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.

March 7, 2025

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UIndy Online Dean Understands Adult Learners. She Used to Be One.

Claire Rafford, Mirror Indy

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After more than two decades of working in online education, Pam Wimbush has learned a thing or two. For starters, online learners need flexibility because they’re juggling college alongside parenthood and work. Others are looking to add skills to adapt to a changing world.

 

Wimbush, who joined the University of Indianapolis in early February, will oversee the school's online education programs. In this interview, she shares her personal ties to online and adult education and why those experiences provide a greater understanding about what these learners need to thrive.

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Supporting Student Retention With Small Grants

Ashley Mowreader, Inside Higher Ed

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Unforeseen financial challenges like a flat tire can threaten college students’ enrollment and retention, and for a large number of students, one seemingly small emergency may push them to drop out of college altogether.

 

A new program at the Community College of Vermont aims to help by providing just-in-time financial assistance to learners across its 12 campuses. The effort, Life Gap Plus, also offers community connections and peer support to promote long-term success.

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More State Colleges Are Admitting Students—Before They Apply

Danielle Douglas-Gabriel, The Washington Post

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More states are easing the stress of the college search by letting high school students know they are promised admission before they even apply. It is a paradigm shift in the often tedious admissions process that can require students to spend lots of time and money with no guarantee of success.

 

State leaders say they are hoping to keep talent close to home and develop a more educated workforce. To do that, they're turning to a “direct admission” model that matches students with local colleges based on their grades and sending a powerful message that postsecondary education—whether vocational training or a bachelor’s degree—is within reach.

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Building an AI-Ready College

Michael Horn and Jeff Selingo, Future U

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Artificial intelligence is evolving at a rapid rate, and its implications for higher education are changing in lockstep. At the same time, many professors are still struggling with how to integrate AI into their classrooms.

 

On this episode of Future U, higher education professionals and computing experts discuss the necessity of an institutional AI strategy, the technology’s implications for the future of work, and why university partnerships will be essential to equity in the age of AI.

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Changing the Course

Christa Dutton, The Chronicle of Higher Education

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David McDonald sees his classroom differently now. Since last summer, he’s stopped viewing students as collaborators, but rather as “potential police officers” of his teaching. His anxiety has multiplied, and he finds himself thinking: “If I say the wrong thing in class, I could lose my job.”

 

He's not alone. Public colleges in Indiana are now required to make rules for disciplining faculty who don’t promote free expression. Instructors across the state say they’ve gotten the message.

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‘DEI Isn’t Just Lawful—It’s Mission-Critical’

Lisa Kurian Philip, WBEZ

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Most, but not all, Chicago-area universities are holding firm in the face of President Donald Trump’s attacks against diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in higher education.

 

Several legal scholars from across the country are now circulating guidance urging university leaders not to capitulate to Trump’s threats. They argue that DEI-related efforts are consistent with federal rights law. Jonathan Feingold, a law professor at Boston University and signatory on the memo, explains more.

HUMAN WORK AND LEARNING

Job Hunting Is Awful. California Believes Its ‘Career Passport’ Can Change That

Emma Gallegos, EdSource

Three Questions for 2U’s New CEO, Kees Bolunting

Joshua Kim, Learning Innovation

Presidents Weigh In on the Public Confidence Crisis

Colleen Flaherty, Inside Higher Ed

Why the Relationships Between Superintendents and Community College Presidents Matter

Mebane Rash, EdNC

EQUITY IN EDUCATION

A Federal Directive Is Coming After Inclusive Campus Policies. Will North Carolina University Leaders Fight Back?

Brianna Atkinson, WUNC

Kentucky Bill Banning DEI in Higher Education Passes Committee Over Student Objections

Sylvia Goodman, Kentucky Public Radio

SC Anti-DEI Bill Could Impact Everything From School Cafeterias to University Bookstores

Jessica Holdman, South Carolina Daily Gazette

Texas Dream Act: Protecting Undocumented Students’ Access to Higher Education Is Economic, Educational Imperative

Chelsie Kramer, Immigration Impact

Trump Administration Can’t Ban DEI in Schools, NY Attorney General Affirms in New Guidance

Julian Shen-Berro, Chalkbeat New York

Opinion: Don’t Believe the Critics of DEI: Racial Classifications Can Promote Belonging and Understanding

Kevin Cokley, Diverse Issues in Higher Education

PRISON EDUCATION

Bipartisan Bill Aims to Improve Prison Education, Reduce Recidivism

Stacy Watkins, VCU Capital News Service

Yearlong Coding Program Creates Lifelong Impact in Massachusetts

Fay Harvey, Correctional News

FEDERAL POLICY

On Capitol Hill, Concerns Grow Over NSF Cuts Threatening Community College STEM Job Training

Alex Anacki, New America

WIOA Reauthorization Back on Track

Matthew Dembicki, Community College Daily

Draft Order Offers Hints to How Trump Wants to Shut Down the Department

Jessica Blake, Inside Higher Ed

Colleges Issue Guidance to Mass. International Students Around Travel Plans and Paperwork

Emily Piper-Vallillo, WBUR

STATE POLICY

Everything We Know About Utah’s Massive Higher Education Cut and ‘Reinvestment’ Bill, Which Passed Its Final Hurdle

Courtney Tanner, The Salt Lake Tribune

Former State Sen. Chesterfield Talks ACCESS, HBCUs, Student Rights at Legislative Meeting

Maggie Ryan, KUAR

Alabama Education and Workforce Panelists Address Key Challenges, Policy Changes

Trisha Powell Crain, Alabama Daily News

Florida Legislators File Measures to Make Public the Hiring Process of University Presidents

Sandra Averhart, WUSF

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

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