Many community-college leaders don’t yet know exactly who failed to show up at their campuses, but, anecdotally, there’s a clear consensus. Those less likely to enroll were students of color, undocumented, and low income, says Joseph Garcia, chancellor of the Colorado Community College System.

Why did so many community colleges take such a hit? At the most basic level, no college president alive has led an institution through a crisis like COVID-19. At another level, the pandemic has magnified existing socioeconomic inequities, turning gaps into chasms. 

A former Wisconsin governor who spearheaded the expansion of the state's prison system now wants to transform a prison into a college for inmates.

Tommy Thompson, the interim president of the University of Wisconsin System, plans to pitch the "UW System Prison Education Initiative" to the UW Board of Regents this week. Thompson says the effort would also include technical colleges, private colleges, businesses, and the Wisconsin Department of Corrections.