The semesters from hell. Like pouring energy into a void. The great disengagement. However you describe it, faculty members, staff, and administrators across higher education agree that this past academic year was among the most difficult in recent memory.

But the lessons learned may also inform colleges' plans for this fall. That includes embedding peer mentoring and tutoring into undergraduate life, emphasizing belonging and engagement in course design, and focusing on students' mental health. 

A spate of new regulatory proposals released this week from the U.S. Department of Education would restrict how much federal financial aid for-profit colleges can receive, add new rules for proprietary institutions converting to nonprofits, and extend Pell Grants to incarcerated students. 

Department officials cast the proposals as part of the Biden administration’s plan to reduce student debt and strengthen oversight of for-profit colleges. 

By his own admission, Stanley Stovall has not always taken the best path in life. He's been in and out of the prison system his entire adult life, with crimes ranging from grand theft to burglary. 

Stovall has since found a better path—and is reaping the benefits. This week, as part of an inaugural program administered by Miami Dade College, he and 17 other students walked across a graduation stage at Everglades Correctional Institution to claim their college degree.