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.
American voters want to see an overhaul in higher education, and Republicans are taking advantage of it. Over the course of its first 75 days, the 119th Congress introduced more than 30 pieces of legislation concerning higher education—more than half of which came from members of the GOP.
Historically, conservative lawmakers have taken a laissez-faire approach to governing colleges and universities. But at a time when students and families are demanding greater accountability and a solution to the debt crisis, Republicans—who hold a majority in both the House and the Senate—are laying the legislative groundwork to increase federal control over colleges.
When Marlene Tromp took over as Boise State University’s president in 2019, she hoped to use her background as a first-generation student from a working-class family to drive plans for increasing student success. However, she quickly found herself under political pressure from state legislators tied up in higher education’s culture wars.
Six years later, Tromp finds herself once again headed into a new presidency at a time of intense political battles.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion programs can be life-changing for many college students. Yet, recently, institutions of all kinds have ended these efforts to comply with changing state laws and the Trump administration's anti-DEI crackdown.
On this podcast, Lumina Foundation's Jasmine Haywood and Alison Kadlec from Sova share their thoughts on the impact of these changes, the power of inclusive education, and the most effective student success strategies.
Days after President Donald Trump threatened on social media to halt funding to any college that allows “illegal protests,” his administration cancelled $400 million in federal grants to Columbia University.
Trump’s social media post and the administration’s subsequent actions signal they may intend to treat protest and speech as illegal when it suits their ideological goals, regardless of whether there's evidence of illegal activity. And they make clear the administration’s intent to use higher education institutions to enact an agenda that chills free speech, threatening to dismantle a pillar of a functioning democracy.
Until recently, it was a little-known program to help Black and Latino students pursue business degrees. But in January, conservative strategist Christopher Rufo flagged the program known as The PhD Project in social media posts that caught the attention of Republican politicians.
The program is now at the center of a Trump administration campaign to root out diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in higher education.
Last week, President Donald Trump issued his anticipated executive order to close the U.S. Department of Education. However, the order lacks detailed specifics; what actions can President Trump and Secretary of Education Linda McMahon legally undertake?
Education Reform Now, an education reform advocacy group, offers insight with this explainer for breaking down the areas of authority over the department and its programs and showing what legal limits Trump and McMahon will face.
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