The year's National Conference on Race and Ethnicity in Higher Education began under somewhat inauspicious circumstances. Campus diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives are under attack across America, with lawmakers in several states passing bans on DEI offices and programs at public universities. 

But in what felt like a mark of defiance, one of NCORE’s earliest panels focused instead on what’s going right.

More Historically Black Colleges and Universities are benefiting from an increase in financial gifts recently, particularly from corporations and corporate foundations. Some have received a new look from companies amid the reckoning over racial injustice spurred by the killing of George Floyd. 

But the colleges also have been pitching themselves, emphasizing their ability to deliver returns on the investment in student mobility.

The online-program-management company model may seem like an easy win for colleges, but for many students, the courses are more of a raw deal. The companies' aggressive recruitment tactics often pull in as many students as possible by promising convenience and a well-paying job after graduation.

Instead, many students find themselves shouldering a huge debt load from a program that is a pale imitation of the in-person learning experience. While it's not always the case, experts say some OPMs are offering online students a worse education for a sky-high price.