News and views in higher education attainment from Lumina Foundation

Featured Story

Racial Justice and Equity

Our children will deliver the final verdict. It will hinge on building a racially just society.

In the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, guilty on all counts in the death of George Floyd, the verdict stands as a historic moment in the nation’s quest for racial justice. It is a decision we should treat with solemnity and gratitude. Still, a just verdict in a single, high-profile case is…

Jamie MerisotisApril 20, 2021

William Serrata sitting at a desk in a suit and tie.

Lumina News

El Paso Advocate for First-Generation and Hispanic Students Joins Lumina’s Board

INDIANAPOLIS – El Paso Community College President William Serrata has joined Lumina Foundation’s Board of Directors, which today concluded its spring meeting. Earlier this year, the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education honored Serrata for early career achievements.

April 8, 2021

A technician measures a machined piece of round brass with calipers.

Research and Evaluation

Education: The key to real opportunity—during the pandemic and beyond

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed any number of inequities in American life, but probably none more glaring than the widening gap between the haves and the have-nots. A key determination between the two is education beyond high school.

Courtney Brown April 7, 2021

Featured Podcast

Racial Justice and Equity

Time for change in this critical moment for higher ed racial equity, cost of college

Dakota PawlickiJan. 12, 2021

Adult Learners

States are using fast, short-term credentials to get workers back on their feet.

In recent years, the debates about proposals to expand the federal Pell Grant program to pay for short-term workforce programs offered at community colleges have been lively. Several states have taken matters into their own hands, using federal stimulus dollars to provide aid to adult learners seeking short-term certificates and certifications. These state initiatives offer essential…

Amber Garrison Duncan, Kermit KalebaMarch 24, 2021

Adult Learners

Community-based organizations help students gain valuable work skills quickly

People are struggling right now to find jobs, pay bills, and care for family. Located within those struggles is the need to upskill or reskill to be equipped for available jobs and better opportunities. Community-based organizations (CBOs) provide a critical means of support. They create new pathways to education and employment and help fill gaps…

Haley GloverMarch 18, 2021

Adult Learners

Finishing college can be hard when ‘life gets in the way’ – but there is help

Thirty-six million adults have some college credit but have yet to earn a degree. The first step colleges and policymakers need to take to re-engage these adults is to listen to those who have traveled through the system.

Dakota PawlickiMarch 2, 2020

Adult Learners

Why adults quit college and how to bring them back

From our freshman through senior years of college, my roommate worked tirelessly at Applebee’s Bar and Grill so she could afford to attend school. It’s not easy to balance work and school, but she figured it out.

Wendy SedlakDec. 17, 2019

Adult Learners

Audio: Go beyond the ‘hot-buttons’ around immigration, Jamie Merisotis says

The United States needs millions more qualified people to fill open jobs, and immigration is a vital part of filling that gap, Jamie Merisotis says.

Tracy ChenOct. 9, 2019

Adult Learners

Focus magazine: Rural college students are a vast and vital national resource

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…

Jamie MerisotisSept. 23, 2019

Adult Learners

Rural America can yield a bumper crop of talent. So let’s cultivate it.

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.

Jamie MerisotisAug. 9, 2019

Adult Learners

At commencement, remembering the long struggle to get my degree

As I walked into the stadium for my community college graduation, a photographer from the school’s PR department asked for a quick word. It was the same question I’d heard from others after finishing my associate degree: “So, what’s next for you?”

Jimmieka MillsJune 12, 2019

Adult Learners

College today: More students are older, working, supporting others

We talk about college affordability a lot these days, but the challenges for some students go beyond just money: Forty percent work full time and one fourth have children or other dependents.

Dakota PawlickiJune 3, 2019

Adult Learners

Homeless, hungry college students deserve better

Uncertainty is part of college: We’re unsure about what major to choose, about homework and class assignments. We’re trying to figure it all out at once. But the worst stress comes from being unsure whether you’ll have a home or enough food.

Jimmieka MillsFeb. 20, 2019

Adult Learners

“I decided to keep going” – High school dropout to college freshman

Nyla Wills dropped out of high school as a sophomore about six years ago to help care for her ailing mother and work to support the family. In 2017, when it came time to continue her education, she did so through a Goodwill Excel Center.

Dakota PawlickiJan. 21, 2019

Adult Learners

Lumina announces new round of Adult Promise states

California, Hawaii, Idaho, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Ohio receive grants to support state-led efforts to better serve adults seeking education after high school.

Nov. 9, 2018

Adult Learners

College finances: Going back to school complicated for some adults

We celebrate the idea that earning a bachelor’s degree results in an average of $1 million in additional lifetime income. But future earnings don’t mean much when you’re a student struggling to make rent, pay for tuition, and cover all your other expenses.

Terri TaylorSept. 21, 2018

Adult Learners

The power of learning

Congratulations to the SUNY Empire Class of 2018! I am thrilled to be here with you on this life-changing day. While graduation is always one of life’s great milestones, it’s an extra-special achievement here.

Jamie MerisotisJune 4, 2018