Daily Lumina News 071221

While only 3 percent of the nation’s undergraduates attend Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), the institutions produce almost 20 percent of the nation’s Black college graduates. And they contribute 25 percent of Black STEM graduates, as well as countless doctors, lawyers, and political leaders.
HBCUs are making these important contributions despite a long and ugly history of underfunding. And while they may be getting fresh attention amid big-dollar donations lately, HBCUs need more than money to thrive, experts say.

Student housing at community colleges is somewhat rare—only 28 percent of community colleges in America have on-campus dormitory options for their students. But that may be changing, as more community college students face food and housing insecurity.
The COVID-19 pandemic only heightened the need for housing solutions. Some community colleges are now thinking differently about community-based partnerships, working with homeless communities and providers, and building dormitories to create a consistent and safe place for students to live and study.

Seeing inequities for low-income students worsen during the past year became an urgent call to action for Shirley Collado. In August, she will voluntarily step aside from her role as president of Ithaca College to become the next chief executive of College Track.
Collado has long believed that talent is everywhere but opportunities are not. She says her own story of struggling—and succeeding—as a first-generation student will be instrumental in her new work to help more students realize their potential.

Forget summer slide—the well-documented skills slippage students experience over summer break. This year, it might seem more like a COVID crash.
Among those who have fallen the furthest behind, experts say, are students who lacked reliable technology and quiet places to study, had to work and take care of siblings, and worried more than others about losing their loved ones to the pandemic. Achievement gaps were widening even before the pandemic. Now, some college leaders worry that those gaps could become chasms.

A state-of-the-art isolation room to test and treat patients possibly infected with COVID-19 or other airborne illnesses. New and improved technology for online teaching and remote communication. Emergency grants for students in need. An expanded food pantry. The list goes on.
Cal State Northridge is slated to receive $265 million in total federal COVID-19 relief, the largest amount among California’s public and private colleges and universities. All of that will improve safety and ease concerns as the campus readies for a partial or full return to in-person classes in the fall, officials say.

Promoting pathways to degree attainment for student parents who desire it is essential for creating economic stability and growth among families and the United States more broadly.
A new report provides recommended actions for federal and state policymakers and institutions to support prospective student parents’ reengagement with college and completion of postsecondary degrees.