Top Higher Education News for Wednesday
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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.

August 13, 2025

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High School Is Getting a Workforce Makeover in Indiana. A Model for Other States?

Kavitha Cardoza, The Hechinger Report/The Christian Science Monitor

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The “New Indiana Diploma”—which goes into effect for all incoming first-year high school students this academic year—gives students the option to earn different “seals” in addition to a basic diploma, depending on whether they plan to attend college, go straight to work, or serve in the military. State officials say the idea  to tailor the diploma to students’ interests, expose students to careers, and recognize different forms of student achievement.

 

The template is something of a model nationally, experts say, at a time when more states are reconsidering how to help students prepare for careers.

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Tracking Key Lawsuits Against the Trump Administration

Jessica Blake, Inside Higher Ed

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President Donald Trump’s efforts to reshape higher education and the federal government have spurred a flurry of lawsuits as higher education associations, students, legal advocacy organizations and colleges push back and seek relief through the courts.

 

The lawsuits started almost immediately after Trump’s first day, and almost seven months later, advocates continue to file new complaints, challenging various executive orders, guidance documents or decisions to cut grants. You can find more analysis of the lawsuits filed so far here.

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Harvard Scientists Say Research Could Be Set Back Years After Funding Freeze

Leah Willingham and Michael Casey, The Associated Press

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The loss of an estimated $2.6 billion in federal funding at Harvard University has meant that some of the world's most prominent researchers are laying off young researchers. They are shelving years or even decades of research into everything from opioid addiction to cancer.

 

And despite Harvard's lawsuits against the administration and settlement talks between the warring parties, researchers are confronting the fact that some of their work may never resume.

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How College Financial Troubles Could Reshape the Student Experience

Alan Blinder, The New York Times

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The nation’s colleges and universities are confronting a series of financial crises—fueled only in part by the White House—that are prompting layoffs, pushing costs higher, and leaving the academic experience in flux.

 

Although months may pass before some of the most drastic shifts take effect, students and administrators alike are facing uncertainty over how much a school could potentially change over the course of a semester, much less an entire degree program.

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Bridging The Electronics Skills Gap Through Diverse Training

Alison Griffin, Forbes

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The electronics industry's talent shortage is a complex issue. As global electronics trade reaches $4.5 trillion annually and represents more than 20 percent of all merchandise trade worldwide, building a robust, highly skilled workforce will require an equally complex solution—one that spans from high school classrooms to corporate training centers, from apprenticeship programs to advanced degree pathways.

 

In Colorado, a convergence of industry associations, innovative companies, and strategic government investment is demonstrating how multiple approaches can work together to address the electronics talent pipeline challenge.

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‘Integral to What it Means to Be an American’: College Students on Free Expression

PEN America

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How are college and university students faring amid the mounting attacks on free expression in higher education? Do national debates about censorship and the open exchange of ideas affect the experience of the everyday student?

 

In this interview, 11 undergraduates from institutions around the country share their thoughts on the importance of free expression and the freedom to learn in higher education. 

HUMAN WORK AND LEARNING

Wisconsin Apprenticeship Program Participation Reached a Record High in 2024, Report Finds

Joy Powers, WUWM

Three Questions for Online Learning Pioneer Robert Ubell

Joshua Kim, Learning Innovation

Why New College Graduates Are Facing One of the Toughest Job Markets in a Decade

John Yang, PBS NewsHour

Toward a Shared Vocabulary: Lessons From Employer Standards

Holly Zanville and Roy Swift, The EvoLLLution

STUDENT SUPPORT

Peer Mentors Help Students Navigate Prehealth Programs

Ashley Mowreader, Inside Higher Ed

Kentucky Community Colleges Working to Meet Students’ ‘Severe’ Need for Mental Health Support

Sarah Ladd, News From the States

Scholar House Supports Single-Parent Students in Arizona

Stacy Mantle, Daily Independent

Washington Migrant Higher Education Programs Still Waiting on Federal Funding

Ann Dornfeld, KUOW

COLLEGE ENROLLMENTS

What Students and Parents Need to Know About North Carolina's New Direct Admission to College

Sergio Osnaya-Prieto, EdNC

Commentary: Administrators Push to Improve Free College Access

Amy Y. Li, Meredith Billings, and Denisa Gándara, Brookings Institution

COLLEGE AFFORDABILITY

Video: Impacts on Education From the Cap on Student Loans

CBS News

As Georgia Students Become Buried in College Debt, a State Panel Will Examine Solutions

Doug Richards, 13WMAZ

This Year’s Top 10 Colleges for Financial Aid, According to The Princeton Review

Jessica Dickler, CNBC

NEW REPORTS AND EVENTS

Call for Proposals: 2026 ACE Annual Meeting

American Council on Education

Developing Sustainable Teacher Residencies in Texas

Learning Policy Institute

Webinar: Cradle to Career Clarity: Leveraging Transparent Education Data Across the Continuum

The Hunt Institute

Growing Diverse and Immigrant Populations Drove the Nation’s Post-Pandemic Demographic Rebound, New Census Data Show

Brookings Institution

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Daily Lumina News is edited by Patricia Brennan.

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