Daily Lumina News 082622

After a year and a half of speculation and waiting, the Biden administration finally released its plan for student-loan forgiveness right as fall classes are starting on many campuses.
The plan carries many unknowns, including whether it can survive a legal challenge. Robert Kelchen, a professor at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, breaks down what may happen next.

Jessica Henry is set to graduate from college in the spring of 2024 with a bachelor’s degree in social work. Henry is one of more than 9,000 students to earn credentials through the Second Chance Pell Experimental Sites Initiative.
The financial aid component of the program, provided in the form of Pell Grants to students in state and federal prisons, is critical. Without it, people like Henry would be unable to afford postsecondary education while incarcerated—and position themselves for a better life when they return home.

The Biden administration’s recent decision regarding student loan repayment relief is welcome news to many borrowers.
Yet, amid the fierce debate over whether millions of Americans should have their debt reduced or forgiven, we must not lose sight of what should be the overarching goal: more college access for more students who want a degree, writes the president of Macalester College in this opinion piece.

The artificial intelligence field has exploded over the last decade, making its way into nearly every industry. Demand for AI jobs is projected to grow at twice the average rate of other occupations, requiring more education providers to create programs to train workers for these jobs.
That's where community colleges come in. Community and technical colleges offer enormous potential to grow, sustain, and diversify the AI talent pipeline.

Higher education leaders are largely supportive of this week's announcement by the Biden administration to cancel $10,000 in student loan debt for individuals making less than $125,000 annually and $20,000 for Pell Grant recipients.
At the same time, many leaders say the move is simply a good starting point—but not a long-term solution to the ballooning cost of college and high-balance loans.

Enrollment declines, state underfunding, and structural deficits created a crisis in Vermont’s college system. Rather than close campuses, a newly accredited Vermont State University aims to cut costs and build long-term legislative backing.
Advocates are hopeful that the refashioned institution will better serve students and state residents and be sustainable in a way its predecessor colleges were not.