Daily Lumina News 101322

Thirty-nine million Americans have some college but no degree. Many are derailed from their educational pursuits because of credits that won’t transfer, disruptions in child care, even unreliable transportation.
The Widen the Path campaign from Higher Learning Advocates aims to improve that reality by pushing for changes that will widen the path to and through higher education. That includes stronger connections between community colleges, universities, and workforce training.

A federal judge in Missouri is deliberating on whether to stop the Biden administration from moving forward with plans to cancel up to $20,000 in student loan debt for more than 40 million people.
Legal experts say the case, one of several lawsuits to end the policy, may pose the greatest threat of delaying or halting the implementation of the program.

Working part time—or even full time—is an important part of many students’ college plans, especially as living costs in California continue to rise. But California’s estimated 75,000 undocumented students don’t qualify for federal work-study programs or most job opportunities, and many struggle to make ends meet.
A new California program will give hundreds of them an opportunity to earn money for college while doing community service. It’s the latest in a number of state efforts to help undocumented students pay for college.

Arizona State University is considered by many to be a pioneer of tech innovation; it's currently using immersive virtual reality to help students better understand concepts from the classroom.
This episode of Future U examines where the latest shiny objects in edtech—augmented and virtual reality—really stand when it comes to transforming teaching and learning.

In Massachusetts, area news outlets repeatedly focus on the fact that seven Massachusetts schools made the top 50 in U.S. News & World Report's latest rankings. People have questioned these rankings for years.
From a local perspective, those concerns highlight an important point: Why do these elite private colleges dominate discussions of higher education when they educate so few Massachusetts students?

In the wake of an appeals court decision maintaining the tenuous status of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, experts and advocates gathered recently to discuss the consequences of the ruling and how higher education can react.
Leaders from the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration say institutions can immediately support undocumented students with advising, mental health resources, and creative approaches to questions of employability.