Top Higher Education News for Thursday ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­    ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­  
Lumina

Lumina Foundation is working to increase the share of adults in the U.S. labor force with college degrees or other credentials of value leading to economic prosperity.

April 2, 2026

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TOP STORIES

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ChatGPT Fed His Students Easy Answers, So He Built an App to Argue With Them

Susan Svrluga, The Washington Post

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While many faculty members worry about the impact of artificial intelligence on students’ ability to think, some are harnessing the technology to create new ways for them to learn, even designing specialized apps for their students. Instead of spitting out answers, AI tools infused with faculty expertise are intended to help students think through solutions while exploring and refining ideas.

 

Proponents argue the new technology, at its best, enables a return to an educational ideal.

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The Fortress Falls: What Princeton's Budget Cuts Signal for the Rest of Higher Ed

Chera Watson, The EDU Ledger

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For decades, Princeton University stood as a kind of financial fortress, insulated from the enrollment cliffs, budget crises, and workforce reductions that have battered colleges and universities across the country. Princeton, with its nearly $36 billion endowment and a reputation that attracts top students and donors from around the world, appeared to be in a unique position where the question was not whether the university could afford excellence but rather how to deploy its vast wealth wisely.

 

That assumption is now being tested. And if Princeton is sounding the alarm, higher education observers say, the rest of the sector should pay close attention.

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Utah Congressman Challenges 'Failing' Assumption That U.S. Higher Education System Is Built Around Four-Year Degrees

Jason Swensen, Deseret News

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Utah Rep. Mike Kennedy can’t be accused of being an opponent of degree-granting higher education institutions. The 57-year-old Republican lawmaker, after all, has spent a sizable chunk of his life in traditional colleges—claiming a bachelor’s degree, a medical degree, and a law degree.

 

But Kennedy also challenges assumptions that the nation’s higher education system is built around a four-year university degree.

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NACAC Summit Investigates How to Bring Admissions Into the 21st Century

Johanna Alonso, Inside Higher Ed

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Could videos replace traditional essays in the college admissions process? How does a college measure an applicant’s ability to engage in civil discourse? What role should artificial intelligence play in the admissions process?

 

Hundreds of college counselors, admissions leaders, researchers, and policymakers gathered recently at the inaugural summit of the National Association for College Admission Counseling’s Center for Innovation in College Admissions to answer these questions—and discuss ways to measure college readiness after decades of the admissions process going relatively unchanged.

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Unprofitable Majors Could Be on Chopping Block at SC's Public Colleges. Here's Why

Zak Koeske, The State

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For the past six years, the South Carolina General Assembly has appropriated tens of millions of dollars to public colleges and universities in exchange for an assurance they would hold tuition flat for in-state students. This year, there's an additional ask.

 

South Carolina lawmakers now want schools to use that tuition mitigation money in support of “critical workforce disciplines” and to suspend new admissions for academic programs that consistently lose money.

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Where Black Students Find Racial Healing on Campus

Aaliyah Amos, Word in Black

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For many Black students, racial healing—the process of repairing the emotional and psychological harm caused by racism, restoring a sense of wholeness, and finding spaces where their identities are affirmed without explanation—is not built into campus life. Instead, it is something they must actively seek.

 

In this interview, four college students describe what racial healing spaces look like and how they empower and support Black students on campus.

HUMAN WORK AND LEARNING

Aspen Institute Maps the Future of Learning

Colin Demarest, Axios

Cal State Students Widely Use AI Tools, But Mistrust Results and Fear Job Impact

Kate Rix, EdSource

The AI-Proof Career Advantage: Four Skills, Multiple Careers

Sarah Hernholm, Forbes

Commentary: Leading True Systemic Change: Relevance, Momentum, and Student Success

DeAnna R. Burt-Nanna, Community College Daily

EQUITY IN EDUCATION

Which March Madness College Delivers the Best Social Mobility?

Jorge Klor de Alva, The 74

Higher Ed Groups Urge GSA to Rescind Anti-DEI Certification Proposal

Natalie Schwartz, Higher Ed Dive

Commentary: Why Unprecedented Investment in HBCUs Is Constitutionally Required

A. Zachary Faison Jr., The EDU Ledger

COLLEGE ENROLLMENTS

Keene State College Will Undergo Reorganization to Mitigate Budget Deficit and Declining Enrollment

Rick Green, The Keene Sentinel

New NDSU President Sets Ambitious Enrollment Goal

Jeff Beach, North Dakota Monitor

Rethinking Transfer: From Barriers to Philosophical Transformation

Vistasp Karbhari, The EvoLLLution

Indiana Colleges and Universities Eliminate or Merge Hundreds of Degrees

Aleksandra Appleton, Chalkbeat indiana

STATE POLICY

Some Colleges Fear Cuts as Missouri Lawmakers Consider New Funding Model

Sara Weissman, Inside Higher Ed

California's Higher Education Master Plan In Flux?

Aidan Wyrough, Capitol Weekly

Gov. Sherrill Targets State Aid to Public Colleges to Push to Narrow Deficit

Nikita Biryukov, New Jersey Monitor

Commentary: Misunderstanding Tenure Leads to Harmful Outcomes for Oklahoma Colleges, Universities

James Davenport and Sue Lynn Sasser, Oklahoma Voice

NEW REPORTS

What Are Community College Bachelor's Degrees and How Much Do Their Graduates Earn?

Brookings Institution

Strong Foundations 2025: Insights Into State Postsecondary Rural Data

State Higher Education Executive Officers Association

Degrees of Value: Exploring How College ROI in California Differs by Region

California Competes and College Futures

Do Higher Education Levels Matter for Regional Growth?

Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago

luminafoundation.org
Daily Lumina News is edited by Patricia Brennan.

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