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.
Elexiana Oliva, a criminal justice major at Muscatine Community College, is among the 13 million adults across the country who the American Council on Education estimates live beyond a reasonable commute from the nearest four-year university—a problem getting worse as private colleges in rural places close, public university campuses merge or shut down, and rural universities cut majors and programs.
Iowa has joined a growing number of states that are considering letting community colleges like Muscatine offer bachelor’s degrees as a way of filling these so-called rural higher education deserts and training workers in rural places for jobs in fields where there are growing shortages.
As the Trump administration continues to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts at colleges, a little-known national nonprofit has become collateral damage.
For three decades, the PhD Project encouraged business professionals from underrepresented backgrounds to pursue doctorates in the discipline. Now, it’s lost nearly a third of its university partners.
Time and time again over the last three months, the Trump administration has sent forceful letters to America’s colleges and universities, demanding sweeping changes and threatening to cut off federal funds in a way that has set off alarms for higher education leaders across the country. The government’s latest missive has only ramped up those concerns.
In a three-page letter sent to Harvard University on Monday evening, the U.S. Department of Education said federal agencies will no longer provide the wealthy institution with any grant funding, alleging that Harvard has engaged in a “systemic pattern of violating federal law” and calling it a “mockery of this country’s higher education system.”
Louisiana would be among the states hardest hit by the indefinite pause of funding from the National Science Foundation, with higher education leaders warning of catastrophic impacts to students and the economy.
According to an internal memo reported by Nature, the National Science Foundation, one of the top federal funders of scientific research at Louisiana universities, is pausing funding of all existing grants and will stop awarding new grants. The agency announced it will also slash its indirect cost rate to 15 percent, joining the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Energy in doing so. Those cuts will result in tens of millions of dollars in loss for Louisiana universities.
Republican proposals to overhaul how families pay for college could affect nearly half of the students attending the Universities of Wisconsin and about 40 percent of students at the state’s private schools.
Draft legislation released last week by the House Committee on Education shows sweeping changes to the federal student loan system that would cut $330 billion in federal spending. This includes changing repayment plans and cuts to the Pell Grant program for low-income students.
Today's learners want more than convenience. They expect experiences tailored to their lives, goals, and timelines. To stay relevant, more institutions are embracing flexible strategies, smart technology, and strong industry partnerships.
In this interview, Enrique Infanzon, dean of continuing education at Miami Dade College, discusses the need to create seamless and personalized learner experiences and how technology can reduce friction in the enrollment process for nontraditional students like adult learners and working professionals.
