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.
Historically Black Colleges and Universities have seen growing interest from students and increased investment in their missions recently. But for many HBCUs, longstanding resource challenges and the barriers students face outside the classroom continue to create obstacles to college completion.
That may be changing. A new report from InsideTrack indicates that a five-year coaching initiative across 39 HBCUs boosted attainment among both current and stopped-out students. Stopped-out students who received coaching re-enrolled at a rate of 6.9 percent—2.5 times the national average—with more than 1,300 returning to their institutions during the five-year period.
The U.S. Department of Education published a letter this week calling on “university presidents and board members” to sign on to seven broad principles that reflect the Trump administration’s priorities for higher education. “Compact 2.0” tries a different approach than last year’s “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education." It’s less prescriptive, asking colleges how they will fulfill its goals, instead of suggesting specific policies. It appears to have incorporated feedback from at least some college leaders.
In this interview, Jonathan Pidluzny, the department’s deputy chief of staff for strategy and implementation, discusses how the Trump administration is thinking about this latest statement on the relationship between the government and universities.
Universities have always been among society's greatest engines of innovation. Every day, they generate discoveries that improve human health, strengthen national security, power new industries, advance artificial intelligence, and deepen our understanding of the world. They educate entrepreneurs, scientists, engineers, artists, teachers, physicians, and civic leaders.
Yet there is a curious paradox at the heart of higher education, experts say. The institutions that produce so much innovation often struggle to innovate themselves.
The restoration of Pell Grants for incarcerated learners provides new opportunities for a better future. But it turns out colleges that want to set up programs face complicated logistics and cultural challenges. How do you provide financial aid inside prison walls? What about advising and student support services? Without answers, any opportunities that Pell Grants offer for incarcerated individuals are limited.
The Minnesota Consortium for Higher Education in Prison is working to build a playbook to help.
Angel Sanchez remembers the exact texture of the doubt. He had left Cuba with a gap of several years in his formal education, no family money behind him, and only a couple of years of familiarity with a phrase like “credit hours.” He watched friends from home transfer from community colleges to elite universities, and still, somehow, that fact did nothing to loosen the belief that such a path was not meant for him.
Then he started seeing it up close. Classmates, who sat next to him in the Highland Learning Lab or worked alongside him in student organizations at Austin Community College, walked, one by one, through doors he had assumed were locked. Now, it's his turn. This fall, Sanchez will study mechanical engineering at Yale University.
Iowa Central Community College's 14-week emergency medical technician program is the first in the country to garner federal approval for the new Workforce Pell program. The new policy expands Pell Grant eligibility beyond traditional degree programs, providing funds to cover credential programs that are between eight and 15 weeks.
The announcement of Iowa Central's selection was made Tuesday during a press event held at the Fort Dodge campus and attended by federal and state officials. The school's president, Jesse Ulrich, called Workforce Pell a "game changer," as it removes barriers for students entering essential careers and helps employers meet the need for a skilled workforce.
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