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.
Accreditation agencies, advocacy groups, and university lobbyists see value in President Trump’s proposed overhaul to accreditation policy for emphasizing student outcomes and reducing red tape. At the same time, many doubt that rewriting higher ed’s quality-assurance regulations is the right vehicle to reach those goals.
Thousands of groups weighed in on the proposal before the Sept. 21 public comment deadline. Collectively, the commenters argue that parts of the proposal demonstrate executive overreach, set overly prescriptive standards, and could actually increase operational costs—not reduce them. Some of the most vocal sentinels warn that the proposal threatens a core principle of American higher education: academic freedom.
The Treasury Department wants to strip tax-exempt status from private schools that factor race into admissions, scholarships, financial aid, or athletics.
That announcement this month may sound like a straightforward enforcement measure, one that targets colleges engaged in overt discrimination. If finalized, however, the proposal would unfairly punish institutions that welcome students from every background but have a history—and a mission—of expanding access and opportunity for students from communities that higher education has too often excluded, writes Yolanda Watson Spiva of Complete College America in this op-ed.
Universities can build all the artificial intelligence infrastructure they want, but if faculty members aren't on board, none of it lands in the classroom, experts say. Recent surveys make clear what many academic leaders already sense but rarely say out loud: there's a real and widening divide between faculty skepticism and administrative impatience on AI. The question isn't who's right. It's how you close the gap.
In this roundtable discussion, higher education leaders in California weigh in with their thoughts on possible solutions—and what it will take to bring students, faculty, and others along on the AI journey.
North Texas high school seniors are increasingly meeting a state benchmark for college, career, or military readiness, according to the Dallas Regional Chamber's 2026 Regional Outcomes Report. However, fewer students are enrolling in postsecondary education or completing a program.
That gap matters beyond school campuses. Employers rely on the region's education systems to prepare workers for in-demand jobs, while families look to education as a path to higher earnings and greater economic stability. The figures show a regional talent pipeline that is improving at the readiness stage while producing less certain results in postsecondary enrollment and completion.
Cornell University just became the latest elite school to propose a course-correction as it navigates one of the toughest periods in the history of American higher education.
In a more-than-200-page report commissioned by Cornell’s provost, Kavita Bala, a special faculty committee outlined what it calls an "unprecedented crisis" facing universities, thanks to disrupted federal funding, an erosion in public trust, and rapid AI-led technological change. The committee’s recommendations include diversifying funding sources, creating a human-centered approach to AI, embracing a range of ideologies, and implementing better coordination across learning experiences.
Rising costs, time to completion, and demand for faster pathways into the workforce have prompted many people to reconsider the traditional four-year degree. In response, some colleges and universities are proposing and implementing shortened bachelor’s degree programs that require 90-119 credits to graduate, rather than the once-standard 120 credits.
Now the question facing schools and states is this: Which coursework and experiences can be removed while ensuring students still develop the knowledge, critical thinking, and skills expected of a bachelor's degree?
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