Courtney Brown
Vice President of Impact and Planning
Courtney Brown oversees the foundation’s efforts in strategic planning, learning, impact, and effectiveness. She also leads Lumina’s international engagement.
More about Courtney1 of 39
The AI debate is over. Students have already decided.
April 7, 2026
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 futur
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The degree isn‘t dead, but it‘s on trial
March 24, 2026
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 The four-year diploma is an outdated filter in a world of AI and rapid disruption.
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Low wages among Puerto Rican adults, despite high education levels
March 21, 2026
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.
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What if the story we’re telling about college is wrong?
Feb. 23, 2026
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.
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Proving higher education’s promise: We increased attainment. Now, to show value.
Feb. 16, 2026
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.
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America is slipping in higher education. The slide starts long before college.
Oct. 23, 2025
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.
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Is America falling back in love with higher ed, or are we measuring the wrong things?
July 16, 2025
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.
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America’s investment in education is lagging — and the workforce pays the price
May 12, 2025
America once led the world, but the global economy is evolving, and other nations are surging ahead. We must recommit to innovation and training.
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No, college students aren’t being silenced: Most feel free, heard, and at home on campus
April 23, 2025
Despite the loud and pervasive national rhetoric that college campuses are ideological battlegrounds where free speech is stifled, most students say their experience is much different.
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The cost vs. value paradox: what Americans really think about college
March 19, 2025
For years, the debate about higher education has centered on one question: Is college still worth it?
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Do students and society still value higher ed?
March 13, 2025
Public confidence in higher education is slipping. You’ve probably heard it—maybe even felt it. But here’s the thing: While skepticism is rising, most Americans still believe in the power of a college degree. They see it as a ticket to career success, financial stability, and a better future f
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Reflecting on 15 years: We are a Stronger Nation
Jan. 30, 2025
Today, nearly 55 percent of working-age adults in the United States hold a degree or credential beyond high school—a milestone highlighted in the most recent 2023 data from A Stronger Nation, Lumina Foundation’s annual “report card” tracking educational progress.
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We can’t ignore a crisis of confidence in American higher education
Oct. 4, 2024
Here’s an uncomfortable truth: American higher education is failing millions of people, and the cracks grow deeper by the day.
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Crisis of confidence in U.S. higher education: A call for renewed focus and reform
July 8, 2024
This country is in a crisis of confidence in our higher education system.
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41.9 million college journeys abandoned contribute to a national crisis
June 20, 2024
We’re facing a stark educational crisis: 41.9 million people in this country have attempted to earn a college degree or credential but left without one. This represents not only a colossal loss of potential for the individuals
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Despite the sticker shock, students see the value in a college degree to career success. So, what happens when they can’t afford it?
May 7, 2024
A conversation with Courtney Brown, VP of strategic impact and planning, Lumina Foundation and Stephanie Marken, senior partner, Gallup
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Higher learning, don’t disturb this groove
May 3, 2024
Courtney joins Jules Douge on WHCR 90.3 FM—the voice of Harlem.
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Sticker shock: Americans say college costs are too high—and unclear
April 19, 2024
A new national survey shows college is too expensive for most Americans, forcing 38 percent of undergraduates to plunge deep into debt. Most borrowers then struggle for years to repay their loans, delaying major life decisions such as starting a family, buying a home—or returning to school.
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New Reality: Students weigh gun control, abortion laws when choosing colleges
March 14, 2024
In the fall of 2022, gun violence shattered the tranquility of my son's college experience at the University of Virginia. In an urgent call, he said, "Mom, there's an active shooter on campus. I think some people have died not too far from here. No one knows where the shooter is, so we’re all lock
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Lumina Foundation history and goals for the nation with Courtney Brown—excerpts from the podcast
March 7, 2024
Lumina's Courtney Brown talks about how Lumina Foundation was founded and its work toward increasing high-quality credentials in the U.S. She discusses Credit When It's Due, the DQP, and other Lumina initiatives with Alex Usher on the World of Higher Education podcast.
