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.
Multiple universities have rejected President Trump’s proposed Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education, but they have taken different approaches to turning down the commander in chief. Some have declined pointedly, while others struck a more delicate balancing act.
Together these statements offer insights into how institutions are responding to an unprecedented demand from the federal government: that they subscribe to President Trump’s culturally conservative vision of higher education in exchange for financial gain.
As part of a new deal with the Trump administration, the University of Virginia won’t have to pay money. It won’t have to write apology letters or adopt any specific policies. The Trump administration has also halted several federal investigations into the school's diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.
The university will have to report back regularly to the U.S. Justice Department on compliance with civil rights law. Even there, the details are scant—a contrast with previous agreements between Trump and colleges. So what changes, if any, will UVa have to make to satisfy the federal government?
When it comes time for students to contemplate future careers, a longtime university president recommends a life in public service.
A career is more than a job, says Elaine Maimon. Etymologically, the word “career” means life path. While it’s essential to put food on the table, pay bills, and support one’s family, it’s important to do so through satisfying work. A good life depends on developing values and working and living to fulfill them. Most public servants chose their careers with a sense of integrity, moral clarity, and generosity—values that are sorely needed right now, Maimon notes.
So much for the pessimistic predictions. Enrollment is rising and robust on Idaho’s four-year campuses. Students are showing up this fall—betting on themselves and betting on the dividends from a college education.
It’s an Idaho higher ed success story, except for one gloomy reality. Idaho’s colleges and universities have welcomed in more students, but they have fewer state dollars to pay for the support those students need. This real-time fiscal squeeze could get worse before it gets better. Higher education has already taken a permanent three percent budget cut—and the state budget still isn’t balanced.
When Sarahi Sanchez Soto joined a dual-enrollment program at her high school in Dinuba, it allowed her to enroll in college-level computer science classes and jump-start her college career.
But that program is now in peril after the Trump administration announced it’s eliminating grant programs for Hispanic-Serving Institutions. These cuts are hitting California’s community colleges especially hard, where the grants provided services meant to help all students get past early hurdles in their college journeys.
Across the country, states are demonstrating greater recognition of the promise of youth apprenticeship as a strategy to expand access to high-quality training connected to jobs and leading to promising careers. Although youth apprenticeships exist in nearly all 50 states, most lack the coordinated strategies and infrastructure necessary for large-scale, sustainable growth.
However, two recent reports from state leaders in Utah and Delaware highlight a promising new trend in youth apprenticeship efforts: States are moving from experimentation to system-building.
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