Lumina Foundation is working to increase the share of adults in the U.S. labor force with college degrees or other credentials of value leading to economic prosperity.
Seventeen years ago, Lumina Foundation set an ambitious goal: by 2025, 60 percent of working-age adults in the United States would have a college degree, certificate, or industry-recognized certification. At the time, only 38 percent had one. Today, that number has risen to 55 percent, thanks to those who believe in the power of education and training beyond high school.
Learning matters now more than ever. But the world of work has changed, and we need a bold new national goal: By 2040, 75 percent of adults in the U.S. labor force will have a degree or other credential of value leading to economic prosperity.
In its first month, the Trump administration has taken direct aim at academic research, ordering a freeze on federal grant funding—including from the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health, among other agencies—followed by a drastic shrinking of the indirect-cost reimbursements the NIH provides institutions. Both measures have met with swift backlash.
In this interview, Dean Madden of Dartmouth College discusses how those who manage universities’ research operations are navigating the increasing uncertainty of the Trump administration.
Higher education leaders have been asking the U.S. Department of Education for more detailed guidance on its controversial Dear Colleague letter, which called for the end of diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. That guidance finally came in the form of a nine-page frequently asked questions document.
Some legal scholars argue that the new information offers some much-needed insight and softens some of the previous harsher rhetoric. Others say that while it is an improvement, it provides little solace as colleges continue to nix their DEI efforts.
When a new presidential administration came into power in January, there were many unknowns about how new policies might impact higher education. On the campaign trail, candidate Donald Trump pledged to “end wokeness," as well as shutter the U.S. Department of Education.
Shortly after Donald Trump’s inauguration, several college students in California were asked about their hopes and concerns for the administration. This is what they had to say.
Analysis released by the World Economic Forum in January concludes that 92 million jobs will be displaced by 2030. But the number of new jobs will be almost double that in the same time period. It's also predicted that the United States will soon face the tightest labor market in more than six decades.
That means employers will be competing with each other for talent. The employer-provided education benefit could be a deciding factor for a job seeker or for an employee trying to decide whether they want to stay with a company or leave.
In recent years, many professors have noticed that students struggle more than ever with the jump from high school to college. They don’t know how to ask for help, struggle to complete homework, and rarely participate in class.
The pandemic and the loss of fundamental academic and social skills during online learning are partially to blame for these new realities. But experts say that as colleges admit increasingly diverse classes of students, their needs have changed in ways that colleges aren’t prepared for.
