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.
Since elementary school, Malik had experienced homelessness while attending Santa Monica public schools. He and his family moved often between shelters. Occasionally that meant toggling between Skid Row, the beach, and their family car when shelter space was unavailable. Recently, however, Malik, now a high school graduate, Santa Monica College student, and young father, was finally able to do something unimaginable—put up his feet in his new permanent home.
Malik’s story reflects a growing reality across California: the housing crisis has become an educational crisis.
Two public universities—the University of Texas at Austin and the University of California, Santa Cruz—are each hiring a student affairs professional whose job will focus entirely on student speech and free expression.
The job postings follow a surge of protest activity on American college campuses—including clashes between student protesters and police at both UT Austin and UC Santa Cruz—and the ensuing avalanche of lawsuits from students, alumni, and others who were arrested or disciplined after participating in campus protests. Whether the new staff members will safeguard students’ rights to free expression or work to censor them will depend entirely on how the role is deployed, experts say.
Many universities are now racing to embed artificial intelligence literacy across their curricula and equip students with knowledge that could prove critical to future careers. But the University of Florida embarked on this mission years before large language models exploded into everyone’s consciousness with the arrival of ChatGPT.
Hans van Oostrom, director of the center that supports UF's AI initiatives across teaching and research, discusses what “AI across the curriculum” means in practice, how his institution has built AI expertise across all its academic departments, what drives AI resistance, and how to balance AI use against the other foundational skills that students need to develop.
In a candid message to the campus community, Syracuse University's chancellor and president disclosed that the university will not meet its undergraduate enrollment target for Fall 2026. This shortfall has created a budget deficit and will force the institution to confront the factors behind declining enrollments, a challenge that is becoming increasingly common across U.S. higher education.
The announcement is notable because Syracuse is a nationally recognized private research university with more than 22,000 students, a strong brand, and a history of financial stability. Yet even Syracuse is discovering that the enrollment environment has changed.
Employers continue to be concerned that recent college graduates are unprepared for today’s workplace. A recent survey by Lumina Foundation and Gallup found that a little more than half of employers say American colleges and universities are producing students with the skills they’re seeking. Plus, nearly 70 percent of employers say recent college graduates need at least a moderate amount of additional training after they’re hired so they can succeed in their new job.
As companies voice growing frustration that traditional degree programs are failing to produce enough job-ready talent, another type of institution has long delivered results from the margins: community colleges.
What is the class of 2026 looking for when applying and interviewing for jobs? The National Association of Colleges and Employers found in a 2026 survey of more than 17,000 students from 258 higher education institutions that recent graduates want to work for companies that provide opportunities for professional development.
Grads also want job security, a solid benefits package, and a high starting salary. But college students entering today’s workforce—and a market still being roiled by the effects of artificial intelligence—“are not just looking for a first job; they are looking for a strong start,” NACE researchers say.
