Daily Lumina News 050721

A new "Student Voice" survey from Inside Higher Ed and College Pulse shows what college students think about their institutions’ actions in the aftermath and year since George Floyd was killed by a police officer in Minneapolis—and what campus leaders can do now to take bolder steps toward racial justice and equality.

After the 2008 recession, the number of students enrolling in two-year institutions surged. Most of that increase came from older adults looking to begin a second career following the financial crisis. But that same surge didn't happen at the height of the pandemic in 2020, when unemployment reached historic highs.
Community colleges are ramping up efforts to tempt students back to college. Many are not raising tuition. Others are expanding scholarships. And some have started apprenticeship programs. They’re also putting more money into efforts to attract adult learners.

Rowan University, a public college in Glassboro, New Jersey, is upping the ante when it comes to the COVID-19 vaccination. Students who receive the vaccine will get up to $1,000 off their fall 2021 bill if they show proof of vaccination prior to Aug. 7.
Vaccination incentives have popped up at colleges and universities across the country, ranging from entries into lotteries for free housing and meals to school T-shirts and cash.

Research shows that 38 percent of first-time students change institutions within their first six years, and nearly half of all bachelor’s degree holders complete some credits in community colleges. In addition, 34 percent of all students earn some college credits in high school, and another 35 percent of students earn credits online, likely transferring these credits as they advance in their educational journeys.
As promising as recent federal policy developments have been, proposals for massive boosts in federal aid for students won't address an underlying problem: Most financial aid money isn't mobile, and transfer students struggle to qualify for and find it.

Eric Green chairs the University of Akron’s COVID-19 planning group. He's an important part of the puzzle for the university as it tries to figure out life during the pandemic and ever-changing guidance. Many aspects of the university’s boots-on-the-ground COVID response receive Green’s input. At one point, his mom even put together some masks.
While the light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter, parameters still surround institutions’ decisions regarding COVID-19. The impact of even just one move could potentially have a reverberating effect.

A drive-thru is simple: Pull up in a car, roll down the window, and leave with what you need. Filing for college financial aid is anything but simple.
Combining the two might sound like doing your taxes at a fast-food service counter—but college advisors nationwide are breaking barriers with innovations like this to assist in the complex paperwork that many students must complete to finance their college educations.