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.
President Donald Trump issued an executive order in April promising to “elevate the value and impact” of the country’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities—in part by selecting an executive director for the White House Initiative on HBCUs and a President’s Board of Advisors on HBCUs.
But four months later, eight months into his second term, these roles remain unfilled. That lack of representation is causing some advocates to worry that HBCUs are missing their direct line of communication to the White House at a time of rapid-fire higher ed policy changes.
Parenting students sit at the center of a vast array of policy areas, trying to piece together enough support to survive from work, financial aid, and various public benefit programs. They do this so they can complete a degree or credential in the hope that they—and their children—can attain some economic security and never have to rely on public support again.
Experts predict that federal cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Medicaid will only further complicate this goal.
First came the University of Pennsylvania. Then Columbia. Then Brown. The three Ivy League schools agreed to adhere to specific Trump administration policy demands in the last month to restore frozen federal funds. Two of those schools agreed to pay fines as well. Is Harvard University next?
Many in the higher education sector shudder at a potential Harvard deal. If a school with Harvard's prestige and deep pockets can't withstand ideological demands from the government, what school could? Harvard is the only higher education institution that has challenged the administration in court thus far over the loss of federal funding.
Manufacturing and construction dominate the business needs inside Beloit, a small city of 36,000 just minutes from the Illinois border. Sitting at the nexus of two major highways and within 100 miles of Chicago, Milwaukee, and Madison, Beloit is home to a range of businesses that include a Frito-Lay production plant, an Amazon distribution center, and a Navy subcontractor.
But staffing these companies for the future is a major concern. Across the country, the average age of manufacturing workers is increasing, and one in four of these workers is age 55 or older. Wisconsin is one of several states looking to boost career and technical education as a possible solution to the aging and shrinking workforce.
Housing can be a major barrier for low-income students around the California State University system, which includes Sacramento State and 22 other campuses. Recent estimates show that housing accounts for half the cost of attendance at CSU and that 11 percent of CSU students surveyed experience homelessness or housing insecurity.
That reality is one reason why CSU added more than 17,000 new beds between 2014 and 2024. About 5,600 more are either under construction or approved to be built. The investments in housing are giving CSU a more residential flavor, even as many campuses maintain their long-standing dependence on commuters.
Chefs are using artificial intelligence to invent recipes; doctors are using it to read MRI and CT scans; scientists are unlocking discoveries. AI is helping workers with their day-to-day tasks: writing code, summarizing emails, creating ideas, and generating curricula—even as it still makes plenty of mistakes.
Recent surveys indicate that almost one in five U.S. workers say they use AI at least semi-regularly for work. Twenty-one people share how.
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