Daily Lumina News 091720

As the fall semester begins at colleges and universities, students and administrators are facing unprecedented challenges. While some schools decided to offer all their courses online, others had ambitious plans to provide an in-person experience. Many have since reversed course on that decision.
In this interview, Scott Carlson of The Chronicle of Higher Education talks about the approach some schools are taking to the pandemic, the intense financial pressures many institutions face, and small college towns' reliance on students for their economy.

On Sept. 23 from 2-3 p.m. ET, Lumina Foundation will hold its second virtual convening on what it takes to make learning more accessible, equitable, and applicable.

Joining the conversation will be Lumina's Jamie Merisotis and Chauncy Lennon, Karin Kimbrough of LinkedIn, and Microsoft's Naria Santa Lucia to discuss human work, labor market outcomes, credentials, and the digital skills needed in a COVID-19 economy.

You can register for the event here.

In August, Paige McConnell became the first in her family to go to college—and the first to drop out. McConnell, 18, could not make online classes work. She spent hours in a McDonald’s parking lot using the fast-food chain’s Internet. Two weeks after starting at Roane State Community College, she gave up.
McConnell’s situation is playing out all over the country. As fall semester gets into full swing in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, schools are noticing a concerning trend: Low-income students are the most likely to drop out or not enroll at all, raising fears that they might never get a college degree.

Community colleges and their students are wrestling with plenty of challenges this fall, including obstacles related to affordability, childcare, and the digital divide.
Two community college leaders—Sue Ellspermann of Indiana's Ivy Tech Community College and Margaret McMenamin of Union County College in New Jersey—weigh in on what their institutions are doing to help keep students on track.