Daily Lumina News 121222

Higher ed leaders are encountering more freshmen this year who lack the skills and mindsets needed to be successful in college. And they all agree about the cause: nearly five high school semesters upended by the pandemic—and less accountability placed on students because of it.
Colleges are doubling down on efforts to help these students succeed, from increasing mental health counselors to emphasizing peer mentors and tutors to provide more one-on-one connections.

It started with one instructor, one student, and a 500-foot garage.
Seven years later, the Rise Up Industries Reentry Program in San Diego County is a federally recognized job training program—and garnering widespread praise for its success in preparing formerly incarcerated individuals for reentry into their community and into good jobs.

Postdoctoral employees and academic researchers at the University of California announced late last week that they will return to work today, partly ending a weeks-long strike.
But the agreement leaves some 36,000 workers still on strike. Graduate students who help teach classes and assign grades for undergraduates will continue their work stoppage, and campuses are still figuring out how to assess final grades and modify the end of their academic quarters and semesters.

For some, non-degree programs represent the future of education. But for others, they are a hyped-up distraction from degree attainment that leads to unemployment, underemployment, or employment in poverty-wage jobs with limited advancement opportunities.
A new project aims to help unlock the full potential of non-degree workforce training, especially at public community colleges where these programs are commonly found.

College students and other young adults are a ripe target for online scams.
There are bogus loan-forgiveness and fake scholarship “opportunities.” There are online-shopping and credit-card scams. There is social-media account takeover fraud. And now, with the Biden administration’s student-loan cancellation program making headlines, officials worry young people will become even bigger targets.

About 4 million working-age Californians have completed some college credits but left before they could earn a degree. Now, they're about to benefit from personalized support and coaching to help them re-enroll in higher education.
Four higher education organizations—California Competes: Higher Education for a Strong Economy, InsideTrack, the Institute for Higher Education Policy, and ProjectAttain!—are launching a new statewide campaign called California Reconnect to give adult learners a fresh start to return to college and earn a degree.