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.
As short-term credentials gain popularity, many states are taking steps to ensure they deliver real value and future opportunities. Launched last year, Lumina Foundation's new FutureReady States initiative represents a 12-state partnership to create standards for credentials of value and better alignment of education and workforce systems.
A new report from HCM Strategists now offers insight on the work done so far—including cross-cutting themes, persistent challenges, and emerging opportunities to help inform the next phase of planning and implementation.
During a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing this week, Democrats and Republicans lauded community colleges for their critical role in preparing students for in-demand jobs. However, the question now is whether appropriators will back that enthusiasm with funding to support two-year institutions and their students.
A panel of witnesses from three community colleges and a think tank painted for lawmakers the vast work that public two-year colleges do in connecting with local business and industry to develop the skilled workforce they need to thrive. The committee also heard about the unique challenges faced by rural community colleges and tribal colleges.
Too many campuses and a dwindling number of students to populate them: That’s a problem familiar to many public systems of higher education. Not long ago, state systems, like the ones in Georgia and Pennsylvania, attacked it by consolidating institutions. Others, like in Wisconsin, merged and later closed some campuses.
But now some states are reviving an idea from the recent past—that “systemness” is the key to sustainability.
Last month, the Congressional Budget Office projected an $11.5 billion shortfall in Pell funding by fiscal year 2027. The program provides need-based federal financial aid for more than 30 percent of American college students. Part of the funding challenge is that Congress made getting aid easier without appropriating more money to cover the increase in students gaining access.
Finding a solution requires out-of-the-box thinking that creates sustainable funding without limiting opportunity for first-generation students, according to higher education policy expert Kristin Hultquist. In this interview, Hultquist weighs in on what a long-term funding strategy for a modern Pell Grant program could look like.
Conservative politicians warn of “woke” college campuses, where liberal professors teach their opinions and stifle any dissent. Their concerns have led them to get involved in the day-to-day operations of public colleges and universities as never before, including through the creation of taxpayer-funded, right-leaning civic centers.
But most college students don’t share those concerns. And a new poll, which includes responses from nearly 4,000 college students, echoes that reality.
The U.S. Department of Education says that in just one year of Education Secretary Linda McMahon taking office, she has secured reforms in higher education that conservatives have championed for decades. Critics contend her work is creating barriers to college access.
The Trump administration and Republicans, however, show no sign of backing down. Indeed, they assert that the battle is just beginning.
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