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.
Uncertainty, dejection, and fear have pervaded much of higher education in the first weeks of the second Trump administration. Now, new research quantifies those concerns, showing that faculty, staff, and administrators are less enthusiastic about the sector than they were before Trump took office.
A recent survey of 3,844 respondents at two- and four-year colleges in the United States asked whether they’d recommend their work to others, how their institution has responded to federal actions, and whether they felt free to express their opinions. This is what they had to say.
Significant changes are happening to the Carnegie classifications, with student outcomes taking center stage.
This podcast explores how the new system aims to better group institutions, highlight student access and earnings, and shift incentives across funding, accountability, and rankings. Mushtaq Gunja, executive director of the Carnegie Classification Systems and senior vice president of the American Council on Education, joins the conversation with his thoughts on the changes and whether they will meaningfully alter institutional behavior or simply create a new hierarchy.
Child care in the United States is failing families. It’s too expensive for parents and pays too little to caregivers. In 45 states, the average monthly cost of child care for two children exceeds the average mortgage payment. In all 50 states, it’s higher than the average rent. Even more shocking, in 39 states, the yearly cost of infant care in a center is higher than in-state college tuition.
Now imagine paying for both college tuition and child care at the same time. That’s the daily reality for many student parents on college campuses today.
For generations, students and researchers from around the world have flocked to Boston, drawn not just to a college or university but to a region where intellectual life is part of its brand. The Boston area has thrived from their presence, its many schools and top-ranked research hospitals keeping the economy strong and the living standard largely unmatched in the United States.
Now, though, the city is seized with anxiety—and confronting a once-implausible question: Will its core identity survive?
In even a typical year, running a college or university is a complex job. There are worries of enrollment declines, cuts in state funding, disagreements among faculty and boards, and, recently, a global pandemic.
But in the last few weeks, many college and university presidents, both public and private, say the challenges before them are something altogether different as they struggle to keep the focus on their students in the face of ongoing political attacks.
Kelly Young-Raymore, Mikal Doke, and Jordan Weinstein are all Michigan teachers. They're also among millions of borrowers navigating a steady stream of government policy changes and court decisions affecting student loans.
These changes have left many individuals in limbo, unsure of the future of loan forgiveness and waiting to get clarity on what repayment plans will look like moving forward. Plus, millions of borrowers may be on their way to defaulting on their loans, which has severe financial consequences.
