News and views in higher education attainment from Lumina Foundation

Featured Story

Human Work and Learning

The College Problem In America Is About More Than Cost

We’ve gotten used to the warning signs about higher education—the flashing dashboard lights, as it were, of falling enrollment, rising costs, battered budgets, and rattled public confidence.

Jamie MerisotisMarch 20, 2023

Robot hand typing on a laptop.

Human Work and Learning

In the age of artificial intelligence, we need our human skills to keep it real

The rapid rise of ChatGPT has spawned equal proportions of hype, horror, and hope about the potential of artificial intelligence.

Jamie Merisotis March 6, 2023

Edgar Lopez holding his niece. He is smiling. She is adorable.

Community Colleges

College student parents reshape higher education spaces

When my younger sister, Norma, got pregnant during the last year of her undergraduate studies, I was worried about her education and future.

March 1, 2023

Featured Podcast

State Policy

State and Federal Policy Round Up

Dakota PawlickiFeb. 28, 2023

Jamie Merisotis

FILTERED BY AUTHOR:

Jamie Merisotis

Jamie Merisotis, an international leader in higher education, human work, philanthropy, and public policy, has been Lumina’s president and CEO since 2008.

featured-story-icon

Research and Evaluation

Lumina set a bold goal for a better-educated country 15 years ago. It worked.

In 2008, when Lumina Foundation committed to at least 60 percent of U.S. adults earning college degrees and other credentials by 2025, we did something that set us apart from most national funders.

Jamie MerisotisJan. 31, 2023

Human Work and Learning

Don’t Call These Skills Soft

Problem solving and communication are among the ‘durable skills’ in huge demand as the global labor shortage grows.

Jamie MerisotisDec. 8, 2022

Federal Policy

We all benefit from diversity in college admissions—Let’s not go backward now

Oral arguments before the Supreme Court at the end of this month will provide a dramatic setting for the national debate over the fairness of race-conscious admissions in higher education.

Jamie MerisotisOct. 28, 2022

Student Supports

We agree with the Surgeon General on college mental health: It’s time to ‘blow it open.’

We’re having a moment in mental health, and we need to use it to challenge assumptions, push for sustainable funding, focus on preventative measures, and end the stigma of mental illness.

Zainab Okolo, Jamie MerisotisSept. 19, 2022

Research and Evaluation

Here’s what schools should do about lack of faith in college education and its high cost

Are colleges stuck in the past and no longer beneficial for those seeking a good living? According to a recent survey, yes. Institutions of higher education must focus on outcomes, parental concerns.

Jamie MerisotisJuly 17, 2022

Lumina News

The Supreme Court’s abortion restrictions will gravely harm college-going women, nation’s advances

When the U.S. Supreme Court decided the landmark abortion case Roe v. Wade in 1973, fewer than half of college students were women. Today, women make up 57 percent of college students—a 30 percent increase over five decades.

Jamie MerisotisJune 27, 2022

Human Work and Learning

Remarks by Jamie Merisotis, Franklin College Commencement, May 21, 2022

Good morning. Thank you, President Prather for this honor and for your leadership. In just about every way to measure someone in your important role, you have excelled – leading the college at a time of great societal challenge yet still enrolling more students, expanding student diversity, introducing new tech innovation and digital fluency initiatives,…

Jamie MerisotisMay 24, 2022

Human Work and Learning

Father James Martin: Ethics, compassion, and the vital role of people in the age of smart machines

Our culture increasingly depends on advanced technology, but we'll always need people on hand to make ethical decisions and other judgment calls. That's one of the themes of my book, "Human Work in the Age of Smart Machines," and it's something that came up several times when I talked with James Martin, S.J., recently.

Jamie MerisotisFeb. 17, 2022

Human Work and Learning

Adm. James Stavridis: COVID created a ‘new world’ of higher ed, but there’s much more to do

Higher education has met some critical challenges during the wrenching two years of the pandemic but still must do better at making education affordable and helping students complete their degrees.

Jamie MerisotisFeb. 2, 2022

Adult Pathways

Colleges roll out a new ‘homecoming’ for adult students

Fall homecoming feels different this year as schools welcome back not only nostalgic grads but also those who left early and want to return to finish their degrees. The warm welcome parallels a new infusion of support for Historically Black Colleges and Universities and for community colleges. These are all driven by factors that reflect…

Jamie MerisotisOct. 26, 2021

As the U.N. climate conference nears, more universities must join this ‘best last chance’ to curb global warming

Expect expansive coverage of the U.N. climate conference (COP26) in the coming days, even though the real news is decades old. The reality of global climate change is all around us, yet many national governments and big polluters lack the courage, the will—sometimes even the desire—to curb greenhouse emissions. Colleges and universities have an essential…

Jamie MerisotisOct. 25, 2021

Adult Pathways

We have to fix the skilled-labor shortage to overhaul the country’s infrastructure. Our approach must work for everyone.

We cannot fill the jobs that are open now, so to launch a massive infrastructure program we need to make training workers part of the plan.

Jamie MerisotisSept. 16, 2021

Human Work and Learning

Is America’s Workforce Ready for a Tsunami of Skilled Jobs?

As America continues to emerge from the pandemic’s grip, several economists — including Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell — anticipate a wave of job creation in the second half of the year, and some expect the U.S. economy to achieve a level of growth we haven’t seen in 30 years.

Jamie MerisotisJuly 27, 2021

Human Work and Learning

If robots rule the recovery, can Black and brown workers benefit?

The job market and a whole dashboard of economic indicators are sending us mixed messages lately. Before we get too excited about the recovery—or too depressed by the enormous challenges still looming—we should consider at least two emerging world views.

Jamie MerisotisMay 18, 2021