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Lumina Foundation is working to increase the share of adults in the U.S. labor force with college degrees or other credentials of value leading to economic prosperity.

June 12, 2025

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Why College Matters: For the Love of Learning—and Democracy

Jamie Merisotis, Forbes

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Two highly acclaimed novelists—R.F. Kuang and John Green—offer vivid reminders that education remains both a personal lifeline and a public good. Whether it’s Kuang’s family story of striving for knowledge or Green’s mission to widen the path through flexible, affordable learning, their experiences highlight what’s at stake when access to higher education is threatened.

 

At its best, college shapes thinkers, challenges assumptions, and fosters resilience in the face of life's challenges. In the end, education is more than a degree—it’s a commitment to the shared future we’re all building, writes Lumina Foundation's Jamie Merisotis in his latest column for Forbes.

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Slew of Universities, Attorneys General Urge Court to Side With Harvard in Federal Funding Suit

Emily Piper-Vallillo, WBUR

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A broad coalition of outside parties is voicing support for Harvard University in its legal battle against the Trump administration to recover billions of dollars in slashed federal funding.

 

Civil liberties groups, nearly two dozen universities, the attorneys general of roughly 20 states, and more than 12,000 Harvard alumni submitted amicus briefs on behalf of the Cambridge university. The swell of support comes as the campus quiets for the summer, but the school's legal clash with the federal government heats up.

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How Scammers Are Using AI to Steal College Financial Aid

Sharon Lurye, Associated Press

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Heather Brady was napping when a police officer knocked on her door to ask, "Had she applied to Arizona Western College?" She had not, and as the officer suspected, somebody else had applied to Arizona community colleges in her name to scam the government into paying out financial aid money.

 

The rise of artificial intelligence and the popularity of online classes have led to an explosion of financial aid fraud and fake college enrollments as crime rings deploy “ghost” students—chatbots that join online classrooms and stay just long enough to collect a financial aid check.

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Texas’ Swift Surrender to DOJ on Undocumented Student Tuition Raises Questions About State-Federal Collusion

Eleanor Klibanoff, The Texas Tribune

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It happened fast. Last week, the U.S. Department of Justice sued Texas over its long-standing state law allowing undocumented students to get in-state tuition. The lawsuit was barely on the books before Texas surrendered without a fight, asking a judge to strike down the law—which he did.

 

It’s unusual to see a state work so closely with the federal government to use the courts to overturn a state law that the legislature had allowed to stand, legal experts say. And it's particularly surprising in Texas, a state with a proud history of battling the federal government and staking out aggressive positions on the limited role the feds should have within its borders.

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A Legacy of Leadership

Jamal Watson, Diverse Issues in Higher Education

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After nearly 15 years at the helm of the American Association of Community Colleges, Walter Bumphus is preparing to close this significant chapter of his illustrious career in higher education.

 

As one of the most influential voices in community college leadership, Bumphus' legacy of advocacy and mentorship will continue to influence the sector for generations to come. His journey from a young dean in Kentucky to a national education leader demonstrates the power of community colleges for both students seeking opportunity and the leaders who guide these vital institutions.

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Trump Has Universities in the Bind the Right Has Long Wanted

Juan Perez Jr., POLITICO

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President Donald Trump’s campaign against two of the planet’s best-known universities is laying bare just how unprepared academia was to confront a hostile White House.

 

Even as Ivy League schools, research institutions, and college trade associations try to resist Trump’s attacks in court, campus leaders are starting to accept they face only difficult choices: negotiate with the government, mount a painful legal and political fight—or simply try to stay out of sight.

HUMAN WORK AND LEARNING

Deep Dive Report: Why Older Learners Are ‘Generation Now’

Colleen Flaherty, Inside Higher Ed

From Mission-Driven to Margin-Obsessed

Scott Carlson, The Edge

Commentary: Let’s Make STEM Opportunity Achievable, Not Illusory, for California Community College Students

Pamela Burdman, Alexis Robin Hale, and Jenn Bevard, EdSource

EQUITY IN EDUCATION

LGBTQ Leaders in Higher Education: Building Bridges and Breaking Barriers

Walter Hudson, Diverse Issues in Higher Education

Advocates Push for Action as University of Missouri Lags on Indigenous Student and Faculty Support

Grant Salsman, Cole Lee, and Johnny Martin, Columbia Missourian

Hopkins’ Dimming DEI Efforts Worry Students Who Feel Left Behind

John-John Williams IV and Ellie Wolfe, The Baltimore Banner

Proposal to Ban DEI College Courses, State Policy Dies in Louisiana Legislature

Piper Hutchinson, Louisiana Illuminator

COLLEGE ENROLLMENTS

Lawyer Behind Affirmative Action Ban Takes on Funding for Hispanic Students

Douglas Belkin, The Wall Street Journal

Connecticut Colleges Uncertain About International Student Enrollment as Federal Student Visa Policies Evolve

Brian Zahn, New Haven Register

Public Colleges in Illinois Need More Students, But Students Need More Money to Attend

Judith Crown, Crain's Chicago Business

FEDERAL POLICY

Major Victory for Community Colleges in Senate

Community College Daily

Responding to Federal Policy Shocks: What We Learned From Nearly 50 Higher Ed Institutions

EAB

A Daughter With DACA, a Mother Without Papers, and a Goodbye They Can’t Bear

Clara-Sophia Daly, Miami Herald

Senate Higher Ed Bill Walks Back Some House Proposals

Jessica Blake, Inside Higher Ed

NEW REPORTS AND EVENTS

Time for Class 2025: Empowering Educators, Engaging Students

Tyton Partners

Webinar: Shaping the Future: Policy, Advocacy, and Impact for Military Learners

American Council on Education

Depoliticizing the University: Re-Prioritizing Academic Excellence in Accreditation and Faculty Governance

American Enterprise Institute

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Daily Lumina News is edited by Patricia Brennan.

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