Daily Lumina News 060624

While more students with some college experience but no credential re-enrolled in educational programs this year than last, there are still 36.8 million Americans under the age of 65 without credentials, despite attending a postsecondary institution.
The findings come from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center's latest "Some College, No Credential" progress report. The study's conclusions urge institutions to find ways to engage this ever-growing population.

The Bertch Cabinet company in Waterloo, Iowa, desperately needs workers. Signs hanging from the metal siding of its factory buildings are large enough to read on the state highway as you drive by: “Full and part-time positions are available, starting at $18 an hour.”
In Iowa, higher education enrollments are falling as businesses recruit high school graduates. Can colleges come up with a better pitch?

Food insecurity is widespread among California college students. Yet, few students participate in the state’s CalFresh food program despite being eligible, according to a report by the California Policy Lab.
The study suggests that institutions' efforts to reach out make a crucial difference in how many eligible students sign up for the food benefit.

Headlines around higher education this year tend to center on protests, free speech, and student safety.
But other important changes are on the academic and admissions front, including some schools turning back to standardized testing after deciding they would no longer require it.

Last month, the University of North Carolina System became the latest public university system to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion offices and spending. It’s another victory for the national anti-DEI crusade that has become a defining higher education issue in state politics.
But unlike in states such as Texas and Florida, where policymakers mandated DEI cuts by law, the decision in North Carolina was made by the university system’s governing board. Will the outcomes differ?

Youssef Hasweh looked forward to collecting his diploma from the University of Chicago last week. Instead, he received an email informing him that his participation in a protest encampment on the campus quad would delay his degree conferment until the matter was resolved.
He's not alone. At pro-Palestinian demonstrations, students have broken codes of conduct and, sometimes, the law. But the question of whether and how to discipline them is vexing universities.