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.
Over the past decade, centers and institutes devoted to the study of Western civilization and American civics have popped up on numerous public university campuses. Typically backed by conservative lawmakers, versions of this concept have taken root at universities in Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, Ohio, and Tennessee. In Texas, an entirely new private university, the University of Austin, now offers students a curriculum steeped in the study of Western thought.
In this interview, Jacob Howland of the University of Austin and Pauline Strong, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin, discuss what this growing trend says about the politics of higher education.
Collectively, the Trump administration’s early moves have caused chaos and uncertainty, stunning higher education leaders—some of whom doubted the president would follow through on his campaign promises at all.
But the president’s intentions were clear throughout his time on the campaign trail, and his actions have closely aligned with the controversial recommendations made in Project 2025 and other key blueprints for the second administration.
As he finished lunch in the private dining room outside the Oval Office on April 1, President Trump floated an astounding proposal: What if the government simply canceled every dollar of the billions promised to Harvard University?
The moment underscores the aggressive, ad hoc approach continuing to shape one of the new administration’s most consequential policies. The opaque process itself is upending campuses nationwide, leaving elite institutions, long accustomed to operating with relative freedom from Washington, reeling from a blunt-force political attack that is at the leading edge of a bigger cultural battle.
Faculty, students, and higher education workers across the country are preparing to participate in a National Day of Action this Thursday, April 17, to defend academic freedom and advocate for higher education as a public good.
Organized by the Coalition for Action in Higher Education in collaboration with the American Association of University Professors, the coordinated effort will feature more than 100 actions at campuses nationwide, including events in Hawaii and Alaska.
Recently, policymakers at both the federal and state levels have taken steps to improve parenting student data collection through legislation, including the introduction of the Understanding Student Parent Outcomes Act at the federal level and laws in several states that require colleges to track student parents.
While these efforts lay important groundwork, institutions do not have to wait for legislative mandates to take action. Proactively identifying student parents and understanding their needs can help institutions design more effective supports that boost retention and completion. Here's how two institutions are using data to better serve parenting students.
Indigenous students make up one-third of the student body at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado. The school, however, has never had an Indigenous president until now. After a six-month search, Heather Shotton—a woman whose relatives survived the abusive boarding schools that preceded Fort Lewis College today—was selected from more than 75 applicants.
In this interview, Shotton reflects on her formative years, job readiness in rural Colorado, and seismic changes in higher education under President Donald Trump.
