Daily Lumina News 061322

SeKai Parker had been determined to reach the Ivy League. Yale University was one of 16 institutions, including three Ivies, competing for her to enroll. She surprised everyone (including herself) with her final choice: Spelman College.
Parker's decision reflects a renaissance in recent years among the nation’s historically Black colleges and universities, where their nurturing mission, increased funding, and growing visibility are drawing a new wave of students.

In his decade as president of Dillard University, Walter Kimbrough is credited with growing the endowment of the historically Black college by 115 percent.
A new leader, Rochelle Ford, takes the reins next month. In this interview, she talks about her vision for Dillard, as well as some of the biggest challenges facing it and other HBCUs today.

For many college students, the pandemic has led to struggles with mental health, social isolation, lost income, and food and housing insecurity.
Now, those students are finally seeing a light at the end of the tunnel as they prepare for in-person commencement ceremonies. Three students from three different public universities in Oregon reflect on what it feels like to finally make it to graduation.

Researchers at Third Way have developed a new way to rank the nation’s colleges. They call it the "Economic Mobility Index," and it looks at two factors: a university’s proportion of students from low- and moderate-income backgrounds and the economic boost those students get after enrollment.
It’s through this lens that things start to look very different.

Whether it’s the popular N95 mask, adhesives, or household and commercial cleaners, 3M needs a massive skilled workforce to create and manufacture its vast array of products.
In a new report, 3M explores persistent gaps in Americans’ views on education and careers related to STEM and the skilled trades. 3M’s Michael G. Vale weighs in on the report’s findings and potential solutions to the challenges it uncovers.

Victor DeMarco has a routine every night before bed: He scrolls through his Twitter feed desperately looking for news about student debt cancellation.
He's not alone. President Joe Biden has yet to officially announce a decision on whether to cancel some of the federal student loan debt held by borrowers like DeMarco. Meanwhile, the clock is ticking, as the pandemic-induced moratorium on loan payments ends this August for some 41 million borrowers.