Daily Lumina News 030921

The news of a big drop in community college enrollment is eliciting sympathy for students and prospective students who have delayed or slowed down their educations or dropped out. But the potential impact on the national economy of a decline in the supply of graduates with badly needed skills has been largely overlooked.
Talent shortages, including among workers traditionally supplied by community colleges, are also raising costs to consumers and causing business delays.

What terrifies 32-year-old Erica Mata about getting her nursing degree isn’t needing to balance long hours studying with waiting tables and raising three children. It’s student loans.
Now, thanks to free community college tuition available through the new Michigan Reconnect scholarship program, the Bay City mother will be able to complete her associate degree at Delta College without racking up additional debt.

The change was abrupt for Luz Chavez Gonzales. At the start of the pandemic, the college student’s mother lost her hospitality job. Her two younger siblings also lost work. Her father was already unemployed. Gonzales, 23, became her family’s sole provider almost overnight.
As we stand on the cusp of a new stage of the pandemic, Gonzales and 28 other Washingtonians tell their stories of loss, frustration, and hope.

Indigenous students with historical ties to Colorado could soon get in-state tuition at public colleges under a proposal that recently cleared its first legislative hurdle.
Student advocates say the bill is part of a broader push on how Colorado schools need to address injustice against Indigenous people and ensure all Native American undergraduate and graduate students have the support they need to succeed. This includes access to mental health resources, financial assistance, and safe gathering spaces.

If college admissions could be done in a totally new way, what would you change? Practices that favor wealthy students? Tests? Recommendation letters? The funding system?
A new commission created by the National Association for College Admission Counseling is looking at these and other ideas as it begins rethinking the entire admissions process "through a racial equity lens."

During his nearly seven years as president of Amarillo College, Russell Lowery-Hart has witnessed his share of challenges. None could prepare him for the emotional toll of leading during a pandemic.
Like many people, college presidents are struggling with a range of emotions as they continue to confront a prolonged global health crisis. But they also are finding inspiration in their campus communities—and taking comfort in how people have come together to create meaningful student connections.