Daily Lumina News 110123

During his junior year of high school, Wade Lipscomb enlisted in the military because he didn’t know how he would pay for college. That soon changed, thanks to The Pittsburgh Promise.
Since its inception, the program has helped nearly 12,000 students like Lipscomb attend college by funneling $170 million into fees, tuition, and living expenses. But in a few years, that funding will dry up.

On-campus protests over social issues can be a typical part of the college experience, but these West Virginia University students are protesting for a different reason. They're speaking out against the budget cuts their university has made.
It's part of their ongoing fight against the elimination of programs by West Virginia University President Gordon Gee—a move that's left students like Felicia Carrara, who is majoring in international and Russian studies, in limbo and unsure of the future.

Interest in online learning continues to grow, fueled in part by the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, some colleges and universities are launching new online degree offerings to meet students' increasing demands for more accessibility and flexibility.
In this interview, Fernando Bleichmar of Academic Partnerships and Coursera's Jeff Maggioncalda weigh in with their thoughts on the future of online learning, the role of degrees vs. credentials in the job market, and what AI will mean for online education.

College administrators braced at the start of the Israel-Gaza conflict for an outbreak of antisemitism, Islamophobia, harassment, and even violence. Free speech advocates predicted infringements on constitutional rights.
Now, as the raid by Hamas against Israeli civilians gives way to wider combat in the region, those fears appear to be coming to fruition.

The use of virtual reality has been on the rise in college classrooms over the past few years, assisting students with public speaking and giving medical students the ability to practice surgeries, among other things.
Now, VR is making its way into counseling on campuses in a twofold way: helping instructors train future counselors and providing counseling services to current students.

Applying to college is one thing. Applying for financial aid is a different thing entirely. For years, complaints have surrounded the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and its more than 100 questions.
Congress passed the FAFSA Simplification Act in 2020, with the goal of streamlining the form and expanding financial aid. The revisions are supposed to be finalized later this year. Rachel Burns of the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association describes what the changes could mean for students in the 2024-25 academic year.