Daily Lumina News 043021

President Joe Biden’s plan to make two years of community college free—which could improve college affordability and access for millions of Americans—is being praised as a long-overdue step forward.
But depending on how the plan is structured, some experts also caution that it could end up hurting disadvantaged students by diverting them to colleges where they’re less likely to succeed, and that it could provide free tuition to those who can already afford it.

Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis made history in 2017 when she became the first woman to lead Benedict College, a historically Black college and university in Columbia, South Carolina.
On this podcast, Artis reflects on her transition from law into higher education, as well as the lessons learned from leading students, faculty, and others through the COVID-19 health crisis.

There is wide agreement among economists that a recovery is underway in the United States, but there are many questions about what kind of recovery it will be, particularly as it relates to jobs. Will hard-hit sectors bounce back? What changes do we need in job training and education to spur a post-pandemic economy? Will we seize the opportunity to create a more equitable economy with livable wages?
For answers to these and other questions, Futuro Health CEO Van Ton-Quinlivan turns to Stuart Andreason of the Center for Workforce and Economic Opportunity at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.

A new report from Ithaka S+R says community college leaders want to collect more data about the basic needs of students in order to help them have better academic outcomes.
The leaders also care about data to serve social justice imperatives, but many feel their campuses lack the resources to gather this information in a more holistic way.