Top Higher Education News for Thursday
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 20, 2025

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TOP STORIES

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Ed. Dept.’s Broad DEI Warning Puts College Leaders in ‘Enormously Complicated Situation’

Jasper Smith, The Chronicle of Higher Education

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The U.S. Department of Education’s recent "Dear Colleague" letter calling for the elimination of all race-conscious initiatives in higher education leaves college leaders with the difficult decision to determine in just two weeks which diversity efforts on their campus could be deemed exclusionary.

 

Absent a legal challenge, the looming deadline for compliance has quickened the decisions college leaders will have to make over their race-conscious initiatives. Still, lawyers say, enforcement likely won’t happen right away.

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How Bad Are Helicopter Parents?

Jack Stripling, College Matters

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With GPS tracking, “concierge moms,” and high-priced dormitory-design consultants, it’s easier than ever for college students’ parents to go overboard. But is extreme helicopter parenting as pervasive as it seems? And how much are changing cultural norms affecting the relationships parents have with their young-adult children?

 

The co-founder of a wildly popular online resource for parents breaks down what’s really happening between parents and young college students.

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Where Will Higher Ed's Next Leaders Come From?

Scott Carlson, The Edge

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It's become clear that the federal government will likely regard higher education with hostility over the coming years. As a result, colleges may increasingly have to lean on local support networks—those within their cities or states—and hook into the narratives and institutional roles those communities value.

 

It can be challenging to navigate that situation. Will colleges turn to local leaders who understand the institution’s position in the community? And will those “local leaders” come from the region’s higher education institutions, the business community, or political circles? Or will colleges continue turning to leaders who come from an aspirational institution?

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Civil Rights Group Details Opposition to McMahon Education Nomination

Walter Hudson, Diverse Issues in Higher Education

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The NAACP Legal Defense Fund has issued a scathing critique of Linda McMahon's nomination for U.S. Secretary of Education, warning that the former WWE executive and Small Business Administration chief lacks the necessary experience and holds views that could threaten civil rights protections in education.

 

In a letter to Senate leadership, LDF's Demetria McCain outlines four major concerns about McMahon's nomination, including her apparent support for dismantling the U.S. Department of Education, her limited educational experience, and her role in developing controversial education policies through the America First Policy Institute.

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Who Would Benefit From the State's Free Community College Proposal?

Jeongyoon Han, WAER

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Approximately 25 percent of students at community colleges within the State University of New York are adult learners. These students often scale down their work hours so they can pursue a degree and advance their careers, all the while raising children and paying off loans.

 

Gov. Kathy Hochul wants to help adults who are heading into fields with intensifying staff shortages or burgeoning growth by covering books and tuition for their associate degrees. For students like Yeidy de la Rosa, that prospect would be life-changing.

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Federal Funding Uncertainty Prompts Hiring Freezes

Josh Moody, Inside Higher Ed

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Facing financial unknowns associated with President Donald Trump’s attempted overhaul of higher education—including proposed caps on federal health research funding—universities are scrambling to minimize the financial fallout.

 

Even some of the wealthiest universities in the nation have already frozen hiring, paused graduate admissions, and taken other actions as officials estimate the potential damage if the National Institutes of Health plan to cap reimbursements for indirect research costs moves ahead.

HUMAN WORK AND LEARNING

New Education Design Lab Initiative Convenes Five Community Colleges to Reimagine Their Future

Rhea Kelly, Campus Technology

Views: Restating the Value of Higher Education

Julius Sokenu, Ventura County Star

Blog: Thinking Out Loud With AI

Ray Schroeder, Online: Trending Now

STUDENT SUPPORT

Infographic: Food Support Programs Reach 700,000 College Students

Ashley Mowreader, Inside Higher Ed

Mentoring Program Helping Black High School Students Prepare for College Success

Jermont Terry, CBS News Chicago

Blog: You Can’t Pour From an Empty Cup: Prioritizing Mental Health at HBCUs for Students and Staff

Jhenai Chandler, NASPA

Blog: Empowering Higher Education Through Mentorship

Steven Mintz, Higher Ed Gamma

COLLEGE ENROLLMENTS

Will Trump DOE Try to End Test-Optional College Admission Policies?

Michael T. Nietzel, Forbes

This Week’s Poll: Spring Enrollment Projections

Community College Daily

When Colleges Close, Communities Take the Biggest Hit

Amy Scott and Sofia Terenzio, Marketplace

San Jose State University Bracing for More Possible Cuts Despite Enrollment Growth

Damian Trujillo, KNTV

STATE POLICY

Pritzker to Call for Expansion of Four-Year Degree Offerings at Some Community Colleges

Peter Hancock, Capitol News Illinois

Testimony: Remarkable Progress in Student Success Spurred by Reforms at California’s Community Colleges

Marisol Cuellar Mejia, Public Policy Institute of California

Higher Ed Bill Passes Legislature, Giving Faculty and Staff a Seat—But Not a Vote

Nathaniel Cline, Virginia Mercury

Legislators Consider Requiring Food Services at All Community College Campuses

Coral Aponte, CT News Junkie

AG-Backed Higher Education Oversight Bill Could Be Dead After First Committee Hearing

Nicholas Gilmore, Santa Fe New Mexican

NEW REPORTS AND EVENTS

The Geography of Generative AI’s Workforce Impacts Will Likely Differ From Those of Previous Technologies

Brookings Institution

Webinar: The Connected Campus Experience: Modern University Life and Learning

University Business

Virtual Forum: Improving Operations With AI: Case Studies

The Chronicle of Higher Education

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

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