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

February 24, 2025

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A Dear Colleague Letter in Defense of DEI

Shaun Harper, Inside Higher Ed

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A recent “Dear Colleague” letter from the U.S. Department of Education taking aim at diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and policies has sent fear, frustration, and confusion through the higher education community.

 

In this op-ed, one of the nation's most respected racial equity experts highlights 11 ways institutions can uphold their DEI commitments, as well as address politicized misinformation, disinformation, and anecdotal exaggerations about who is being most frequently discriminated against on campuses.

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Bill Aims to Protect California College Students Owing ‘Institutional Debt’

Amy DiPierro, EdSource

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A bill in the California State Assembly proposes a variety of consumer protections for students who owe debts directly to a college or university related to a mid-semester withdrawal from classes, unpaid meal plans, or other outstanding fees.

 

Proponents and student advocates are praising AB 850, calling institutional debts a major factor in derailing students’ education because schools can block them from re-enrolling, withhold their degrees, or forward them to private debt collectors.

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Legacy Admissions in D.C. Could End Because of These Students

Dan Rosenzweig-Ziff and Susan Svrluga, The Washington Post

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When Felix Rice came to Georgetown University as a freshman from Texas, he relied on financial aid and money earned at a sweaty and difficult warehouse job—a job that made the stakes of a college education very clear.

 

Something else felt just as stark: Everyone was rich. He could see it in the clothes students wore, in the way their parents looked, and in the way they talked. He could feel it in class discussions and in the issues that spark activism on campus or just … don’t.

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Retiring Colorado Community College Leader Joe Garcia Says Higher Education Afforded Him a Life He ‘Could Not Have Imagined’

Jason Gonzales, Chalkbeat Colorado

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Joe Garcia, who serves as chancellor of the Colorado Community College System, says he is grateful for what higher education has given him. Before a 25-year career in education, he recalls working as a garbage man and as a janitor in college.

 

Last week, Garcia announced that he will retire on June 30. In this interview, he reflects on his decision, the accomplishments during his tenure, and the challenges and future of the college system.

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UIC Faculty and Students Fought for Cultural Centers. New Federal Guidance Could Take Them Away.

Lisa Kurian Philip, WBEZ

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Students and faculty have fought for years to establish the Latino center and other cultural centers like it at the University of Illinois Chicago and at campuses across Illinois to provide spaces for students to celebrate and learn about one another’s differences.

 

Now, students and staff members worry the second Trump administration could mean the end of these spaces. Experts, meanwhile, say universities need to fight back.

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Inside the Effort to Dismantle the Department of Education

Willis Ryder Arnold and Deborah Becker, WBUR

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Over the past few weeks, the Trump administration has cut U.S. Department of Education spending by hundreds of millions of dollars. The president recently told reporters that he wants Linda McMahon, his pick to lead the department, to basically eliminate the agency and consequently, her position. What does all of this mean for the department's future?

 

Higher education leaders and student advocates weigh in with their thoughts and predictions.

HUMAN WORK AND LEARNING

Survey: What Students Value in Internships

Ashley Mowreader, Inside Higher Ed

Gulf Coast Employers Struggle to Find Skilled Workers, Study Finds

Joshua Cole, WBBH-TV

EQUITY IN EDUCATION

Judge Temporarily Blocks Trump’s Anti-DEI Orders

Katherine Mangan, The Chronicle of Higher Education

Diversity-Focused Pages, Language Begin to Disappear From Pitt, CMU Websites

Maddy Franklin, PublicSource

University of Arizona Is 'Creating an Inventory' of DEI Practices as Crackdowns Continue

Hannah Cree, AZPM

A Thriving Economy for All: Equitable Career Pathways

NationSwell

‘Stop DEI’ Order Lacks Force of Law But Set to Sow Chaos

Nathan Greenfield, University World News

CSU Announces Changes to Comply With Trump’s DEI Orders, Students Protest

Jenny Brundin, Colorado Public Radio

COLLEGE AFFORDABILITY

Student Loan Borrowers, You May Need to Change Repayment Plans in 2025—and It Could Be Costly

Adam Minsky, Forbes

Amid Federal Upheaval, a Pell Shortfall Looms

Liam Knox, Inside Higher Ed

South Carolina Colleges Have Frozen Tuition for Several Years. University Presidents Say That’s Not Sustainable.

Jessica Holdman, South Carolina Daily Gazette

STATE POLICY

How Should the Texas Economy Prepare for the Future?

Sean Saldana, Texas Standard

Letter of Support for Data Collection on Parenting College Students in Maryland

Edward Conroy, Ewaoluwa Obatuase, Stephanie Baker, and Richard Davis, New America

Alabama Public Universities Unite in Montgomery to Advocate for Funding, Public Policy

Alex Gladden, Montgomery Advertiser

Fresno State Alum’s Bill Calls for Salary, Loan Data in University Admissions Letters

Amy DiPierro, EdSource

NEW PODCASTS

Career Technical Education in CDCR

CDCR Unlocked

How Mission and Purpose Drive Educational Excellence

The EdUP Experience

Frederick Wehrle: Optimizing Adult Learning With AI

Work Forces

The Future of Campus Diversity and Student Support

dotEDU

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

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