Daily Lumina News 041323

A new poll shows that more than half of Americans think a four-year university degree is "not worth the cost." But as so often happens in public debates around higher education, we're missing the real question, writes Lumina Foundation's Jamie Merisotis in this commentary.
To be sure, a bachelor’s degree on average results in a substantial payoff in the United States—$2.8 million over one’s working life. But there are other good choices to make when it comes to learning and success, including short-term credentials and apprenticeships. For many people, these options are a first step on a longer journey.

"Pushy" parents are often integral in the process of students applying to colleges, and they can be crucial for students who want to transfer from a two- to a four-year institution.
But what about students who don’t have that family support, or who—especially in the case of first-generation college students—lack the know-how in terms of choosing the right schools, filling out applications, and visiting campuses? Nine years ago, LaGuardia Community College launched a program to help.

After months of intensifying criticism and revolts, U.S. News & World Report teased changes this week in the way it ranks law and medical schools.
But the shifts appear to do little to allay concerns of critics who have dismissed the influential rankings as misleading and damaging.

Although 80 percent of students who enroll in community colleges plan on getting a bachelor’s degree, only around 15 percent do so within six years. It’s a product of what seems like a perpetually leaky transfer process, in which, nationwide, 43 percent of credits are lost between schools.
Students of color are particularly affected—they’re more likely to start at two-year institutions and less likely to wind up finishing a four-year program. Now, the Institute for Higher Education Policy is publishing lessons learned from its ongoing attempts to build a better, more equitable transfer system.

The pandemic has led to big questions about the value of higher education—and this is especially true of liberal arts colleges. Some of the most powerful critiques have come from within the ranks of higher education.
Two veteran educators are issuing an impassioned call for liberal arts colleges to seize this moment and reinvent themselves. They break down the why and how of their proposal in this interview.

Travis Matthews spent his teen years in a Grand Rapids group home where he had limited freedoms and needed to ask permission to enter any room. He dreamed about one day studying law.
The state of Minnesota is now helping Matthews achieve his dream through a new program called Fostering Independence Grants. The unique effort uses state funds to pay the full cost of college for young people who were in foster care as teens.