Daily Lumina News 071621

With many colleges planning a significant if not full return to their physical campuses this fall, what will students expect from their institutions and their professors when it comes to learning? And will professors who changed their teaching practices during the pandemic embrace some of the new approaches or tools they adopted?
Three experts assess whether students are likely to yearn for continued flexibility in how they learn and the pressures that might put on colleges and instructors alike.

Long before the pandemic, many working parents struggled to find affordable, quality child care. Among the most affected: single mothers who are often stuck in low-paying jobs and can't always access government support.
Those inequities became a driving force behind the creation of a program in Biloxi, Mississippi, that combines job training with free and easy-to-access child care.

In many ways, life in America seems to be returning to something close to normal. Offices are making plans for bringing back employees who have been working remotely. Schools and universities are revamping classrooms in anticipation of going back fully to in-person learning in the fall.
But this is still a nation, and an economy, in recovery. Ten labor and workforce leaders from government, nonprofits, and academia compare notes, identify emerging challenges, and share the best ideas for creating new jobs and getting more workers back to earning a paycheck.

Three years ago, Iowa Wesleyan University was on the brink of closing its doors for good. It's a familiar story. About six dozen nonprofit colleges have either closed or merged with other institutions since 2016.
But Iowa Wesleyan has a plan. The liberal arts school went on a fundraising spree and restructured a $20 million federal loan. School leaders are also hopeful that several recent changes—including focusing more on retention, strengthening student services, and partnering with a nearby community college—will change the institution's future prospects.