Lumina Foundation is committed to increasing the proportion of Americans with high-quality degrees, certificates and other credentials to 60 percent by 2025.
From online learning to artificial intelligence, colleges worldwide have grappled with how best to deploy technology to help their students succeed—especially nontraditional students, who might opt to study fully remotely to accommodate family or work obligations.
Now the Georgia Institute of Technology is hoping to position itself at the forefront of those conversations with its new College of Lifetime Learning, announced earlier this month, which will soon be home to a slate of new programs and research focused on the intersection of learning and technology.
At Pennsylvania State University at New Kensington, a tight-knit campus about 30 minutes northeast of Pittsburgh, faculty members and staff kicked off the fall semester with a sense of dread.
Forty percent of the staff and 10 percent of the faculty there took voluntary buyouts that were offered across the system’s regional campuses earlier this year. Among those leaving the campus, where enrollment has dropped by about a third over the past 10 years, were the registrar, the director of student affairs, all three employees in the business and finance office, and the chancellor.
Several students are behind on credits and trying to catch up. Some are struggling to stay motivated as school gets more difficult. Others are excelling in class but worried about what comes next.
The Class of 2025 is heading into its last year of high school. They represent the first class expected to meet a goal the state of Oregon set in 2012: that every student would successfully complete high school. Twenty-seven students from the Class of 2025 share their fears and expectations of life after high school.
Undocumented students in California’s higher education system may soon be able to get a job in California’s public universities and colleges.
California would become the first state in the nation to employ undocumented college students without legal work permits, pending a signature from Gov. Gavin Newson.
The landmark legislation, Assembly Bill 2586, passed the state legislature in a final 41-7 assembly vote last month. As of this writing, the governor—who has not stated a position on the bill—has until the end of September to sign or veto it.
Tuition and other college expenses are familiar challenges for many community college students. But other smaller costs, such as testing and licensing fees, can also hamper those who are about to launch their careers.
The San Diego Community College District aims to help with a new program that quickly reimburses healthcare students for all required licensing, certification, and testing fees. Under the Ready2Work program, fees are covered through private donors, foundations, and some public funds.
Despite the valid concerns around affordability, the fact remains that higher education is, on the whole, worth it. The share of American jobs that will require some level of post-high school education or training is expected to reach 85 percent by 2031.
But for many students who dream of continuing their education beyond high school, the cost of college remains an impossible challenge. Some innovative states are stepping up to address this affordability crisis through creative financial aid policies—and more are expected to follow suit.
