Top Higher Education News for Friday
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 18, 2025

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The State of Public Trust in Higher Education: Insights From Gallup-Lumina Foundation

Drumm McNaughton, Changing Higher Ed

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Public trust in higher education has reached historic lows. Approximately one-third of Americans now say they have confidence in colleges and universities—down from more than 60 percent less than a decade ago.

 

In this interview, Lumina Foundation's Courtney Brown examines what’s driving the erosion of trust and what institutions must do to regain credibility, relevance, and workforce alignment. Brown also shares findings from a Lumina and Gallup survey about public attitudes toward value, cost, and workforce relevance. Finally, she outlines Lumina’s new 2040 goal: 75 percent of working-age adults holding a degree or credential that leads to economic mobility.

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Colleges Expand Wellness Offerings for Student Success

Ashley Mowreader, Inside Higher Ed

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Recent research shows that personal well-being is one of the greatest threats to persistence among today's college students.

 

In response to this growing need for support, more colleges and universities are investing in prevention efforts that bolster their campus wellness spaces and services and, in turn, retention and graduation. Several programs focus on students’ self-regulation through meditation and reflection; others offer tools and resources that can help students manage physical and socio-emotional health.

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Accelerating Postsecondary Attainment: Event Highlights and Reflections

Lauren Bell and Sydney Carroll, Institute for Higher Education Policy

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About 500 education leaders, researchers, funders, and student success advocates came together this month in Washington, D.C., to celebrate degree and credential attainment progress—and to discuss strategies that support today's learners and build systems reflecting their realities.

 

The event included a timely conversation between Margaret Spellings, eighth U.S. Secretary of Education and current president of the Bipartisan Policy Center, and Jamie Merisotis, CEO of Lumina Foundation. The pair offered insights about the evolution of public discourse on the value of higher education and where it must go next.

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Harvard Professor Gives Perspective on the Trump Administration Clash With University

Michel Martin and Destinee Adams, NPR

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Despite President Trump's threats, Harvard University is standing its ground against the administration's demands. Within days, Trump has cut more than $2 billion in federal funding for the university and threatened to revoke its tax-exempt status.

 

But what does the clash between Harvard and the Trump administration look like from the perspective of its faculty? Harvard Law School professor Nikolas Bowie weighs in.

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How an Early Alert System Raised One College’s FAFSA Completion

Laura Spitalniak, Higher Ed Dive

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College leaders understand the value of a completed financial aid application, but they often face hurdles helping students navigate the slog of paperwork.

 

Holyoke Community College, in Massachusetts, encountered this issue two years ago when 47 percent of attendees at the college’s new-student orientation had not completed their FAFSA. Dozens of other students were missing crucial paperwork. The implementation of an early alert system is now successfully addressing both challenges.

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Higher Education Is Polarizing. But Both Parties Can Agree on These Fixes.

Yolanda Watson Spiva, U.S. News & World Report

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President Donald Trump continues to grab headlines for his provocative moves to eliminate specific aspects of higher education, including trying to shut down the U.S. Department of Education and cutting funding to universities over diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.

 

Amid these recent executive actions and the rumblings of those to come, Congress has a critical role to play in shaping policies that support students, drive innovation across institutions, and ensure that higher education remains a lever for economic and social mobility, writes Yolanda Watson Spiva of Complete College America in this perspective piece.

HUMAN WORK AND LEARNING

Students Are Backing Away From Online College

Derek Newton, Forbes

Flexing for Students

Lara Couturier and Heather Perfetti, Beyond Transfer

Commentary: Use of Data to Enhance Transfer and Credit for Prior Learning

Christopher Davis, The EvoLLLution

EQUITY IN EDUCATION

Can Universities Still Diversify Faculty Hiring Under Trump?

Ryan Quinn, Inside Higher Ed

HBCU Leaders Unite to Address Threats to Black Education

Diverse Issues in Higher Education

College Faculty, Students, Union Members Rally in Pittsburgh to Defend Higher Education

Megan Swift, TribLive

Many HBCUs Need Government Funding, But Some Are Preparing for a Future Without It

Marquise Francis, NBC News

FEDERAL POLICY

Trump Policy Targeting Immigrants Shuts California Students Out of Federal Programs

Adam Echelman, CalMatters

A Look at the Universities With Federal Funding Targeted by the Trump Administration

Makiya Seminera, Associated Press

Trump Official Threatens Harvard Foreign Student Admissions as More Universities Rally in Support

Anna Betts, The Guardian

Tracking Trump’s Actions on Student Visas

Alissa Gary and Nell Gluckman, The Chronicle of Higher Education

U of I Braces for Loss of Federal Funds—and a $59 Million Grant Is in Limbo

Kevin Richert, Idaho Education News

Amid Trump's Ire, Can Harvard Afford to Lose Federal Research Funds?

Zachary Schermele, USA Today

COLLEGE AFFORDABILITY

A State-Funded Program Helped This 19-Year-Old Finish College

Liz Schlemmer, WUNC

Report: California’s High School Class of 2024 Missed Out on Half a Billion Dollars in Pell Grants

Amy DiPierro, EdSource

SUNY Chancellor Highlights Free Community College Proposal to Boost Healthcare Workforce

Jana DeCamilla, WRGB

NEW REPORTS AND EVENTS

Webinar: Insights From the Million Dollar Community College Challenge

Lumina Foundation

Ensuring College Access and Success for
Black Students in Higher Education

The Campaign for College Opportunity

Is College Still Worth It?

Federal Reserve Bank of New York

The Growth of Earn-and-Learn Apprenticeship Degrees: Expanding America’s Mobility and Opportunity Structure

American Enterprise Institute

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

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