Dakota Pawlicki
Dakota Pawlicki works for CivicLab directing the Talent Hubs work. He was previously a strategy officer at Lumina Foundation leading efforts focused on workforce education, particularly at community colleges.
More about Dakota1 of 60
Do Americans Think College is Worth It?
May 30, 2025
Nearly 9 in 10 Americans that currently do not have a degree believe that earning an academic credential is valuable. And yet, there is waning confidence in higher education across the country, as many people ask if they will get a return on their investment. In this episode, we visit Lupita Truji
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AI is unable to outpace higher education
April 29, 2025
This live session, taped at SXSW 2025, explores the interplay between higher education and artificial intelligence, delving into how academic institutions are responding to the proliferation of AI in the workplace and economy.
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What’s a Primary Driver of U.S. Prosperity?
March 31, 2025
In this special edition, we have a conversation on how to drive economic growth, strengthen civic life, and equip individuals to thrive in a rapidly evolving world. Experts from workforce, higher education and philanthropy will dive into how learning after high school cultivates a skilled workforce
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Mascots, Marketing, and Making Moves
March 5, 2025
This episode dives into how schools are using SEO, branding, and mobile-friendly marketing to reshape perceptions and connect with their communities.
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How FAFSA Got Fixed
Jan. 31, 2025
The 2024 #FAFSA season was rough. Released late, riddled with errors, and dogged by processing issues, the launch of a simplified form led to a chaotic college enrollment season for students, families, and colleges.
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Redesigning College Admissions
Aug. 13, 2024
Colleges and universities are facing a demographic shift now dubbed the “enrollment cliff.” Concerns over a decline in the number of traditional age students has led some institutions to rethink admissions processes.
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Podcast: The Dismantling of DEI Efforts
June 25, 2024
States across the country have proposed or enacted legislation that hampers or eliminates diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts on college campuses. These efforts range from removing diversity statements from job posting to outright elimination of student support services. Erin Gretzinger and M
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A Stronger Nation, Year After Year
April 9, 2024
Recently released data on Lumina’s Stronger Nation tool shows that the national education attainment rate has reached 54.3 percent. The country has increased in education attainment by 16 percentage points since 2008. Courtney Brown and Chris Mullin of Lumina Foundation share the stories, insights
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The demand for career pathways
Aug. 23, 2023
There is a staffing crisis in healthcare - a crisis that is so bad, that some are calling it a national emergency. To meet today’s and tomorrow’s labor demand, leaders need to provide clear and supported career pathways to adults already in the workforce. In this episode, Dr. Jill Buban of EdAs
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Addressing Mental Health on College Campuses
March 28, 2023
A new report from NASPA and Uwill sheds light on the growing need and urgency to provide mental health services on college campuses. In this episode, we discuss the findings from this national survey, discuss a state-wide initiative in Texas to improve mental health and wellbeing, and hear from tw
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State and Federal Policy Round Up
Feb. 28, 2023
Listen in as state and federal policy experts weigh in on the major themes from 2022 and expectations for 2023. Julie Peller from Higher Learning Advocates walks through the major movements at the federal level and Paola Santana from Lumina Foundation discusses state-level priorities for the upcomi
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Understanding public narratives about workforce and higher education
Oct. 27, 2022
Mainstream media and industry news shapes, reinforces, and redresses commonly held narratives—those underlying beliefs and attitudes that drive human behavior—about higher education and the workforce. Rita Parhad, Ph.D., and Emily Keane from Protagonist discuss the major narratives and counter-n
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What it Takes To Return: Adults in Higher Education—Part 2
Sept. 6, 2022
Institutions and non-profits across the country are providing new kinds of services and redesigning policies and practices to support more adults in higher education. In part 2, we talk with Malik Brown and Sena Owereko from Graduate Philadelphia, and from Dr. Ed Mills and Kaley Martin at Sacramento
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What it Takes To Return: Adults in Higher Education—Part 1
Aug. 23, 2022
Millions of adults in the US have some college credit but never finished their degree. The path back into school a second time is much harder to navigate. We begin a two-part series by talking with adult students and their coaches to learn about what it takes to return to school. Listen as Juquill
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The mental health crisis and higher education
May 24, 2022
A new study conducted by Gallup and Lumina Foundation found that three-fourths of students in bachelor’s programs and two-thirds of adults seeking associate degrees have considered taking a break from college due to emotional stress. Dr. Zainab Okolo of Lumina discusses the growing mental health c
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The Power of State Networks
April 26, 2022
Aligning the work of state agencies, colleges, universities, community organizations, and philanthropy towards common goals takes trust, a neutral intermediary, and a focus on what is best for students. State-level networks across the country are leading efforts to make their state’s education an
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Equity-focused state policy is advancing throughout the U.S.
Feb. 22, 2022
Lumina’s Scott Jenkins and Commissioner Carlos Santiago of the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education discuss the processes, principles, and policy ideas that advance racial equity in higher education.
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Less talk, more action: ‘Talent Hubs’ offer equity solutions
Jan. 19, 2022
Students across the U.S. are rightfully demanding that colleges and universities go beyond listening to seriously address decades of racial inequity. As one Missouri student leader put it: “(My school) is making some change, but I won’t really give them a win until I start to see institutional c
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The Lumina Podcast: COVID containment, student loan payments among 2022’s top issues
Jan. 19, 2022
Join us as we wrap up the major higher ed news from 2021 with Danielle Douglas-Gabriel of the Washington Post, Elissa Nadworny of NPR, and Katherine Wheatle of Lumina Foundation. Together, we talk about the important and sometimes strange stories inside higher education, and consider themes to watc
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Native American journalists bring an indigenous perspective to the stories of Native students
Nov. 16, 2021
Go beyond the scenes with the team of Native American journalists and photographers that produced Native Excellence, the Fall 2021 issue of Focus Magazine. Suzette Brewer and Hondo Louis talk about their process, reporting during the pandemic, and about the importance of Native American representat
