Daily Lumina News 032420

When news came that coronavirus concerns would close South Carolina’s Benedict College for the semester, Jayla Berry soon found herself heading home to Detroit with her ticket fully paid for and her transportation arranged. She later learned the help arrived courtesy of the school's board of trustees.
There’s no playbook for handling the unprecedented coronavirus calamity, but offers of help, financial assistance, and even phone calls of concern can make a big difference for students.

Faced with major economic disruption, many New Yorkers are likely to respond by opting to pursue a college credential—and with it, a shot at more stable employment down the road.
But while a free tuition program at both two- and four-year public institutions is growing, students at City University of New York colleges and at community colleges throughout the state continue to be underserved.

Not having the ability to draw high schoolers to campus means college admissions counselors find themselves tied to computers, doing video chats as they extol the virtues of their campus.
No one knows whether video chats and virtual tours will generate the same level of application and enrollment as in-person strolls. Where the answer lies is one of several key areas being carefully watched by small liberal arts colleges across Michigan and the nation.

Angel Pérez got his first job in admissions immediately after graduating college. He was inspired by the chance to do for others what an admissions officer once did for him: recognize promising students beyond simply test scores.
Today, as vice president for enrollment and student success at Trinity College, Pérez is a staunch advocate for first generation and low-income students. In this podcast, he discusses his efforts to bring socioeconomic diversity to a liberal arts college and the tradeoffs admissions deans need to make to fulfill institutional priorities.