Daily Lumina News 081622

The sectorwide drop in undergraduate enrollment over the past decade isn’t happening on every campus. But for some—particularly small private institutions, public regionals, and community colleges—the declines have often been acute.
Leaders from three such institutions describe the effects of the sliding enrollment on their schools—and how they’re hoping to halt the downward trend.

Some of the most important innovations in higher education today are being driven by institutions that get little glory.
In this commentary, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona calls for a new vision of college excellence—one defined not by privilege, legacy, and selectivity, but by equity, inclusivity, and real upward mobility for students of color, immigrants, working parents, adult learners, and rural and first-generation college students.

There are 4 million fewer students in college today than just 10 years ago. And as President Biden gears up to make a key decision on student loan forgiveness, more students and families are asking: Is college even worth it?
The short answer is yes, say many education and labor experts. Reporter Jon Marcus of The Hechinger Report weighs in on the decline of high school students choosing to go to college and what higher ed institutions are doing in response.

Anecdotal reports from some community colleges reveal hopeful signs that draconian drops in enrollment during the pandemic may be coming to an end.
Community colleges across the country are amping up efforts to encourage students to stay and return to their campuses, from directly calling individual students to offering waivers to attend tuition-free. But college leaders are also aware of the challenges their students continue to face, such as childcare, housing, and transportation.

As colleges and universities prepare for a fourth academic year shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic, students continue to endure mental health issues at a record high rate.
However, students’ sources of stress and anxiety may be changing, according to a new survey from TimelyMD.

The number of schools offering Income-Share Agreements (ISAs) is sliding down the far side of the bell curve as several accredited colleges and universities end or pause their programs.
The move is a sign of fraught times for these schools and for the training boot camps that offer ISAs, with lawsuits mounting, federal and state governments imposing restrictions, and students reporting mixed satisfaction.