Daily Lumina News 121520

A new poll of U.S. college students offers an insightful—and sobering—glimpse into how the pandemic is disrupting students’ plans to stay in college, learn online, and earn their degrees.
The Fall 2020 State of the Student Experience report from Gallup and Lumina Foundation surveyed about 6,000 students seeking degrees (most of them learning remotely) and 2,000 adults who left school without a degree. It reveals that while many students give high marks to the quality of their education, they fear that pandemic pressures will hurt their ability to stay in school.

Like many people during the pandemic, Fulisha Lilian Oscar, 36, has a lot going on in her life. As a single mother of six, she balances caring for a family with her studies at Madera Community College. She also works remotely for the college’s financial aid office. At times, she worries about keeping food on the table for her children.
She's not alone. Financial aid administrators say the most immediate need before Congress is more CARES Act money to help struggling students like Oscar.

While campuses are growing more diverse, minorities tend to be concentrated within certain majors rather than integrated across fields of study, according to a new report.
The study, from the Urban Institute, argues that racial and ethnic segregation by major may play a role in students of color ending up in fewer high-paying jobs.

As colleges announce their spring-semester plans, a pattern has emerged: Spring break is out, and “wellness days” are in.
From a public-health standpoint, canceling spring break makes sense. The prospect that millions of young people will leave college towns and fan out across the globe is clearly at odds with efforts to contain COVID-19. Others say the move could be detrimental to mental health, not to mention learning.
Enter the “wellness day.”

The first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine are being administered to Americans this week. States are prioritizing frontline health workers and other vulnerable populations as the first to be immunized, but colleges and universities are also front of mind.
College students fueled some of the nation's top outbreaks this fall, and they're expected to return to campuses early in 2021. Will they—can they—be required to get the vaccine once it's readily available? The answers are complicated.

The Higher Ed Dive Awards recognize the industry’s top disruptors and innovators. These leaders, institutions, and watchdogs are credited with transforming education after high school and shaping the future.
This year's recipients include the California State University system, Roslyn Clark Artis of Benedict College, and student journalists of The Daily Tar Heel at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.