Daily Lumina News 021721

For years, Latino students have been the fastest-growing segment of undergraduates, and in the fall of 2019, they were the only demographic to chalk up enrollment gains. But by the fall of 2020, their families disproportionately devastated by pandemic-related sickness and job losses, the number of Latino first-time freshmen tumbled by 20 percent.
Advocates for Latino students are worried that the progress they’ve made in closing enrollment and completion gaps could be seriously jeopardized by these new realities. Deborah Santiago of Excelencia in Education explains more in this interview.

Tucked in the foothills of the Catskill Mountains, Oneonta is a town of about 14,000 people, half of whom are students at either the State University of New York’s campus or Hartwick College. As in so many college towns, peace in Oneonta rests on subtle truces between year-round residents and students.
COVID-19 is putting those fragile compacts to a new and tougher test. This test comes at a critical moment, when the safety and long-term prosperity of both colleges and the towns they call home are acutely dependent on strong partnerships between local officials and campus leaders.

The credential landscape is vast—at least 967,734 and counting, according to a recent report.
Credential Engine CEO Scott Cheney talks about what defines a credential and why transparency from credential providers is so important in this podcast.

The transition to online learning in the wake of COVID-19 has been challenging for some students at Tougaloo College. The private, four-year historically Black college serves students living in the Mississippi Delta, a rural region long considered one of the poorest areas in the country. When classes went virtual, many students struggled to get online.
The problem is not unique to Tougaloo. Connecting to the internet can be a challenge for lower-income students and those living in rural communities. The issue has only gotten worse since the pandemic closed campuses. Now, many institutional leaders fear the lack of access is widening higher education's class divide and forcing students to drop out or not enroll in college.

America’s rural communities are the bedrock of the nation’s economic and fiscal well-being. At the same time, they are frequently under-resourced, struggling to gain the attention of policymakers and investors.
A new initiative from Achieving the Dream hopes to change that sentiment. The group will initially work with seven rural community colleges, helping them equip students with the skills they need to enter the workforce and secure well-paying jobs.

The shift to online learning over the past year because of the pandemic has been a dramatic one for many students, including student veterans.
Student veterans report difficulties studying and learning, as well as a lack of presence in the community, according to a new study from Operation College Promise and the Texas A&M University system. The survey also found growing gaps in institutional support for military students, likely caused by financial challenges brought on by COVID-19.