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.
This month, the College Board changed the criteria for its National Recognition Program awards in a move that could shift tens of thousands of scholarship dollars from Black and Latino students to white students.
Colleges used the awards to recruit and offer scholarships to high-performing students from groups underrepresented in higher education. The award previously recognized academic achievement by students in five categories—Black, Hispanic, Native American, first-generation, and those living in rural areas or small towns. The racial categories have now been eliminated.
Located amid soybean fields and a three-hour drive from Chicago, the city of Decatur, Illinois, was long known for its Caterpillar, Firestone Tire, and massive corn-syrup factories. Industrial jobs have been in decline for decades, and high rates of gun violence, child poverty, unemployment, and incarceration are among the reasons the city became a clean energy workforce hub funded under Illinois’ 2021 Climate and Equitable Jobs Act.
That hub, based at Richland Community College, promises renewal—and provides clean energy workforce training for students from disenfranchised communities.
Since the beginning of the second Trump administration, the American Council on Education has been early out of the gate in responding to the federal government’s onslaught of funding freezes, executive orders, and threats to institutions.
Ted Mitchell, president of ACE, weighs in on these events and the responsibility the sector has in losing public trust in higher education. He also talks about why he thinks higher ed knows how to play the game of politics and which policy issues he believes can get bipartisan support—as long as there is a receptive partner on the other side of the table.
If it happened to Harvard University, could it happen anywhere? The Trump administration’s surprising bid to end Harvard’s international enrollment put the higher education world on edge last week, looming as a larger threat against academic autonomy.
President Trump has already unnerved universities this year by launching investigations, freezing grants, demanding changes in campus practices, and attempting to deport international students. Now, college officials fear that he may use international student enrollment as leverage to demand even further adjustments on campuses across the country.
Nudging systems are low-cost, simple mechanisms colleges can deploy to ensure students stay on track with enrollment. They can have a long-term impact on student success, creating socioeconomic mobility and closing equity gaps for students from historically marginalized backgrounds. But how does a college create effective nudging measures to enhance student success?
A new report identifies several promising practices.
Since 2022, California has been offering free lunches to all students in elementary grades through high school. But once they reach college, more than two-thirds of students who apply for financial aid face food insecurity.
The federally funded CalFresh program feeds some college students, and as of 2023, every public higher education campus in the state has a basic needs center and food pantry. However, for many campuses, these solutions still aren’t enough. In response, some schools are creating their own innovative solutions to fill the gaps, including free meals, pop-up thrift stores, and food lockers.
