Daily Lumina News 051624

The longstanding post-World War II strategy of enhancing access to higher education isn’t enough. Much more must be done to make college success a reality for more Americans. Accelerated degrees offer a promising approach toward that goal.
Such efforts aren't about just cramming more information into fewer credits to cut the time to a degree. It requires an institutional redesign of college majors and programs. It demands innovative thinking—and creative partnerships on and off campus. But if done right, the payoff can be huge, writes Lumina Foundation's Jamie Merisotis in this op-ed.

Recent headlines have put the complexities of higher education on full display, from historically low completion levels of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid to substantial drops in enrollment.
To combat the inevitable fallout, some colleges and universities are doubling down on their existing efforts to support students. In this essay, two student success experts offer additional ways for schools to help today's students navigate life on campus.

Hope Chicago is a three-year-old program that funds college tuition, living expenses, and a stipend for any high school graduate of five Chicago public high schools. It also provides the opportunity for one parent or guardian of each student to receive a scholarship to pursue a degree or certification from an institution of higher education.
A longtime university president makes the case for investing in Philadelphia families the same way.

Bruce Robbins, a professor of English at Columbia University, is just one of many faculty members around the country who taught classes inside protest encampments, arguing that students could learn from the impassioned voices both inside and outside them.
Some administrators have tried to stop them, saying those settings could be dangerous—both physically and emotionally—for students at a time when tensions are boiling and some are feeling threatened by the protesters’ messages.

Thanks to a grant from the state’s department of social services, California community college students can renew their Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) permits for free. The Higher Education Immigration Legal Services Project also offers free legal representation.
The challenge now is to make more students aware that such resources exist, say advocates.

In January, the University of California Board of Regents broke the hearts of undocumented students by halting a proposal to allow them to work on campus. A few days later, David Alvarez had a plan.
The Democratic assembly member from Chula Vista huddled with student organizers and decided to draft a bill to compel UC, as well as community colleges and California State University, to do what UC regents would not.