Daily Lumina News 092722

There is little research yet around how well pandemic-affected high school students are doing in college, though experts expect COVID-19 has left incoming freshmen with learning gaps.
In response, many colleges are ramping up programs to ease the college transition. Efforts vary but typically include some kind of summer “bridge” and ongoing support for students throughout the school year.

How can a college recruit more minority students? The answer seems to frustrate many institutions, whose leaders say they want more diversity on their campuses. Also frustrated are the people (many of them minority professionals themselves) tasked with the added responsibility of coming up with recruitment ideas.
College leaders and admissions experts share tips for how schools can land a diverse student body and caution about what not to do.

Colleges have long used a reliable middleman to identify prospective students. But what happens if and when a new middleman emerges?
A team of researchers weighs that question in a new report. The study, from the Institute for College Access & Success, calls on federal agencies to do a better job of regulating companies that sell lists of prospective students to colleges.

The U.S. Supreme Court is due on Halloween to start hearing oral arguments in cases that could fundamentally reshape nearly 50 years of legal precedent permitting tailored consideration of race in college admissions.
Experts say colleges need to prepare now for the high court's decision—from prioritizing research on current law to crafting admissions and messaging for campuses.