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.
Last month, the government cut $400 million in federal funding for Columbia University and sent a list of demands the university would have to meet to get it back. Among those demands: “Deliver a plan for comprehensive admission reform.”
Exactly what the Trump administration believes is going on behind closed doors in highly selective college admissions offices remains unclear. But one thing is certain: The federal government appears set to launch a crusade against the college admissions process.
The Trump administration’s ongoing assault on American higher education has all but guaranteed one thing: College students and their parents will now get less—fewer faculty, research opportunities, student services and amenities—for the same (or higher) price.
Trump’s slash-and-burn approach has hurt nearly every college revenue stream. The crackdown on foreign student visas will curb international student enrollment and the vital tuition revenue those students provide. Federal funding freezes will halt research activity. And, without a functioning U.S. Department of Education, college officials worry that Pell grants and student loan dollars may not be disbursed as usual.
What is it like to try to keep a federally funded research lab afloat when your institution has seemingly been singled out by the government as Public Enemy No. 1? Ask Donna Farber, a professor of microbiology and immunology at Columbia University.
After learning that Columbia's National Institutes of Health grants had been frozen, Farber says there was little clarity for researchers on how to move forward. She wonders now if she’ll have the money to order more reagents for lab tests, to keep her graduate students on payroll, and to obtain the cell-tissue samples she studies.
The U.S. Department of Education's financial aid apparatus appears to be cracking after the Trump administration imposed sweeping staff cuts, with some fearing that further deterioration could make it harder for students to secure the money they need to attend college.
After the cuts were implemented a month ago, calls and some emails started to go unanswered, and the systems that disburse student loans and grants have become plagued with outages. College and university aid officers say the disruptions are slowing down their ability to calculate financial aid offers and get timely answers about everything from adding academic programs to remaining eligible to receive federal aid.
In 2023, the Institute for Citizens and Scholars launched its College Presidents for Civic Preparedness initiative, and its membership has grown to more than 120 leaders from two- and four-year institutions in 35 states. Part of its mission is to develop ways to assess and measure the level of civil discourse and critical thinking on college campuses.
In this interview, the group's Raj Vinnakota talks about the grassroots beginnings of the program and how creating language around the concepts of free speech and open inquiry is important for engaging with stakeholders on both sides of the political divide.
As National Institutes of Health funding cuts loom over research institutions and the overarching outlook for the system of higher education falters under Trump administration actions, industry leaders are attempting to raise alarm and steady the sector’s footing.
Marty Meehan, president of the University of Massachusetts system, is on the ground trying to explain to all who will listen—from Massachusetts Democrats to out-of-state university leaders to congressional Republicans—how he believes cuts to federal higher education funding jeopardize health research, the economy, and education access.
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