Daily Lumina News 083123

At a time when many Americans wonder if a college degree is worth it, a new Lumina Foundation-Gallup poll bluntly asks: What is education really for?
The results show education beyond high school can make for healthier, more civic-minded people who vote, connect closely with their family and friends, and have good jobs with higher pay that build on their natural talents and interests.

Big Tech promised that online career certificates would replace the college degree. They have so far proved to be, at best, a supplement.
That’s not to discredit the idea behind short-term credentials like certificates. In theory, they’re great. In today's rapidly changing labor market, workers need fast and affordable options to acquire additional skills and retrain without going back to college. But in reality, too many of the short-term programs available today might not meet that need, largely because there’s a lack of consistent, reliable quality standards to inform job seekers and employers.

A lot of people are weighing in on legacy admissions, the preferential treatment given to the children of alumni in the college application process: President Joe Biden. Members of Congress. U.S. Supreme Court justices. Officials at numerous colleges—some defending the practice, others calling to ditch it.
But what about the students who benefit from the practice themselves and are accepted by elite colleges in part because their parents are alumni? Five recent university graduates, all legacies, wrestle with the advantages they enjoy in the college admissions process.

Internships can give students a leg up starting their careers. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, more than half of internships lead to full-time jobs. But nearly half of last year's interns in the United States were unpaid.
In this interview, Kelsey Ables of The Washington Post weighs in on how big a factor pay is for young people choosing an internship.

On one campus, a community is hailing some of its members as heroes, even as it grieves the loss of life nearby. On another, students—many of whom spent hours barricaded in dorm rooms and classrooms (with some even jumping out of windows)—are left shocked and shaken.
Recent shootings at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Edward Waters University are raising new questions about campus security and what can be done to make colleges safer.

In California, transfer rates to four-year universities are low at most community colleges, but some colleges are doing it better than most.
In some cases, leaders acknowledge, the colleges have inherent advantages, like geographical proximity to four-year universities. But officials also say specific programs and efforts deserve credit, including proactive transfer centers, strong academics, and extracurriculars that keep students motivated.