Top Higher Education News for Friday
Lumina

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.

July 25, 2025

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Rethinking College: How More Valuable Degrees Are Closing America’s Talent Gap

Jamie Merisotis, Forbes

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Thousands of students at forward-looking colleges and universities are benefiting from alliances with employers and economic development agencies. As the need for talent drives the demand for advanced learning, smart moves at colleges and universities are helping boost the value of their degrees.

 

Together, these partners are building new technologies, new career pathways—and new and better bachelor’s degrees at a time when all of us need them for the country’s future, writes Lumina Foundation's Jamie Merisotis in his latest column for Forbes.

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A Summer Camp Where Professors Are the Focus

Beth McMurtrie, The Chronicle of Higher Education

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Imagine an intimidating gray-bearded professor presiding over students as they attempt to understand the intricate details of a 2,000-year-old text. Many college students envision philosophy in this way and take pains to avoid it.

 

But what if students believed that philosophy is meant for everyone and that it can help them navigate life’s dilemmas? Since 2018, Hamilton College, in central New York, has offered philosophy instructors a unique opportunity to develop strategies that show students philosophy is not just challenging but also enlightening, fun, and collaborative.

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College Students With Kids More Likely to Face Eviction

Ashley Mowreader, Voices of Student Success

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A recent report from New America and Princeton Eviction Lab ties the threat of eviction to negative student outcomes, especially for parenting college students. Student parents who face eviction are 23 percent less likely to complete a bachelor’s degree compared to their housing-secure peers and more likely to have a lower quality of life, including higher mortality rates and lower earnings years later.

 

In this interview, New America's Edward Conroy and Nick Graetz, assistant professor at the University of Minnesota, discuss how threats of eviction uniquely impact student parents and the implications for generational education goals.

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How Youngkin Reshaped Virginia’s Universities

Josh Moody, Inside Higher Ed

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When Jim Ryan stepped down as president of the University of Virginia last month, multiple onlookers blamed his resignation at least partly on the university’s Board of Visitors, which has been dramatically reshaped over the last three-plus years by appointments made by Republican governor Glenn Youngkin. Since taking office in 2022, Youngkin has stocked the board with former GOP lawmakers, Republican donors, and members of the Jefferson Council, a conservative alumni group that called for Ryan’s ouster.

 

But UVA’s board isn’t the only one to experience a dramatic overhaul.

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Opening Doors for Displaced Federal Workers

Tabitha Whissemore, Community College Daily

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When the Trump administration began massive layoffs of federal workers earlier this year, community colleges jumped in to help displaced workers prepare for new careers.

 

Northern Virginia Community College announced NOVAnext (New Employment, Exploration and Transition) in March. The program enables unemployed federal workers and federal contractors to enroll in select courses at no charge and access online workshops on resume writing and job search techniques. In Maryland, the Feds to Eds program is helping displaced federal workers prepare for a new career in the classroom.

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Survey: College Leaders Warn of Growing Financial Threats

Kirk Carapezza, GBH News

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Enrollment declines, inflation, and market shifts have long challenged American colleges. But this year, federal policy changes are compounding their stress, disrupting university research funding, slashing student aid, taxing large endowments, and chilling international student enrollment.

 

As a result, many schools are budgeting month-to-month instead of year-to-year—a major shift for institutions built on long-term planning.

HUMAN WORK AND LEARNING

Why Students Are Using AI

Beth McMurtrie, Teaching

For Some Employees, Education Benefits Such as Tuition Assistance Prove Life-Changing

Cathy Bussewitz, Associated Press

Degree Apprenticeships Programs Are Expanding, Helping More Students Earn While They Learn

Matthew Arrojas, BestColleges

EQUITY IN EDUCATION

Who Will Champion DEI?

Patricia McGuire, Diverse Issues in Higher Education

Gov. Jeff Landry Says Louisiana Will Join Six States Creating a New Anti-DEI College Accreditor

Patrick Wall, NOLA

Federal Investigations Target College Aid to Immigrants and Minorities

Danielle Douglas-Gabriel, The Washington Post

Democrats Sound Alarm After Feds Probe DEI Policies at Virginia Universities

Joe Dodson, Courthouse News Service

COLLEGE ENROLLMENTS

AI Tracked Down Nearly 80,000 ‘Ghost Students’ Trying to Enroll in California Colleges

Amanda Gerut, Fortune

Indiana’s College-Going Rate Drops Again, Dipping to 51.7%

Casey Smith, Indiana Capital Chronicle

Tennessee Launches Direct Admissions Pilot With Student Aid Component

Natalie Schwartz, Higher Ed Dive

Tucked Into Columbia’s Deal With Trump: A Restriction on International Enrollments

Karin Fischer, The Chronicle of Higher Education

FEDERAL POLICY

Five Big Predictions on the Impact of the 'One Big Beautiful Bill' Act

Jobs for the Future

Two Big Cases Underway Over Trump's Higher Education Policy. Here Are the Key Takeaways

BrieAnna Frank, USA Today

Over 1,000 Colleges Could Lose Access to Federal Student Aid

Preston Cooper, American Enterprise Institute

Explainer: How Essential Is the Department of Education?

Susan Hughes, Harvard Kennedy School 

NEW REPORTS AND EVENTS

Webinar: Ask Us Anything About Higher Education Policy

dotEDU Live

The Impact of Dual Enrollment on College Application Choice and Admission Success

The Journal of Higher Education

Internships and Beyond: Strengthening Career Value Across Diverse Models of Work-Based Learning

Strada Education Foundation

Aligning Youth Apprenticeship and Career and Technical Education

Urban Institute

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Daily Lumina News is edited by Patricia Brennan.

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