Top Higher Education News for Monday
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Lumina Foundation is committed to increasing the proportion of Americans with high-quality degrees, certificates and other credentials to 60 percent by 2025.

November 18, 2024

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‘This Is a Good Fit’: Inside Enrollment Gains at Historically Black Colleges

Danielle Douglas-Gabriel, The Washington Post

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Enrollment at Historically Black Colleges and Universities is recovering from the pandemic at a faster rate than much of the rest of higher education. Some HBCUs are reporting as much as a 30 percent growth in this year’s freshman class compared with prior years.

 

While HBCU leaders say factors like the end of race-conscious admissions may be helping to raise the profile of their schools, they mostly attribute the enrollment gains to years of strategic planning paying off. Now, many are seizing a moment of goodwill and attracting students who value being in an environment where they feel more comfortable and can pursue a rigorous education.

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What Role Do Colleges and Universities Play in Mitigating Climate Change?

Mark Brodie, KJZZ

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The 2024 Time100 Climate list of the most influential climate leaders of the year includes Arizona State University President Michael Crow. He’s the only university president on the list and one of only three people associated with higher education to make the cut.

 

Crow has long believed that sustainability is becoming an increasingly urgent topic to ensure a future in which humans and the planet thrive. So what role do colleges and universities play in trying to mitigate the effects of climate change? And could higher education have an impact—both inside the classroom and out? An ASU alum and organizer for the National Youth Climate Conference weighs in.

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House Lawmakers Pass Bipartisan Bill to Mandate an Oct. 1 FAFSA Release Date

Natalie Schwartz, Higher Ed Dive

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Last week, House lawmakers overwhelmingly passed a bill that would require the U.S. Department of Education to make the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) available by Oct. 1 each year. The measure will take effect in 2025 for the 2026-27 FAFSA.

 

The bill, passed by a 381-1 vote, comes after the Education Department’s rocky rollout of the revamped FAFSA during the last financial aid cycle. In 2023, the agency released the form in the final days of December—nearly three months later than it usually becomes available.

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What to Know About Changes in STEM Math Placement at California Community Colleges

Amy DiPierro and Michael Burke, EdSource

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Starting next year, a new state law will mandate that more STEM majors in California's community colleges enroll directly into calculus, skipping prerequisites.

 

AB 1705 has sparked fervent opposition from some math educators, who worry that less-prepared students who skip traditional prerequisites will fail in calculus and abandon plans to study STEM altogether. Meanwhile, defenders of the bill say it will prevent students from getting detoured or derailed by long course sequences.

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Is It Time to Regulate AI Use on Campus?

Lee Gardner, The Chronicle of Higher Education

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As generative artificial intelligence spreads throughout all aspects of the academic world—and evolves at a pace measured in months, not years—experts and administrators alike believe that colleges need to establish guidelines about its use or face potential disaster.

 

The need for comprehensive AI policies is already apparent to colleges’ technology leaders. A recent survey conducted by EDUCAUSE found that almost a quarter of respondents’ colleges had policies in place to regulate AI use. Nearly half of respondents, however, disagreed or strongly disagreed that their institutions had sufficient existing policies.

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Podcast: Matt Merino on Healthcare, Tech, and Talent

Julian Alssid and Kaitlin LeMoine, Work Forces

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Matt Merino, CEO of Education Management Solutions, focuses on using technology to address some of the major issues facing healthcare today, from enhancing training to care delivery.

 

In this interview, Merino shares his perspective about these topics, as well as the need to start developing talent pipelines earlier on in a learner’s journey. And while his emphasis is healthcare, Merino's insights on using technology to innovate and scale learning solutions may offer valuable takeaways for leaders across all industries.

HUMAN WORK AND LEARNING

A New Approach to the Teacher Shortage: Registered Apprenticeships

Victoria Lim, WorkingNation

Report Urges Colleges to Address Civic Gaps

INSIGHT Into Diversity

Arkansas Community Colleges Tap Education Design Lab to Expand College-to-Career Pipeline

Rhea Kelly, Campus Technology

Leveraging AI for Institutional Improvement, Continuous Learning

Laura Ascione, eCampus News

Opinion: College Degree Still a Great Return on Investment

Earl D. Brooks II, Diverse Issues in Higher Education

Opinion: In This Political Climate, Higher Education May Be in Grave Danger

Mary P. Sheridan, The Courier-Journal

STUDENT SUPPORTS

Meeting Student Parents’ Basic Needs

Ashley Mowreader, Inside Higher Ed

UNI’s Next Step Program Helps Students Put Best Foot Forward After Graduation

Brooklyn Draisey, Iowa Capital Dispatch

Mentorship Program Aims to Help McNeese Students Adjust to College Life

Stephanie Obediku, KPLC

Cal State Report Finds Nearly 4,000 Students on Campus Housing Waitlists

Amy DiPierro, EdSource

Commentary: Sometimes Teens Don’t Imagine Success—Unless We Meet Them Where They Are and Show Them a Path

Evon Walters, PublicSource

Opinion: Student-Parents Need Support From Colleges

Mike Munoz, The Star Democrat

COLLEGE ENROLLMENTS

The Benefits and Balance of High Dual Enrollments

Ed Finkel, Community College Daily

‘Some College, No Degree’—New Jersey Re-Enrollment Initiative

Learn & Work Ecosystem Library

CCSD Students Are Pursuing College Credit Opportunities More Than Ever

Jhovani Carrillo, KTNV (Nevada)

Indiana Tackles College Enrollment Slump With Pre-Admissions Initiative

Ashley Sloboda, The Journal Gazette

WVU, Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College Launch WVU Degree Up Program

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Perspective: At My School, Early College Is for All Students. It Should Be at Your School, Too

Rachel Romano, The 74

STATE POLICY

Legislative Action on Non-Degree Credentials and Skills-Based Hiring

Andrew Smalley, The National Conference of State Legislatures

Michigan Needs a Better Playbook for Funding Universities

James M. Hohman, Mackinac Center

Utah’s Public Colleges May Face Budget Cuts in 2025

Jason Swensen, Deseret News

Commission for Higher Education Recommends Cutting Financial Aid Awards

Niki Kelly, Indiana Capital Chronicle (Indiana)

CSCU Unions Call for More Funding for Higher Ed as Session Nears

Jessika Harkay, CT Mirror (Connecticut)

Analysis: The U of I-Phoenix Talks, and Where Things Stand

Kevin Richert, Idaho Education News

NEW PODCASTS

Community Colleges Play a Growing Role as Career Gateways for Texas Students

The Southwest Economy Podcast

Accreditation NECHE Style—From Prescriptive to Nuanced

Changing Higher Ed

Global and Local With Dr. Mike Flores, Chancellor, Alamo Colleges District

The EdUP Experience

Is There Hope for Education Reform After the Election?

The Education Gadfly Show

Harnessing Data Management in Higher Education

The EduData Podcast

Project upGRADS, Leading the Charge for Disadvantaged Students in Graduate Education at CSU Fullerton: A 2024 Example of Excelencia

In the Margins

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

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