Born of Necessity, Emergency Student Aid Should Become Standard Operating Procedure
In the wake of two years that have upended the financial and educational well-being of millions of students, emergency aid has become a watchword of the day for many higher education institutions. Once thought of as “point solutions” used by a relatively small number of colleges and universities, cash assistance programs are now increasingly commonplace…
Read MoreWashington state’s new financial aid program serves today’s students those who hire them
Last March, the Seattle Times ran a powerful joint opinion editorial cowritten by Microsoft’s president and chief legal officer, Brad Smith. Joining him were University of Washington President Ana Mari Cauce and then-Vice Chairman of the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, Wayne Martin. Their position: Let’s lift up Washington families and businesses…
Read MoreListening to Learners: What Non-Completers Have to Tell Us About Education Policy
Policymakers recognize that to remain competitive in a global, tech-enabled world, the United States will need an ever more educated and skilled population. For their part, states have increasingly focused on helping residents who started college, but left without a degree to return and earn a credential. And for good reason: 36 million Americans have…
Read MoreEncouraging State Higher Ed Investments through Federal-State Partnerships
As the nation prepares for yet another attempt at reauthorizing the Higher Education Act, it is crucial to remember the history of this seminal legislation as well as the current plight of public higher education and the reality facing students across the nation. In 1965, when Lyndon Johnson signed the original HEA into reality as…
Read MoreCMT Shines Spotlight on Tennessee Community Colleges
I first heard about CMT’s “Empowering Education” initiative late last year when the country music network announced it would stage free concerts at four Tennessee community colleges this spring to encourage more Tennesseans to attend college. The concerts were targeted toward our colleges primarily serving rural areas where college-going rates are generally lower, and especially…
Read MoreA Q&A with Andre Perry, David M. Rubenstein Fellow for the Brookings Institution
Insights & Outlooks: How did you originally develop a passion for education, both personally and as a career? What are the issues that inspire you most today? I got my first job in the summer of 1990 as a rising sophomore at Allegheny College in Meadville, Penn. The Pennsylvania Department of Education hired me as…
Read MoreAn Insider’s Look at Postsecondary Education in Louisiana
A Q&A with Dr. Kim Hunter Reed, Commissioner, Louisiana Commission of Higher Education Today’s students are more diverse, older and juggling multiple demands on their time while pursuing postsecondary education. The complex lives of today’s students often contribute to challenges in their ability to persist through their program of study and complete a credential. If…
Read MoreWhat “Persistence and Retention” Means for Adult Learners
In an era when declining enrollment looms large, and the demographics of higher education are undergoing an unprecedented shift. Colleges and universities are clamoring to attract so-called “nontraditional students.” But, while institutions are quick to market more flexible pathways to a degree, many still expect their adult, parent, and working learners — who are rapidly…
Read MoreThe Other Costs of College: Four Ways to Support Today’s Students Beyond Tuition
The idea of free college is currently dominating headlines and the 2020 Democratic primary race. And for good reason: Americans now collectively owe $1.6 trillion in student debt. But supporting today’s students requires more than plans for offering free tuition or debt relief. More students than ever before are now going to college. They are…
Read MoreUnderstanding Student Financial Success Through Data
Elaina Mulé was fortunate to have a rewarding undergraduate and graduate experience due to impactful mentors, work and research opportunities, igniting her own personal passion for higher education. Today, working on the Community Development team at Charles Schwab Bank in Las Vegas, Elaina is helping to guide efforts to give back to the community by…
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