Daily Lumina News 032624

Students across the country this spring are confronting one of the most momentous decisions of their lives without an answer to a fundamental question: How much will college cost?
But this year, college hopefuls are facing a grim realization: Despite their best efforts to complete every step toward enrollment—filling out applications, writing personal essays, applying for financial aid—the federal government has thrown up roadblocks.

As a first-generation college student, Mike Utley faced a number of hurdles trying to navigate the higher education process. After the passing of his mother in 2021, he withdrew from Indiana University Bloomington in his junior year.
In Indianapolis and across the state, education officials and legislators are enacting several initiatives designed to expand college access and increase college enrollment. Students frequently hear about the benefits of higher education. But the experiences of people like Utley raise a key question: Are students actually prepared enough to finish college?

When Fontbonne University administrators announced that the school would cease operations in 2025 due to declining enrollment and budgetary issues, the decision stunned students and alumni.
But the move is also concerning to other small liberal arts or faith-based colleges around Missouri and Kansas.

After Texas acted last year to restrict diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives at public colleges statewide, students like Kaitie Tolman were eager to offer the programming their institutions no longer could. But when Tolman and her peers tried to determine what exactly was being eliminated on their campus, they were met with vague email responses from administrators and a couple of confusing meetings.
They're not alone.

Legacy preferences have weathered an enormous wave of public disapproval and political attacks since last summer’s decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down the use of race-conscious college admissions.
Now, a critical battle for legacy’s future is playing out in Connecticut’s state legislature, which is currently considering a bill to ban preferences for legacy applicants, as well as relatives of donors, at both public and private colleges.

Reaching underserved students for dual-enrollment programs requires clearly identifying their interests and potential career pathways, note two studies from the Community College Research Center. CCRC recommends a model rooted in guided pathways, which allows learners to explore programs supported by their career and educational goals.
This revamped strategy, known as “dual enrollment equity pathways," loops in both underserved students and their families to encourage program participation. The model also links course offerings to career-technical associate and bachelor’s degree programs in potentially lucrative fields.