Daily Lumina News 030220

Susan Johnson, director of organizational development and philanthropic practice at Lumina Foundation, knows that raising a young Black man in America is not easy. At various stages in his life, she had to prepare him for the hard truths he would face—extra scrutiny in school, being unfairly labeled, and the do’s and don’ts of interacting with police. But she thought when it came to his college education, the road would be smoother because she had the cultural capital her parents did not have.
While the road for her son was indeed smoother, he faced some of the same issues Johnson did in her own college experience decades earlier. Johnson is sharing her personal journey around race in America as part of Lumina's commitment to equity and justice.

A new vending machine at Florida SouthWestern State College is catching the attention of local students—and not because of its chips, candy, and soda selection.
Instead, the machine pops out laptops that students can borrow for up to four hours at a time and use anywhere on campus. And the best part: It’s free.
The unmanned laptop kiosks are part of a forward-thinking step by the college to ensure all students, regardless of their economic background, have the same opportunities to succeed at the college with technology.

The American education system has always valued the four-year education model, often creating a stigma around two-year schools. At the same time, many of today's jobs are beginning to place a higher value on students' particular field of study over the number of years they’re in school.
Credentials are providing learners exactly what they need, fitting into the new learner life cycle. Will universities get onboard?
In this interview, Anthony Carnevale of the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce discusses the importance of credentials, why they’re overlooked, and how continuing education divisions are the start of something new.

California’s four-year university systems are both choosing new leaders—leaders whose decisions will shape not only their institutions but the future of public higher education in the state and nationally.
As the search committees wrap up a series of public hearings and move to select finalists, one theme has emerged perhaps more than any other: California needs leaders who can open up access to college for a larger, more diverse cross-section of the state’s residents.