Daily Lumina News 110122

Universities around the country will be watching carefully as the U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments in two college admissions cases. Many legal pundits predict that affirmative action will be abolished when the court issues its decision next spring.
Colleges that still want to build a diverse student body that reflects the country’s demographics are looking for alternatives. Two states could provide valuable information.

Experts always warn against predicting the outcome of U.S. Supreme Court decisions on the basis of the questions the justices ask during hearings.
But in arguments before the Supreme Court yesterday, six justices with a history of opposing affirmative action—and new justices expected to oppose affirmative action—asked questions and offered comments that reflected skepticism about the practice.

Over the course of 2022, college enrollment declined for a second consecutive year since the beginning of the pandemic, although the decline wasn’t nearly as sharp as in 2021.
However, at Rice University in Houston, Texas, applications are still flowing in at an incredible rate. In this interview, the university's president talks about college affordability, enrollment challenges, and the power of partnerships to improve diversity.

One person worked in a grocery store; another waited on tables. A third didn’t know what to do after high school. And then there is Cody Steffy, who became injured while serving in the U.S. Navy.
For all four, community college provided a turning point in their lives—putting them on track toward rewarding, well-paying careers in advanced technology fields.

With the right kind of data, colleges can understand what’s causing students to leave school without finishing a degree, which students could benefit from more academic advising, and where they should focus their recruiting efforts.
But getting access to this type of data—and using it in the right ways—can often be challenging.

When a respected New York University professor was fired after a group of students complained that the organic chemistry class he taught was too hard, it seemed to reflect a shift in the landscape of higher education.
Was this evidence that college students have become entitled customers, or is the existence of a class that many students struggle to pass an indictment of a professor’s teaching? And if students have more power now, is that good or bad? Students and professors share their thoughts.