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.
Over the last decade, the University of Minnesota Extension has helped fund a program designed to destigmatize use of the state’s food pantries and push people who use them toward consuming healthy food. The SuperShelf program, which launched in 2012, has grown to serve thousands of people across the state at more than 80 locations.
But Bev Durgan, dean of Minnesota’s extension, says she expects most of the program to shutter this September following federal funding cuts. Minnesota is far from alone.
For students juggling school, work, and family responsibilities, the ease of posing questions to chatbots like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude can seem like a lifesaver. And maybe turning to a chatbot for homework help here and there isn’t such a big deal in isolation.
But every time a student decides to ask a question of a chatbot instead of a professor, peer, or tutor, that’s one less opportunity to build or strengthen a relationship. And the human connections students make on campus are among the most important benefits of college, education watchers suggest.
The second Trump administration will mark its six-month birthday on Sunday, July 20. Among other things, that time means big changes for higher education now that Congress has passed the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
This podcast explores when the new policies will start to take effect—and how that will happen with the paltry staff left at the U.S. Department of Education. The conversation also examines President Donald Trump’s continued attempts to exert control over certain universities, the U.S. Department of Justice’s power move at the University of Virginia, and what the next six months may hold.
In today's higher education landscape, the conversation around college affordability tends to focus on tuition rates and financial aid. However, for students in rural and geographically isolated areas, the true cost of pursuing a bachelor's degree extends far beyond the sticker price—it can include the financial, emotional, and practical costs of leaving one's community.
Community College Bachelor's programs are emerging as a solution to address both affordability and accessibility for these underserved populations, experts say.
Maggi, a child-care provider in New Mexico, is experiencing firsthand the repercussions of the Trump administration's immigration policies. Over the past few months, fewer families are showing up for care because they no longer feel safe.
Immigrants like Maggi play a crucial role in home-based child care, as well as America’s broader child care system of more than 2 million predominantly female workers. The president's far-reaching war on immigration now threatens this already-fragile child-care system.
Secretary of Education Linda McMahon submitted a new court filing this week providing updates on the status of a massive backlog associated with pending income-driven repayment plan requests and student loan forgiveness applications for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Buyback program.
The latest filing suggests that the U.S. Department of Education continues to make painfully slow progress in working through the application backlogs. And in light of new developments associated with recent legislative and policy changes, the backlogs could soon get worse.