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.
Thousands of students at forward-looking colleges and universities are benefiting from alliances with employers and economic development agencies. As the need for talent drives the demand for advanced learning, smart moves at colleges and universities are helping boost the value of their degrees.
Together, these partners are building new technologies, new career pathways—and new and better bachelor’s degrees at a time when all of us need them for the country’s future, writes Lumina Foundation's Jamie Merisotis in his latest column for Forbes.
Imagine an intimidating gray-bearded professor presiding over students as they attempt to understand the intricate details of a 2,000-year-old text. Many college students envision philosophy in this way and take pains to avoid it.
But what if students believed that philosophy is meant for everyone and that it can help them navigate life’s dilemmas? Since 2018, Hamilton College, in central New York, has offered philosophy instructors a unique opportunity to develop strategies that show students philosophy is not just challenging but also enlightening, fun, and collaborative.
A recent report from New America and Princeton Eviction Lab ties the threat of eviction to negative student outcomes, especially for parenting college students. Student parents who face eviction are 23 percent less likely to complete a bachelor’s degree compared to their housing-secure peers and more likely to have a lower quality of life, including higher mortality rates and lower earnings years later.
In this interview, New America's Edward Conroy and Nick Graetz, assistant professor at the University of Minnesota, discuss how threats of eviction uniquely impact student parents and the implications for generational education goals.
When Jim Ryan stepped down as president of the University of Virginia last month, multiple onlookers blamed his resignation at least partly on the university’s Board of Visitors, which has been dramatically reshaped over the last three-plus years by appointments made by Republican governor Glenn Youngkin. Since taking office in 2022, Youngkin has stocked the board with former GOP lawmakers, Republican donors, and members of the Jefferson Council, a conservative alumni group that called for Ryan’s ouster.
But UVA’s board isn’t the only one to experience a dramatic overhaul.
When the Trump administration began massive layoffs of federal workers earlier this year, community colleges jumped in to help displaced workers prepare for new careers.
Northern Virginia Community College announced NOVAnext (New Employment, Exploration and Transition) in March. The program enables unemployed federal workers and federal contractors to enroll in select courses at no charge and access online workshops on resume writing and job search techniques. In Maryland, the Feds to Eds program is helping displaced federal workers prepare for a new career in the classroom.
Enrollment declines, inflation, and market shifts have long challenged American colleges. But this year, federal policy changes are compounding their stress, disrupting university research funding, slashing student aid, taxing large endowments, and chilling international student enrollment.
As a result, many schools are budgeting month-to-month instead of year-to-year—a major shift for institutions built on long-term planning.
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