Daily Lumina News 081723

More than a dozen college presidents are taking part in a new campaign called "Campus Call for Free Expression" to bolster free speech on their campuses. The campaign is the most-recent indication of college presidents’ increasingly forceful defense of free-speech principles.
At the same time, many presidents have become cautious in recent years about tackling hot-button issues for fear of blowback. Others have been notably quiet as state governments take heavier hands in matters typically left up to academics.

After all of the twists and turns of the last three years, federal student loan borrowers are experiencing a bit of fatigue and confusion as their payments are set to resume in October.
The string of extensions—eight since the pause was first introduced in 2020—has left some in disbelief that the moratorium is finally coming to an end, while others are overwhelmed by their options and the prospects of adding another bill to their budget.

Maine has an aging population coupled with a decline in young people continuing their education beyond high school. But the state also has an economy still in need of skilled workers in health care, energy, defense, and other fast-growing fields (with fewer and fewer low-skilled jobs available).
Maine officials are now betting big on community colleges to jump start workforce training programs for current workers and those looking to begin or switch careers.

For months, education leaders in Massachusetts have been touting the MassReconnect program as a way for students 25 years or older who haven't received their degree to get a free community college education. Last week, Gov. Maura Healey approved $20 million for the program.
Now, community college leaders are gearing up to get that money to students.

In its first guidance since the U.S. Supreme Court rejected race-based affirmative action in college admissions, the Biden administration says many recruitment programs are still allowed, but other questions are left unanswered.
Specifically, the guidance does not address some of the more contentious issues around the court’s decision, including how it would apply to hiring, student scholarships for particular racial groups, and potential conflicts between state and federal policies.

When a committee of the New College of Florida Board of Trustees met in July, a whopping 36 faculty members had already left since Florida Governor Ron DeSantis initiated a conservative restructuring of the institution in January. That number has subsequently grown to more than 40.
Now, as students prepare for the fall semester, the impact of the faculty exodus is becoming apparent as students grapple with absent professors, canceled classes, and severe housing woes.