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Lumina Foundation is working to increase the share of adults in the U.S. labor force with college degrees or other credentials of value leading to economic prosperity.

July 17, 2025

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Is America Falling Back in Love With Higher Ed, or Are We Measuring the Wrong Things?

Courtney Brown, Lumina Foundation

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Something strange is happening in America: confidence in higher education is creeping back up. This trend is not limited to the usual suspects. We’re seeing a thaw across the board—Republicans, independents, individuals with and without degrees, and Black and Hispanic communities.

 

We can celebrate some of this positive news, but mistaking it for a full recovery will hold higher education and the country back. The path forward is about earning trust in real, relevant, and radically new ways that create true value, writes Lumina Foundation's Courtney Brown in this commentary on the latest Lumina-Gallup survey.

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What Happened to the Smaller Agencies Trump Tried to Shutter?

Jessica Blake, Inside Higher Ed

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Since President Donald Trump took office, he’s sought to downsize the federal government, targeting agencies big and small for closure or deep cuts. The National Endowment for the Humanities, AmeriCorps, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services are among the agencies under threat, all of which provide crucial funding and support to higher education institutions.

 

Since then, numerous higher education associations and nonprofit groups have resisted Trump's proposed cuts. But while the advocacy groups are winning some relief via the courts, many still worry that the damage is done, even if the agencies remain standing.

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The End of Unlimited Grad-School Loans Could Leave Some Colleges and Students in the Lurch

Camila Gomez, The Chronicle of Higher Education

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Shae-Marie Stafford-Trujillo has tried to do everything right on her path to becoming a doctor. She’s worked in research labs. She’s gotten good grades. She enrolled in a program at Baylor College of Medicine to boost her medical school applications.

 

But Stafford-Trujillo now has to rethink how to pay for those additional years of education. The sweeping tax and spending package that President Donald Trump recently signed into law will soon eliminate Grad PLUS, a federal program that allowed students to take out virtually unlimited loans to pay for graduate school.

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New Photo Library Challenges Traditional College Student Imagery

Walter Hudson, Diverse Issues in Higher Education

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A new national photo library launched by Complete College America aims to shift the visual narrative around college students, moving beyond the traditional images of young, residential students to reflect the diverse reality of today's higher education landscape.

 

Renowned photojournalist Allison Shelley traveled to various college campuses to capture authentic students and scenes during multi-day photo shoots. The resulting collection showcases students in real college and workforce settings, emphasizing the complex realities of balancing education with jobs, family responsibilities, and other life commitments.

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Texas Just Gutted Free Speech on College Campuses. Is Your State Next?

Laura Benitez and Jonathan Friedman, The Washington Post

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As thousands of students return to college campuses this fall, they will find themselves stepping into an environment reshaped by political and ideological mandates. Across the country, state legislators have been racing to exert new influence over free expression in higher education.

 

Now, Texas has surged to the forefront, closing its 2025 legislative session by passing two laws that will silence dissent and undermine faculty authority.

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How a Connected College Approach Helps Break Down Silos and Improve Student Success

Drumm McNaughton, Changing Higher Ed

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Many colleges and universities respond to new challenges by layering on additional services, departments, or platforms. While well-intentioned, this approach often creates operational sprawl, produces confusion for students, and increases costs.

 

In this interview, student experience strategist Elliot Felix explains how building a connected college—where strategy, services, and systems work together—can improve student outcomes without increasing institutional complexity or cost.

HUMAN WORK AND LEARNING

Americans Recognize Nuances of Higher Ed’s Value

Kathryn Palmer, Inside Higher Ed

They Have Their Doubts: What It’s Like to Be in School, Trying Not to Use A.I.

Nitish Pahwa, Slate

Colorado joins FutureReady States Workforce Training Initiative

Eric Galatas, Public News Service

DeRionne Pollard to Lead AACC

Community College Daily

EQUITY IN EDUCATION

Report: Illinois Graduates Who Earn College Degrees Make More Money, But Racial Disparities Persist

Samantha Smylie, Chalkbeat Chicago

Some New Jersey Nonprofit Leaders Say They Are Not Backing Down From DEI Initiatives, Despite Trump’s Dismantling Policies

Kenneth Miles, WHYY

Wealth, Race, and Higher Education

Marián Vargas, Institute for Higher Education Policy

Successful Program for Migrant Students Is on Trump’s Chopping Block

Johanna Alonso, Inside Higher Ed

COLLEGE AFFORDABILITY

Trump Budget Threatens College Access for Oregon’s Parenting Students

Tiffany Camhi, Oregon Public Broadcasting

Video: University of the People Offers Tuition-Free College Degrees Online

CBS News New York

Opinion: College Affordability Is Undermining Student Mental Health. We Can’t Address One Without the Other.

Paige Swanstein, Youth Today

STATE POLICY

Virginia Governors Make Board Appointments; Legislators Confirm Them. How Does the Process Work?

Nathaniel Cline, Virginia Mercury

DeWine Taps Business Leader, College Donor Larry Sheakley for UC Board of Trustees

Alexander Coolidge, Cincinnati Enquirer

Alamo Colleges Becomes Top State Earner Under Revised Funding Bill

Danya Pérez, San Antonio Report

FAQ: The Mississippi ‘Brain Drain’ Crisis

Jake McGraw, Mississippi Today

NEW REPORTS

State of the Student Housing Industry Report

StarRez

Precarious Prospects: Education Pays, Yet Socioeconomic Disparities Persist in Illinois Students' Later Earnings

Illinois Workforce and Education Research Collaborative

The 2024 AAUP Community College Shared Governance Survey: Findings on Faculty Authority by Decision-Making Areas

American Association of University Professors

Beyond Job Placement: Reimagining WIOA for Economic Mobility and Workforce Resilience

The Century Foundation

luminafoundation.org
Daily Lumina News is edited by Patricia Brennan.

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