As community college students return to their campuses in California, many will find one new resource to count on: a hub where they can seek support in meeting their basic needs.

The resources differ from campus to campus, but most will help students with housing and food insecurity. Some campuses will also help students pay for auto insurance, find low-cost medical care, secure internet access, and apply for public benefits.

In a speech made at a conference attended by university and college presidents and other officials in higher education this week, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona called on college leaders to change how they approach student success. 

Cardona also unveiled new initiatives from the Education Department to boost completion rates at historically Black colleges and other minority-serving institutions, including a $5 million competitive grant program and the expansion of the Project Success initiative.

A searing new report from a congressional watchdog says the U.S. Department of Education is slow to identify when a college closes and doesn’t always provide students the information they need to obtain a closed-school discharge of their federal loans.

Slow recognition when a college closes means borrowers aren’t informed about their discharge options until months later, limiting their ability to make timely and informed decisions about educational and financial options, the report states.