Lumina Foundation is committed to increasing the proportion of Americans with high-quality degrees, certificates and other credentials to 60 percent by 2025. |
| Ashley Mowreader, Inside Higher Ed SHARE: Facebook • LinkedIn Financial stress is one of the top reasons students stop out of college, and recent challenges with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid may have exacerbated the issue. To mitigate these obstacles, college and university leaders are thinking outside the box with proactive strategies that ensure students have equitable access and better support to complete the FAFSA this year. |
| Jamie Merisotis, Forbes SHARE: Facebook • LinkedIn Given the nation’s pressing workforce demands—notably in industries such as health care, logistics, and information technology—the growth of certificate programs is a welcome development. In fact, the nation can’t reach its educational attainment goals without them. However, as non-degree credentials emerge as part of the “new normal” for learning beyond high school, we must insist that they be better at delivering value. And it’s clear that many actors must play a role in making this happen, including employers, states, accreditors, and others, says Lumina Foundation's Jamie Merisotis in his latest column for Forbes. |
| Scott Tong, WBUR SHARE: Facebook • LinkedIn California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a new bill into law last week banning the state’s private colleges from giving preference to legacy applicants, who are typically the children of alumni or donors. Supporters of the new law say the goal is to give more people access to higher education regardless of socioeconomic status. Sophie Callcott—a legacy student at Stanford University who now advocates to ban the practice—talks about her reaction to the news in this interview. |
| Ramona Schindelheim, Work in Progress
SHARE: Facebook • LinkedIn Manufacturing jobs in the United States are coming back—and in a big way. Over the next decade, 3.8 million manufacturing jobs will likely be needed, and 1.9 million are expected to be unfilled. What’s behind the resurgence in hiring? Carolyn Lee, president and executive director of The Manufacturing Institute, offers insight on this podcast. |
| Katherine Mangan, The Chronicle of Higher Education SHARE: Facebook • LinkedIn A recent survey by Jobs for the Future shows Republican and Democratic voters alike want politicians to establish alternative pathways to the middle class. It’s harder than it looks. The results show that 84 percent of respondents say it is somewhat or very important for the next president, in the first 100 days, to expand apprenticeship programs and facilitate hiring based on skills rather than degrees. |
| Paul Glastris, POLITICO SHARE: Facebook • LinkedIn A certain long-overlooked demographic is coming into focus as the 2024 presidential election draws near: the “state college voter.” These are Americans who, while college educated, didn’t leave home to attend elite colleges. Instead, they mostly studied at “regional public universities”: not the flagship state universities but unassuming institutions whose names have the word “State” in them. Understanding who these voters are, what makes them tick, and how to reach out to them could make a difference in this razor-close election, predicts Washington Monthly's Paul Glastris in this perspective piece. |
| Ben Unglesbee, Higher Ed Dive |
| Randi Wolfe and Vince Stewart, CalMatters |
| Kent Phillippe, DataPoints |
| Collin Sullivan, The EvoLLLution |
RACIAL JUSTICE AND EQUITY |
| Ed Finkel, Community College Daily |
| Javeria Salman, The Hechinger Report |
| Salvador Rivera, Border Report |
| The Presidents' Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration |
| Suzanne M. Rivera, Diverse Issues in Higher Education |
| Eric Rosane, Tri-City Herald |
| Dwayne Yancey, Cardinal News |
| Korie Dean, The News & Observer |
| Frederick M. Hess, American Enterprise Institute |
| Jessica Blake, Inside Higher Ed |
| Emma Murphy, Oklahoma Voice |
| Council for a Better Louisiana |
| Workforce Development Board of Los Angeles |
| The Center for Learner Equity |
| Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute |
| The Chronicle of Higher Education |
| Public Policy Institute of California |
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