Our Nation's Enrollment Plunge

A virtual convening of experts will discuss the long-term implications of declining enrollments on those hit the hardest.

Citing January’s National Student Clearinghouse data, higher ed enrollment has been on the decline for a while and took a major downturn over the last two years. This virtual convening will bring together experts to discuss the implications for those hit the hardest, including students of color, if enrollment doesn't recover and people don't get the education needed for good jobs.

1 p.m. EDT

Opening Remarks

Secretary Miguel Cardona, U.S. Department of Education

Understanding the Data

Doug Shapiro, VP and Executive Director, National Student Clearinghouse
Stephanie Marken, Partner, Gallup
Kim Cook, CEO, National College Attainment Network (NCAN)

Hearing from Journalists

Jon Marcus, Editor, Hechinger Report
Zipporah Osei, Reporter at Boston.com and Open Campus

A National Perspective

James Kvaal, Under Secretary, U.S. Department of Education
Jamie Merisotis, President and CEO, Lumina Foundation

2 p.m. EDT

Panel Discussion: Ideas, Solutions, and Call-to-Actions to Reverse the Enrollment Trend

A panel session from the perspectives of institutions, policymakers, and employers will end in a call to action for everyone to think seriously about what we can each do to reverse the trend.  

• 2-year perspective: Raúl Rodríguez, Chancellor, San José-Evergreen Community College District, California 
• 4-year perspective: Rollinda Thomas, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Fayetteville State University
• Policy perspective: Aaron Thompson, President, Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education
• Employer perspective: Ryan Goertzen, Vice President, Maintenance Workforce Development, AAR  

3 p.m. EDT

Q & A from the Virtual Audience

1 p.m. EDT Tuesday, April 5