Top Higher Education News for Tuesday
Lumina

Lumina Foundation is committed to increasing the proportion of Americans with high-quality degrees, certificates and other credentials to 60 percent by 2025.

February 18, 2025

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Colleges Take Financial Precautions Amid Uncertainty From Trump Administration

Sarah Brown, The Chronicle of Higher Education

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Many of the Trump administration’s most drastic cost-cutting measures, such as pausing the flow of billions in federal funding and capping indirect costs for National Institutes of Health grants, have been temporarily blocked by courts.

 

But some colleges and universities aren't taking any chances. They're considering their own freezes and cuts as precautions.

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How a South Texas Junior College Embraced Apprenticeships to Ease a Growing Nursing Shortage

Sneha Dey, The Texas Tribune

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Every Wednesday, students from South Texas College clock in for their shift at the largest hospital in town. Donning light blue scrubs and compression socks, they practice checking vitals on a mannequin. The 18 students are getting hands-on training at one of the first registered nursing apprenticeship programs in the country. Many will be the first in their family to graduate from college.

 

Apprenticeships make it possible for Texas nursing students to make money right away instead of waiting years until they complete a degree. That could be appealing to adults who are impatient to start earning and wary of taking on loan debt.

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Experts Discuss Impact of Recent DEI Crackdowns in Higher Education

Sophie Rentschler, Columbia Missourian

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Revisions to policies, laws, and executive orders have their role in governing institutions, but at what point do they begin to affect the way students are expected to navigate their college experience?

 

That is the question confronting the higher education community these days as they face the Trump administration's crackdown on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. In this interview, legal and advocacy experts encourage students, faculty, and staff to be aware of the triggers that allow these changes to take effect.

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Black History Month Matters—for Everybody

Jamie Merisotis, Lumina Foundation

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Black History Month is not just a reflection on the past; it is a call to action. Black futures will write America’s future. We are challenged to confront ongoing racial inequities so that people and the nation can thrive.

 

Education is more than just a part of that story. It’s a foundation for our shared success, writes Lumina Foundation's Jamie Merisotis in this perspective on Black History Month.

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Students Say They Will Leave Ohio If Lawmakers Go Forward With Massive Higher Education Overhaul

Megan Henry, Ohio Capital Journal

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Where 16-year-old Michelle Huang goes to college hinges largely on what happens with a massive, controversial higher education bill that the Ohio Senate recently passed.

 

Huang, a junior at Olentangy Liberty High School in Delaware County, says she always imagined herself going to Ohio State University to study political science. However, she's not so sure anymore because of Ohio Senate Bill 1, which would, among other things, ban diversity and inclusion efforts and jeopardize diversity scholarships.

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Illinois Weighs Opening State Financial Aid to Students in Prison

Lisa Kurian Philip, WBEZ

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Jose Vidaurri was released from prison four months ago. He says he understands why people fall into old patterns, commit new crimes, and end up returning to prison. But that isn't an option for Vidaurri. And he credits the education he started in prison for his new mindset.

 

Research shows that higher education is effective at preventing people from re-offending. Yet just 615 out of 29,470 inmates in Illinois are enrolled in college classes. Legislation reintroduced this session could expand access by restoring state financial aid for incarcerated students.

HUMAN WORK AND LEARNING

Why Are Campuses Quiet and College Leaders Silent When U.S. Democracy Is in Crisis?

Austin Sarat, Inside Higher Ed

Corporate Partnerships Helped Spark Allegheny’s $90M Campaign

Ed Finkel, Community College Daily

Why Soft Skills Matter in Higher Education and Career Development

Gina Neugebauer and Rick Mask, The EvoLLLution

EQUITY IN EDUCATION

Why These Marylanders Are Doubling Down on DEI

John-John Williams and Bria Overs, The Baltimore Banner

Wildland Firefighting Program That Encouraged Women to Join Field on Pause After Trump DEI Order

Cathy Cook, Albuquerque Journal

In Sweeping Letter, Ed. Dept. Says SCOTUS Ruling Applies to All Race-Conscious Programs

Eric Hoover, The Chronicle of Higher Education

Opinion: Iowa's Unique Civil Rights History Must Be Taught, Not Suppressed

Ronald Langston, Des Moines Register

COLLEGE ENROLLMENTS

Dual Enrollment Courses Surge in Popularity

April Mabry, Texas Association of School Boards

UC Admissions See Slight Decrease, But One Central California School Saw a Big Increase

Ernesto Centeno Araujo and Paris Barraza, Ventura County Star

Private Colleges in NEPA Prepare for ‘Enrollment Cliff’

Michael Buffer, The Citizens' Voice

STATE POLICY

Student Voice: Humanities Are in Trouble in the State of Florida. We Need a Shift in Culture

Peyton Harris, The Hechinger Report

Ohio Senate’s Actions Called ‘Undemocratic’ After Passing Higher Ed Bill

Katie Millard, WCMH

How Reduced Federal Spending Can Hurt State Support for Higher Ed

Alcino Donadel, University Business

Kansas Bill Would Fundamentally Change Tenure Protections for Professors

Jack Harvel, Topeka Capital-Journal

Commentary: Florida’s Public Universities Are Falling Victim to DeSantis’ War on Progress

Diane Roberts, Florida Phoenix

NEW REPORTS AND EVENTS

Beyond Engagement: Promoting Motivation and Learning in Online Courses

Community College Research Center

Webinar: Belonging: The Proven Path to Recruit and Retain More Students

Inside Higher Ed

Virtual Forum: The New International Student

The Chronicle of Higher Education

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

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