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.
Two forces help define the higher education landscape today: the drive by states to fill their workforce needs and the effort to coax a limited number of students to enroll.
In Iowa, those two forces are clashing loudly over a new proposal that would allow the state's community colleges to offer bachelor's degrees, a move that private colleges perceive as a threat to their competitiveness.
Harvard University’s lawsuit against the federal government deserves the support of the nation’s entire higher education community. Specifically, it rebuts Washington’s attempt, beginning last April, to use research funding to change academic governance and programs. The case should have 4,000 amicus briefs from America’s postsecondary schools.
Here's why. It sends a clear and compelling message that higher education is a community with shared values, not just a competitive enterprise, writes this higher education leader.
“The community’s college” is a frequent tagline used among the 58 institutions that make up the North Carolina Community College System. Each college serves at least one of the state’s 100 counties, making it possible for most residents to reach a college campus in 30 minutes or less.
Community college leaders often refer to their schools as the state’s workforce engines, providing accessible and affordable higher education to historically underserved populations. Their purpose, however, extends far beyond educating individuals. In times of disaster, these anchor institutions are vital lifelines for residents and government agencies alike.
Despite rising college costs, most families continue to view higher education as a worthwhile investment. At the same time, affordability increasingly shapes planning and school choice, according to this national study on how Americans pay for college.
Rather than relying on a single source of funding, families typically use a combination of resources, including income and savings, scholarships and grants, and borrowing. Extended family members, friends, or other sources cover the remaining expenses, the report notes.
College is more than just earning a degree. It’s where you begin to decide who you want to be. For Raven Amah Ybona and Javonte Sellers, that meant letting go of the pressure to have it all figured out.
It also entails knowing that you belong—not because someone gave you permission, but because you’re willing to show up and ask for assistance. In this essay, Ybona and Sellers explain why seeking the help and support of others made all the difference in their path to and through higher education.
A newly launched national coalition called the Alliance for Higher Education promises to defend higher education from government interference.
The nonprofit’s mission is to protect higher ed’s role in fostering democracy by ensuring that colleges and universities have academic freedom, autonomy, and opportunity for all students to learn and succeed, says Mike Gavin, the organization’s inaugural president and CEO.
