Top Higher Education News for Friday
Lumina

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

January 17, 2025

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TOP STORIES

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Success Program Launch: Mentors for Students in Green Careers

Ashley Mowreader, Inside Higher Ed

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The negative effects of climate change, which can cause anxiety and hinder learning, are increasingly affecting today's college students.

 

Some colleges and universities are taking note, providing increased opportunities and support for students to learn about climate solutions and the careers that can help them build a more sustainable future for themselves and their communities.

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Why Hungary Inspired Trump’s Vision for Higher Ed

Karin Fischer, The Chronicle of Higher Education

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Christopher F. Rufo, the activist and author, spent six weeks in the spring of 2023 in Hungary, just as he and other conservative trustees were mounting a hostile takeover of New College of Florida. Rufo was there as a visiting fellow at a think tank closely aligned with the country’s populist prime minister, Viktor Orbán.

 

It turns out Rufo isn’t the only one in the orbit of the incoming Trump administration to look to Hungary as a potential model for reform of American higher education.

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Napa Valley College Preps for Immigration Raids Amid Trump 2.0 Concerns, Expands Support for Students

Tarini Mehta, The Press Democrat

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With President-elect Donald Trump signaling a return to stricter immigration policies, Napa Valley College is taking proactive measures to support and protect its diverse student body and prepare for potential federal enforcement actions.

 

As part of these preparations, the college will distribute pocket cards with guidelines for students, update its website with multilingual resources, and post information about students’ rights in classrooms and common areas. The website will provide resources in English, Spanish, and Tagalog.

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The $70B Marriage of Economic Development and Workforce

Elyse Ashburn, Work Shift

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When Gina Raimondo took the helm of the U.S. Department of Commerce four years ago, she was adamant that economic development had to be married to workforce development.

 

Raimondo had a White House that was eager to make significant economic investments, and a Congress that was ultimately prepared to invest billions in aiding the country's recovery from the pandemic. From the beginning, the idea was not just to invest in critical industries but also in specific places that could develop world-class expertise—and workforces—if given the right incentives and support.

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Biden's Education Grades: F on FAFSA, an Incomplete on Student Loan Forgiveness

Cory Turner, NPR

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Over the past four years, the Biden-era U.S. Department of Education under Secretary Miguel Cardona has faced numerous crises. Some were beyond the department's control (COVID-19), while others were the result of its own decisions (the troubled rollout of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid).

 

How well did the department handle those challenges? Educators, researchers, advocates, and policy experts, including two former U.S. secretaries of education, weigh in.

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Women in the Workforce Are Making Strides, But There Is Still Work to Do

Ramona Schindelheim, Work in Progress

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Despite the fact that there are more than 79 million women in the U.S. workforce, they remain underrepresented in some well-paying, in-demand fields and overrepresented in lower-paying jobs.

 

In this interview, Wendy Chun-Hoon, director of the Women’s Bureau at the U.S. Department of Labor, discusses the possible reasons why and what’s being done about it.

HUMAN WORK AND LEARNING

Steal (One or More of) These Strategies: Community Colleges Share How They’re Successfully Reaching Students

Mary Laphen Pope and Laurie Fladd, Lumina Foundation

SUNY Will Teach Students to ‘Ethically Use AI’

Johanna Alonso, Inside Higher Ed

Colorado Needs More College Graduates, Skilled Workers to Address Tight Labor Market and High Turnover Rates

Jenny Brundin, Colorado Public Radio

Blog: Aligning Noncredit Workforce With Credit Programs

Emily Lamont, Homeroom

Blog: The Future of Higher Education

Steven Mintz, Higher Ed Gamma

EQUITY IN EDUCATION

Washington State Universities Navigate Shifting DEI Support

Erica Bullock, Spokane Journal of Business

ACLU of Mass. Urges Higher Ed Institutions to Expand Free Speech Protections

Hannah Loss, GBH News

WVU, Marshall Reviewing Diversity Policies Following Morrisey’s DEI Ban Impacting State Funding

Amelia Ferrell Knisely, West Virginia Watch

Federal Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Challenging McNair Program’s Race-Based Criteria

Natalie Schwartz, Higher Ed Dive

Commentary: The Hidden STEM Gender Gap: Why Progress at Top Universities Masks a Growing Crisis

Joseph R. Cimpian and Jo R. King, Brookings Institution

COLLEGE AFFORDABILITY

CAP Comment on Student Debt Relief for Borrowers Experiencing Hardship

Center for American Progress

Local Community Colleges in Favor of State’s Free Tuition Plan

Mid Hudson News

Commentary: The Assault on the SAVE Plan Has Brought Student Debt Relief to a Crossroads

Peter Granville, Tiara Moultrie, and Jordan Nellums, The Century Foundation

Views: Ending Tuition Fairness Would Be a Costly Mistake—for Families and Florida’s Higher Education Institutions

Alexis Tsoukalas and Esteban Leonardo Santis, Florida Policy Institute

FEDERAL POLICY

The Education Department Acts on OPMs: Misleading Students About Online Degrees Could Cost Colleges Their Federal Aid

Jeremy Bauer-Wolf, New America

Three Actions for Donald Trump to Take in His First 100 Days

Maria Flynn, Forbes

A Familiar House Ed Committee Agenda

Matthew Dembicki, Community College Daily

As Trump Nears Return, Colleges' Foreign Ties Draw More Heat From Congress

Karin Fischer, Latitudes

NEW REPORTS AND EVENTS

Webinar: Building a Stronger Future: Celebrating Progress in Education Attainment

Lumina Foundation

When the Exception Becomes the Norm: The Rise of Nontraditional Students in Higher Education

Manhattan Institute

Webinar: Restoring Faith in Elite Higher Education

American Enterprise Institute

The Role of State Policy in Supporting Students Experiencing Homelessness and Former Foster Youth in Higher Education

Urban Institute

College and University Protein Sustainability Scorecard

The Humane Society of the United States

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

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