Lumina Foundation is committed to increasing the proportion of Americans with high-quality degrees, certificates and other credentials to 60 percent by 2025.
For many college students in the Lehigh Valley region, as well as across the country, today will be the first time they cast a ballot in a presidential election—the results of which may determine how the rest of their early adulthood plays out.
The policies that will impact their futures could look very different depending on who wins the Nov. 5 election—Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris or Republican former President Donald Trump. For some students, the stakes couldn’t feel higher.
Former president Donald Trump wants the U.S. Department of Education gone. A candidate for the U.S. Senate suggested throwing the agency “in the trash can.” Another called it “one of the worst monstrosities that’s ever been created.”
Getting rid of the U.S. Department of Education is hardly a new idea. In fact, Republicans have campaigned on killing the agency since it was created in 1979. But dismantling it is more complicated than the campaign-trail promises suggest, and few higher education policy experts believe the department’s days are actually numbered.
Craig Muhammad has seen presidents come and go, political sentiments move from right and left, and the country become more divided. And all he could do was watch. But after spending more than half of his life in the Maryland prison system, Muhammad came home at the end of September. A month later, he registered to vote and cast a ballot in the 2024 election.
In 25 states, including Maryland, people can vote as soon as they get out of prison. But many other states have felony disenfranchisement laws, which partially or completely bar formerly incarcerated people from voting. That patchwork of laws can cause confusion and frustration, leaving some newly released citizens unaware of or unable to exercise their rights.
Inadequate preparation. Rescinded offers. Dead-end jobs. Underemployment. All of these experiences are a reality for many military veterans who seek employment after the transition from active service to a civilian career.
An estimated 200,000 military members move from active duty to civilian life every year. Hire Heroes, NPower, and the Rural Community College Alliance are among various organizations trying to help them find meaningful work with skills training, wraparound services, transportation, food, childcare, and housing.
For more than a century, professors have regularly had vast influence over instruction, personnel, and other hallmarks of campus life, sharing power with presidents and trustees in decisions shaping many parts of higher education—an authority that is unfathomable in many workplaces.
But this year has shown how fraught and fragile that practice, known as shared governance, is becoming at public and private universities alike. And while a coast-to-coast wipeout of faculty influence is not imminent, some see efforts to diminish shared governance as part of a campaign to curb faculty participation in events like campus protests that have left universities vulnerable to criticism.
"Constructive dialogue” is becoming a buzzword in higher education. Colleges host speaker sessions, bring in experts, and create events, seemingly desperate to have students talk to—instead of scream at—each other. Many schools are even creating special offices or programs in the hopes of teaching students how to interact with people they may disagree with.
Colleges are now putting their efforts to the test as they prepare for the potential chaos that this week's presidential election could bring.
