Top Higher Education News for Thursday
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.

May 1, 2025

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Bridge Program Supports Nursing Student Development, Retention

Ashley Mowreader, Inside HIgher Ed

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The United States is expected to experience a shortage of nurses by 2030, which will only grow as older generations age and health-care needs increase, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing.

 

One of the contributing factors to this shortfall is a disconnect between the number of students enrolling in nursing school and the projected demand for nursing services. Another factor is the high level of work-related stress, which leads to burnout. Leaders at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh have an idea they believe can help.

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Inside the Education Dept. Purge

Jack Stripling, College Matters

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Donald Trump campaigned on a promise to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education, an agency that Republicans say is too wasteful and too "woke." Through a series of layoffs and buyouts, the Trump administration has reduced the agency’s workforce by roughly half. The broader goal, administration officials say, is to return more power to the states and to cut down on government waste.

 

But the cuts have left many people concerned about the department’s capacity to carry out its vital functions, like enforcing civil rights laws. In this interview, Education Department employees describe what they see as shortsighted dismissals and a workplace defined by paranoia and intimidation.

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In Indiana, Last-Minute Additions to the Budget Take Aim at Higher Ed

Christa Dutton, The Chronicle of Higher Education

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In approving a new state budget late last week, Indiana lawmakers also gave the green light to several measures that would dramatically change public higher education in the state.

 

Those additions, made at the 11th hour, include a post-tenure review process that measures productivity, guidance that makes faculty-governance groups “advisory only,” and a provision that gives the governor sole power to appoint trustees at Indiana University at Bloomington.

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Modern College Students Face Financial Fragility While Still Valuing Higher Education

Walter Hudson, Diverse Issues in Higher Education

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A new report reveals that today's college students are navigating significant financial challenges while balancing competing priorities, yet they continue to believe in the value of higher education.

 

The Student Financial Wellness Survey, released this month by Trellis Strategies, documents the financial well-being of more than 53,000 students from 104 institutions across 27 states. The results paint a portrait of what the researchers call "the modern" learner—students whose complex lives often involve working, caregiving, and managing financial insecurity while pursuing their degrees.

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This State University Has a Plan to Take on Trump

Tracey Tully, The New York Times

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The conversation between two Rutgers University professors that lit a fire in U.S. higher education circles lasted only about 10 minutes. The professors were frustrated by the Trump administration’s abrupt cuts to research funding and its efforts to dictate policy on some campuses. They were also troubled by the lack of a unified response by university leaders.

 

Their solution—a “mutual defense compact” that calls for schools to pledge to support each other against pressure from the Trump administration—is gaining steam.

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What One University Means to Its City

Scott Carlson, The Edge

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In many ways, Baltimore is a city of contrasts: Black and white, wealthy and poor, highly educated and underserved. An early proving ground for redlining and segregation, Baltimore has carved its socioeconomic contrasts into the design of the city.

 

In a city that struggles with illiteracy and health disparities, Johns Hopkins University stands out as the biggest contrast of all—and a beacon of hope.

HUMAN WORK AND LEARNING

One in Three College Students Consider Leaving Program

Stephanie Marken, Gallup

U.S. News Forum Discusses Current Challenges, Opportunities in Higher Education

Sarah Wood, U.S. News & World Report

The FAA Wants to Hire More Air Traffic Controllers, But That Won’t Happen Overnight

Henry Epp, Marketplace

Blog: Urgent Need for AI Literacy

Ray Schroeder, Online: Trending Now

EQUITY IN EDUCATION

Kennesaw State University Deactivates Black Studies Program Amidst DEI Cuts

Donnell Suggs, The Atlanta Voice

How Colleges Are Becoming More Inclusive of People With Intellectual Disabilities

Deepa Fernandes, Boise State Public Radio

Ohio State's Center for Belonging and Social Change to Permanently Close

Katie Geniusz, WOSU

Views: Harnessing the Haters

Elisha Lim, Inside HIgher Ed

COLLEGE ENROLLMENTS

Michigan Expands Statewide Initiative to Support Adults Returning to College

Tim Keenan, DBusiness Magazine

'We're Opening Doors of Opportunities': Aldine ISD Unveils Seamless College Pathway for Students

Lupita Villarreal, KHOU

We Asked North Carolina Why Community College Is the ‘Best Decision Ever.’ Here Is What People Said

Alli Lindenberg, Julie Woodson, and Andy Marino, EdNC

FEDERAL POLICY

Students Lose as Trump's Order Turns Accreditation Into a Political Tool

Antoinette Flores, Jeremy Bauer-Wolf, and Wesley Whistle, New America

Mixed Bag on House Ed Committee’s Reconciliation Bill

David Baime, Community College Daily

Only One NM College President Signs Letter Opposing ‘Unprecedented Government Overreach’

Danielle Prokop, Source NM

How Trump's Policies and Project 2025 Proposals Match Up After First 100 Days

Melissa Quinn, CBS News

NEW REPORTS AND EVENTS

Student Financial Wellness Survey

Trellis Strategies

Letter Opposing the House Budget Reconciliation Bill

American Council on Education

Virtual Forum: Creating a Culture of Cybersecurity Among Researchers

The Chronicle of Higher Education

Webinar: Fight Fire With Fire: Harness the Power of AI to Defend Against Advancing Threats

University Business

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Daily Lumina News is edited by Patricia Brennan.

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