Daily Lumina News 090721

Admissions offices have been rolling out new technologies that use artificial intelligence (AI) to engage with or evaluate prospective students.
But experts and enrollment professionals point out that AI holds the power to close equity gaps as much as augment them, depending on how these emerging tools are used.

The Pentagon promises soldiers, sailors, Marines, and airmen tuition money to take college courses while they’re serving, giving them a head start on credits they can use to rise up the ranks in the military or, later, in civilian life.
But even as the 20th anniversary of 9/11 looms, and the withdrawal from Afghanistan serves as a reminder of service members’ sacrifices, education is often only spottily available to those on active duty. The military branches have tried to cut the benefit in recent years, even as use of the program rose during the coronavirus pandemic.

What happens when COVID-19 cases begin to rise among a highly vaccinated population?
That’s the challenge facing Duke University right now. Vaccines are required for students and employees, but a significant number of them are testing positive for the virus. The university has since introduced additional restrictions—and not everyone is happy with the decision.

SUNY Buffalo is one of 64 campuses making up the State University of New York system. Students who get behind on their college tuition—or even overdue library fines and unpaid parking tickets—may find themselves sued in court hours away.
A quirk in the law allows the New York attorney general’s office to file suit in these cases exclusively in State Supreme Court in Albany, regardless of where the student lives or attended college. If a student doesn’t show up, a judge will rule in the state’s favor and declare the student in default. That can trigger the garnishing of wages and tax refunds.

With millions of Americans still actively looking for work, more learners are turning to higher education to keep them relevant in the labor market now and throughout their careers.
Van Ton-Quinlivan, CEO of Futuro Health, talks about the importance of partnerships between institutions and employers and how they can position themselves to create high-quality learning-and-earning pathways to meet individual and industry needs.

Faced with steep enrollment declines, some Colorado community colleges are handing out free computers, textbooks, and cash to students who agree to stay in school.
But college leaders say their poorest students, hurt most by last year’s economic free fall, face hardships that can’t be solved with free iPads. They need child care and food. In response, some colleges are creating small social safety nets on their campuses.