the classroom in multiple ways. Some call it project-based learning. Others use terms such as place-based, community-based, or work-based. Some refer simply to student internships.
- [In college admissions, the direct approach may aid students AND schools.](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/summer-2026/in-college-admissions-the-direct-approach-may-aid-students-and-schools/): The growth of direct admission—an approach that simplifies the college search process by automatically admitting high schoolers who meet certain criteria—bodes well for both.
- [Hands-on programs give Kentuckiana students a leg up on good jobs](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/winter-2019/hands-on-programs-give-kentuckiana-students-a-leg-up-on-good-jobs/): LOUISVILLE, Ky.—As this city climbed out of the 2008 Great Recession, KentuckianaWorks, its regional workforce-development agency, took a new approach to training employees for local businesses: It started teaching people specific skills and awarding them credentials showing that they were superior candidates for entry-level work.
- [At Texas State Technical College, learning means doing](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/summer-2017/at-texas-state-technical-college-learning-means-doing/): Miriam and Mark Blackman run a small machine shop in the Texarkana region of southwest Arkansas. The site is rural, but the work is increasingly high-tech – particularly since the couple’s recent purchase of a computer-controlled metalworking machine. However, by applying what she’s learned in a competency-based education program in nearby Marshall, Texas, Miriam is staying ahead of the technology.
- [Georgia women’s college sheds the white gloves, grabs diversity with both hands](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/fall-2024/georgia-womens-college-sheds-the-white-gloves-grabs-diversity-with-both-hands/): Agnes Scott College, a private all-women’s institution, blends traditional academics with hands-on learning, career preparation, and leadership development.
- [President’s Message](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/fall-2023/presidents-message/): This year has been marked by wildfire smoke on the East Coast, flash floods in the Northeast and California, a heat dome over the Southwest, and untold disruptions to American work and life. The scariest thing, though, is that this may look like a cakewalk compared to what we will see in just a few years’ time. We are in a crucial window of time for climate action at a global scale, and all parts of society must contribute as much as they can.
- [The new face of the freshman class](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/fall-2017/the-new-face-of-the-freshman-class/): If you think of a “college freshman” as a dorm-dwelling 18-year-old, think again. Instead consider a 52-year-old grandmother of four … a 26-year-old high school dropout … a 23-year old Army National Guard sergeant back from the Middle East … a 34-year old immigrant from Mexico. These are truly the students of today.
- [In rural America, too few roads lead to college success](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/fall-2019/in-rural-america-too-few-roads-lead-to-college-success/): Here’s a surprising fact: Students from America’s rural communities graduate from high school at rates higher than the national average. Fully 80 percent of them finish 12th grade, just a shade below the 81 percent who graduate from more prosperous suburban schools. Making up about 14 percent of the school-age population, rural students also score better on the National Assessment of Educational Progress than do students in cities.
- [Explore more resources on learning with developmental disabilities](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/summer-2020/more-about-learning-with-developmental-disabilities/): Additional reading from Fall 2018 issue of Focus Magazine: ‘Learning without limits‘ which is on learning with developmental disabilities.
- [Extras](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/spring-2015/extras/): Indiana's 21st Century Scholars program pays tuition for lower-income, higher-performing Indiana residents. Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) keeps the American dream alive for undocumented students brought to America as children. MorningStar Solar Home is a 100% renewable energy powered home.
- [At HBCUs, student parents have long been part of the family](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/summer-2022/at-hbcus-student-parents-have-long-been-part-of-the-family/): When it comes to meeting the needs of student parents, the nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities have always been in the forefront—in part because they seek to create a supportive, family-type atmosphere. “Historically, we have had to be our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers,” explains one well-known expert on the history and culture of HBCUs. “It’s no coincidence. It’s not serendipitous. It’s because we care.”
- [Building a brighter future in ‘the other  California’](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/fall-2019/building-a-brighter-future-in-the-other-california/): California’s far-northern tier belies the state’s image as a mecca of wealth and privilege. In fact, with adult poverty rates above 20 percent, this vast rural expanse faces a host of social problems—including poor health, housing insecurity, and drug addiction. But community leaders across a five-county area see the path to progress, and they’ve teamed up to broaden that path for northern California residents. As one leader of North State Together points out: “It all came down to education.”
- [Using technology to unlock prisoners’ potential](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/summer-2019/using-technology-to-unlock-prisoners-potential/): Brian Hill’s social conscience was formed early, while he grew up in a large California family devoted to serving others. Hill’s father, a community college psychology instructor, also taught classes to inmates in Folsom State Prison, and he used that experience to foster empathy among young Brian and his five siblings. Decades later, Brian Hill has combined that empathetic urge with an entrepreneurial spirit to build Edovo, a thriving educational software company designed to give incarcerated men and women a leg up on a better future. In just a few years, Chicago-based Edovo has grown into an 85-employee firm that makes more than 25,000 tablet computers available in correctional facilities.
- [Michigan college launches health care careers—Stat!](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/winter-2019/college-launches-health-care-careers-stat/): JACKSON, Mich.—Katie Stiver, 34, spent a decade working in a long-term care facility, helping people with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.
- [Student records: Off the shelf and into the real world](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/fall-2015/student-records-off-the-shelf-and-into-the-real-world/): Tom Green still recalls his trips into the musty archive holding the transcripts of Seton Hall University students. These records - bearing the handwriting of Seton Hall professors dating back to the 19th century - dutifully listed the course work completed by the first students to enroll at the university, the amount of time they spent in those classes and, of course, the grades awarded at semester’s end.
- [Recurring financial nightmare imperils a college dream](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/spring-2015/recurring-financial-nightmare-imperils-a-college-dream/): State College, Pa.- Just before 4 p.m. on a frigid Friday in mid-December, Quanisha Smith boards a Blue Loop bus on Penn State’s University Park campus. She’s heading to a place she’s visited more times than she cares to count: the bursar’s office. She’s hoping to resolve the hold on her account, which shows an $8,800 balance.
- [True collaboration requires a special kind of leadership](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/summer-2014/a-lesson-in-leadership/): Strong leadership is a critical component in any city’s effort to improve education outcomes and increase college attainment among its residents. Experts cite several qualities that mark an effective local leader, including:
- [Kelly Autism Program’s “Circle of Support” at Western Kentucky University](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/summer-2020/video-kelly-autism-program-circle-of-support-at-western-kentucky-university/): Students who are admitted to Western Kentucky via its normal admission process, but who have been diagnosed on the autism spectrum, are eligible to apply for the KAP Circle of Support. They also must meet other criteria to qualify, including scoring 20 or higher on the ACT, a score that puts a student in the top half of ACT results.
- [What should a college graduate know? Find out…](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/winter-2011/what-should-a-college-graduate-know-find-out/): In 2005, the Association of American Colleges & Universities (AAC&U) started surveying institutions around the country, asking employers, faculty, staff and alumni a fundamental question: “What qualities and skills do you want in college graduates?” It took several years—and a surprising amount of discussion and debate—to arrive at the answers. But the list that AAC&U eventually came up with has since been adapted by colleges nationwide and has been praised for its elegance, eloquence and simplicity. The colleges believe that students should prepare for modern global challenges by gaining the following:
- [Cultures Connect to Aid Indiana County](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/winter-2018/cultures-connect-to-aid-indiana-county/): Elkhart County, Indiana, has been in the economic spotlight before – a light that was especially harsh during the Great Recession, when unemployment spiked at 20 percent. Things are much better these days, and a local talent-development coalition is committed to maintaining that momentum. The coalition is decidedly cross-cultural, involving local industry, a growing Latino population and a progressive university affiliated with the Mennonite Church.
- [What once seemed a mismatch turns out to be a marvel](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/spring-2014/what-once-seemed-a-mismatch-turns-out-to-be-a-marvel/): You’re from Long Island, the son of a man in the apparel business and a mother who didn’t work outside the home until you were 10. Having attended junior college, your parents insist—without ever really saying so—that you will go further.
- [Growing a new crop of environmental scientists to meet a global challenge](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/fall-2023/growing-a-new-crop-of-environmental-scientists-to-meet-a-global-challenge/): Zipporah Sowell was preparing for her last year at Central Cabarrus High School near Charlotte, North Carolina, when she realized she was one credit short of meeting her graduation requirements. Her guidance counselor advised her to choose any course that piqued her interest.
- [North Carolina school takes an adult approach by serving those who serve](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/fall-2024/north-carolina-school-takes-an-adult-approach-by-serving-those-who-serve/): Fayetteville State goes the extra mile to attract and retain military veterans and their families, who represent 30 percent of the student body.
- [Short-term programs bring long-lasting benefits—when designed with students in mind](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/spring-2023/short-term-programs-bring-long-lasting-benefits-when-designed-with-students-in-mind/): Shortcomings associated with short-term credentialing programs have for years been neglected. Too often these programs have led to low-wage jobs, including some that workers could have found with no credential at all. People who are Black and brown were routinely tracked into career and technical programs rather than directed toward programs leading to college degrees. Many programs weren’t designed with students’ needs in mind, and schools sometimes designed them with little attention to labor market demands.
- [From the very first, Georgia Gwinnett has put students first](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/fall-2018/from-the-very-first-georgia-gwinnett-has-put-students-first/): The Gonzalez brothers, (from left) Arnoldo, Homero, and Esteban, all have benefited from the student-centered approach adopted by Georgia Gwinnett College near Atlanta. The brothers are all GGC graduates, despite the barriers they faced as young immigrants from Mexico. The college took an intensely personal approach to ensure their success – standard operating procedure at Georgia Gwinnett.
- [Living proof that it’s never too late.](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/fall-2017/making-up-for-lost-time/): CHARLOTTE, N.C.—When Rodney Owens graduated from high school in 1991, his choice seemed clear: go to a four-year college or get a job. Now, decades later, he realizes there are other options, and he’s made it his mission to let young high school graduates know that.
- [Exercise in student activism opens doors to academic achievement](https://www.luminafoundation.org/focus-magazine/fall-2016/exercise-in-student-activism-opens-doors-to-academic-achievement/): The Bard Prison Initiative started small – just a handful students at a small New York college who fought back against cuts in federal funding for prisoners taking college courses. Today, BPI is a widely recognized success. The program is offered in six medium- and maximum-security institutions across New York state, enrolling more than 300 students in a high-quality liberal arts program and helping hundreds of ex-offenders adjust to life on the outside.

## Events
- [2026-07-23—How FutureReady States are defining—and redefining—credentials of value](https://www.luminafoundation.org/events/how-futureready-states-are-defining-and-redefining-credentials-of-value/): Lumina webinar on how leaders from Connecticut, Mississippi, and North Carolina are defining and redefining credentials of value
- [What learners say and what employers want](https://www.luminafoundation.org/events/what-learners-say-and-what-employers-want/): Ninety-three percent of college students in the U.S. say their school is teaching them the job-relevant skills they need. Only half of employers agree. So, what’s really going on?
- [2026-02-05-The next chapter of A Stronger Nation](https://www.luminafoundation.org/events/the-next-chapter-of-a-stronger-nation/): Lumina Foundation’s annual A Stronger Nation webinar returns—and this year features one of the country’s most influential voices on data and trends: Steve Kornacki.
- [2025-10-08—From Campus to Career: Advancing Career-Connected High-Impact Practices](https://www.luminafoundation.org/events/from-campus-to-career-advancing-career-connected-high-impact-practices/): What if every student left college with the skills, experiences, and confidence to thrive in today’s workforce? Career-connected High-Impact Practices (HIPs)—such as internships, undergraduate research, study abroad, service learning, and capstone projects—are powerful tools to make that vision real. These experiences not only deepen learning and boost degree completion, but when intentionally aligned with career pathways, they also help ensure all students are prepared for meaningful careers. 
- [2025-09-30—Q&A webinar: Great Admissions Redesign—Eligibility & Requirements](https://www.luminafoundation.org/events/qa-webinar-great-admissions-redesign-eligibility-requirements/): Join us for a live podcast Wednesday, September 4, at 1 p.m. EST to hear what we’ve learned in the Great Admissions Redesign work.
- [2025-09-04—Live Podcast: Great Admissions Redesign](https://www.luminafoundation.org/events/live-podcast-great-admissions-redesign/): Join us for a live podcast Wednesday, September 4, at 1 p.m. EST to hear what we’ve learned in the Great Admissions Redesign work.
- [2025-07-10-FutureReady States: A project to improve the value of workforce credentials](https://www.luminafoundation.org/events/2025-07-10-futureready-states-a-project-to-improve-the-value-of-workforce-credentials/): Lumina will announce its new FutureReady States initiative, which supports 12 states in aligning education and workforce systems to identify, improve, and scale credentials of value—helping more adults gain meaningful opportunities in a fast-changing economy.
- [2025-04-22-Insights from The Million Dollar Community College Challenge](https://www.luminafoundation.org/events/insights-from-the-million-dollar-community-college-challenge/): Hosted by our partners at StrategyForward Advisors and featuring select winners of the MDCCC to talk about their projects
- [2025-03-11-Meaningful Climate Action is Higher Education’s Responsibility](https://www.luminafoundation.org/events/meaningful-climate-action-is-higher-educations-responsibility/): Discover how higher education serves as a catalyst for climate solutions and societal progress in this live taping of Today’s Students, Tomorrow’s Talent podcast.
- [2025-03-11-AI is Unable to Outpace Higher Education](https://www.luminafoundation.org/events/ai-is-unable-to-outpace-higher-education/): This SXSW podcast session explores the interplay between higher education and artificial intelligence, delving into how academic institutions respond to AI's proliferation in the workplace and economy.
- [2025-03-03-A Primary Driver of U.S. Prosperity is Higher Education](https://www.luminafoundation.org/events/a-primary-driver-of-u-s-prosperity-is-higher-education/): Join us to explore higher education’s role in America’s economic and social prosperity.
- [2025-03-07-Reimagining Higher Ed: A Democracy Pillar in Perilous Times](https://www.luminafoundation.org/events/2025-03-07-reimagining-higher-ed-a-democracy-pillar-in-perilous-times/): In a world increasingly threatened by authoritarianism, inequality, and political divisiveness, higher education's role in safeguarding democracy has never been more critical. This fireside chat conversation will explore how higher education can evolve to address these existential threats. We'll discuss how higher ed can counter negative public narratives, foster equity, and empower citizens to be actively engaged in democratic processes. By reshaping its purpose, higher education can shore up American democracy—driving economic success and a more just and equitable society.
- [2025-03-06-Do Students & Society Still Value Higher Ed?](https://www.luminafoundation.org/events/2025-03-06-do-students-society-still-value-higher-ed/): SXSW Networking Reception. This session is part of 2025 Crossover Day. Attendance is open to all SXSW EDU registrants as well as all SXSW registrants. As always, SXSW strongly believes in the power of mixing creative communities.
- [2025-03-06-The Higher Ed Headlines that More Americans Need to Read](https://www.luminafoundation.org/events/the-higher-ed-headlines-that-more-americans-need-to-read/): This session is part of 2025 Crossover Day. Attendance is open to all SXSW EDU registrants as well as all SXSW registrants. SXSW strongly believes in the power of mixing creative communities.
- [2025-01-30-Building a Stronger Future: Celebrating Progress in Education Attainment](https://www.luminafoundation.org/events/2025-01-30-building-a-stronger-future-celebrating-progress-in-education-attainment/): Lumina Foundation will share the country’s progress toward 60 percent of working-age adults with college degrees and high-quality certificates and industry-recognized certifications.
- [2024-10-08-The Colleges That Can Save America](https://www.luminafoundation.org/events/2024-10-08-the-colleges-that-can-save-america/): Join New America and the Washington Monthly virtually on Tuesday, October 8, 2024 3-4:30 p.m. ET for a conversation about the challenges and opportunities highlighted in Washington Monthly’s 2024 College Guide and Rankings.
- [The Social Media Institute](https://www.luminafoundation.org/events/the-social-media-institute/): Join us for a comprehensive four-part webinar series designed to elevate your social media strategy, connect with potential students, and engage community members effectively.
- [2024-05-07-Unlocking Potential: Enhancing Community College Services for Immigrant and Refugee Students](https://www.luminafoundation.org/events/2024-05-07-unlocking-potential-enhancing-community-college-services-for-immigrant-and-refugee-students/): Join us as we highlight a qualified yet often hidden talent pool in communities across America. Panelists will share insights from recent research on the vital role of community colleges in connecting immigrant and refugee students to credentials and career opportunities while championing workforce inclusion efforts.
- [Stronger Nation 2024 data update webinar](https://www.luminafoundation.org/events/stronger-nation-2024-data-update-webinar/): Lumina Foundation will share the country’s progress toward 60 percent of working-age adults with college degrees and high-quality certificates and industry-recognized certifications.
- [2023-10-23-Equitable College Completion](https://www.luminafoundation.org/events/2023-10-23-equitable-college-completion/): Join Lumina Foundation and Complete College America on October 26 at 4 p.m. EDT/1 p.m. PDT for a virtual discussion, “Equitable College Completion: Discussing Support for Predominantly Black Community Colleges and Historically Black Community Colleges.”
- [2023-9-12-The Great Admissions Redesign Informational Webinar](https://www.luminafoundation.org/events/2023-9-12-the-great-admissions-redesign-informational-webinar/): Now is the time to fundamentally reimagine admissions, enrollment, and financial aid systems to serve today’s students better. Lumina Foundation is launching the Great Admissions Redesign and is seeking to work with states, higher education systems, and groups of colleges and universities ready to transform how potential students apply, enroll, and access their institutions. Learn more about the Great Admissions Redesign and how to apply at this informational webinar.
- [2023-05-11-Bouncing Back From the Enrollment Plunge](https://www.luminafoundation.org/events/2023-05-11-bouncing-back-from-the-enrollment-plunge/): College enrollment rates are lower now than before the pandemic, and perhaps even more concerning, undergraduate credential completions fell for the first time in a decade in the 2021-2022 academic year.
- [2023-01-24-New U.S. Data on Education Levels: A Stronger Nation Update](https://www.luminafoundation.org/events/new-us-data-on-education-levels-a-stronger-nation-update/): Lumina Foundation will update the country’s progress toward more working-age adults with college degrees and certificates and industry-recognized certifications.
- [2022-09-21-Designing Student-Centered Websites](https://www.luminafoundation.org/events/2022-09-21-designing-student-centered-websites/): This workshop will explore a process that helps colleges put students at the center, creates a more meaningful digital experience, optimizes available resources, and delivers measurable results.
- [2022-09-21-Today’s College Climb](https://www.luminafoundation.org/events/2022-09-21-todays-college-climb/): You are invited to a reception to unveil the Today’s College Climb Photo Gallery. The exhibition features photo essays on the lives of today’s college students by award-winning documentary photographer Rachel Bujalski. Hosted by Northern Virginia Community College and Lumina Foundation, this unique event will feature a welcome from NOVA President Anne Kress, a brief documentary screening, remarks from Jamie Merisotis, Lumina Foundation president and CEO, and a student panel.
- [2022-10-26-Analyzing and Optimizing Your College Website for Results](https://www.luminafoundation.org/events/2022-10-26-analyzing-and-optimizing-your-college-website-for-results/): Creating websites that work better for the actual people we want to reach is critical to expanding access and meeting the mission and vision of your college. No matter your resource level, making data-informed decisions that support your strategic goals and optimize available resources is important. 
- [2022-04-05-Our Nation’s Enrollment Plunge](https://www.luminafoundation.org/events/2022-04-05-our-nations-enrollment-plunge/): Citing January’s National Student Clearinghouse data, higher ed enrollment has been on the decline for a while and took a major downturn over the last two years.  Lumina’s aim in hosting this virtual convening is to bring together experts to discuss the decline's long-term implications for individuals, especially for those populations who have been hit the hardest (e.g., Hispanic, Native American, adult, and community college students), as well as for society in general if enrollment and completion do not just bounce back but exceed pre-pandemic numbers.
- [2022-01-27-Human Work and National Security](https://www.luminafoundation.org/events/2022-01-27-human-work-and-national-security/): Join leaders and authors Admiral Stavridis and Jamie Merisotis for an engaging discussion on how human work and national security can help create paths that help a lot more people—diverse in every way—to learn, earn and serve others, with the aim of empowering our economy, strengthening our democracy, and advancing equity and justice for every American.
- [2022-02-14-Father James Martin](https://www.luminafoundation.org/events/2022-02-14-father-james-martin/): Join Father James Martin, S.J., and Jamie Merisotis at 1 p.m. EST, Monday, Feb. 14, for a virtual discussion on human work, spirituality, and empathy.
- [2022-02-07-State Policy: Student Financial Aid](https://www.luminafoundation.org/events/2022-02-07-state-policy-student-financial-aid/): During webinar 2, we’ll learn together from state policy leaders and experts in the field as they share state policy insights and promising practices on student financial aid.
- [2022-03-08-State Policy-Designing for Racial Equity: Inclusive Pathways for Adults](https://www.luminafoundation.org/events/2022-03-08-state-policy-designing-for-racial-equity-inclusive-pathways-for-adults/): Join us for our third of three webinars focused on helping states achieve racial justice and equity.
- [2022-01-11-State Policy Student-Centered Funding](https://www.luminafoundation.org/events/2022-01-11-state-policy-student-centered-funding/): Join us for the first of three webinars focused on helping states achieve racial justice and equity.
- [2021-10-04-HBCU Adult Learner Initiative Kick Off](https://www.luminafoundation.org/events/2021-10-04-hbcu-adult-learner-initiative/): HBCUs are continuously encountering obstacles that make it difficult for them to build capital, develop organizational capacity, and remain sustainable. Lumina seeks to partner with HBCU’s to address these obstacles through targeted capacity building related to institutional sustainability and student success particularly for working adult students.
- [2021-08-31-UpSkilling Detroit: The Kelly Certification Institute](https://www.luminafoundation.org/events/2021-08-31-upskilling-detroit-the-kelly-certification-institute/): Employers need a highly skilled workforce, and workers need more skills to grow their careers. The Kelly Certification Institute is meeting this demand by providing education and training to those looking for economic opportunity connected to today's and tomorrow's labor demand. Join us for a conversation about how this program is serving adults in the Detroit region, how it connects to broader movements to improve the region's learning system, and how others might work collaboratively to ensure people have the credentials they need to participate in the workforce and sustain themselves.
- [2021-08-17-Stronger Nation](https://www.luminafoundation.org/events/2021-08-17-stronger-nation/): Join us for a first look at the new Stronger Nation searchable data tool. Together, we’ll explore where the nation, states, and even counties are in the country’s quest to help more people secure valuable education and training after high school.
- [2020-09-23-Navigating the Work of the Future with LinkedIn and Microsoft](https://www.luminafoundation.org/events/2020-09-23-navigating-the-work-of-the-future-with-linkedin-and-microsoft/): It’s time to spark a shift in America’s postsecondary education system—to make learning more accessible, equitable, and applicable. Join us for our second virtual Convening—a discussion with Microsoft and LinkedIn on human work, labor market outcomes, credentials, and digital skills needed in a COVID-19 economy.
- [A Discussion on Race, Learning and Culture with the Smithsonian](https://www.luminafoundation.org/events/2020-09-10-a-discussion-on-race-learning-and-culture-with-the-smithsonian/): During this time of upheaval, it’s more important than ever to have thoughtful—and thought-provoking—discussions around today’s most critical issues. Join the Smithsonian Latino Center and Lumina Foundation for a virtual roundtable on race, learning, and culture in higher education.
- [2020-10-21-Virtual State Policy Retreat 2020](https://www.luminafoundation.org/events/planning-for-a-more-equitable-future/): In this time of upheaval, state leaders face unprecedented social and economic challenges. They must work to spark a shift in our education and talent development systems to ensure they are equitable to all. Join us for our Virtual State Policy Retreat—two days of in-depth talks, breakouts and networking time—where we will take on these issues and more.
- [2021-02-16-How 2020 Changed the Way Americans View Higher Education](https://www.luminafoundation.org/events/how-2020-changed-the-way-americans-view-higher-education/): Attitudes on America’s colleges & universities have been changing for a long time. But everything we thought we knew before 2020 has changed dramatically, as COVID-19 upended our world and higher ed system this past year. Luckily, several organizations conducted public opinion research mid-pandemic to track students’ & voters’ perceptions of higher ed over the last year, and what shifting attitudes mean for the long-term sustainability of the sector.
- [2020-12-10-Embracing Prior Learning Assessment](https://www.luminafoundation.org/events/embracing-prior-learning-assessment/): Not all learning takes place in the classroom. Students often gain valuable knowledge and applicable skills on the job, during military service, through certifications, or from life experiences. The Recognition of Learning, also known as Prior learning assessment (PLA) makes it possible for students to earn academic credit for nontraditional learning. Eight out of ten U.S. higher education institutions offer one or more PLA options to students, but it’s still not always easy for students to earn credits for a variety of reasons. Those that are able to earn credits thanks to PLA often finish degrees that they otherwise would not have.
- [2020-10-06-Virtual Book Launch](https://www.luminafoundation.org/events/virtual-book-launch/): Join us for a virtual book launch with Lumina Foundation President and CEO Jamie Merisotis as we celebrate the October 6th release of his second book, Human Work in the Age of Smart Machines. Jamie will be joined by thought leaders to discuss his book's key theme—human work as the work of the future. Be sure to follow @LuminaFound and @JamieMerisotis on Twitter for more updates, and use the hashtag #HumanWork to join the conversation!
- [2020-07-01-A Stronger Nation Webinar: Counting Short-Term, Industry Certifications](https://www.luminafoundation.org/events/a-stronger-nation-webinar-counting-short-term-industry-certifications/): Courtney Brown and Jeff Strohl discuss the importance of high-quality industry certifications. This is the first year that our ‘A Stronger Nation’ data tracker measures certifications in postsecondary education attainment, and we’re excited to recognize this critical pathway for skills development and recognition.