Lumina Foundation
@luminafoundation.bsky.social
We’re a private foundation committed to increasing the share of adults in the U.S. labor force with degrees or other credentials of value leading to economic prosperity to 75 percent by 2040. Learn more about our work and mission: www.luminafoundation.org/
Colleges should have a role in supporting students when safety nets break down. And when 1.1 million college students are caught in the disruption of SNAP food benefits, they can’t wait weeks for help.
Campus leaders must view it as their responsibility to help these students and act immediately.
Campus leaders must view it as their responsibility to help these students and act immediately.
How colleges can help students affected by SNAP disruption
Amid court rulings requiring the Trump administration to fund the program, it's unclear when recipients will receive their benefits, The Hope Center said.
www.highereddive.com
November 10, 2025 at 2:08 PM
Colleges should have a role in supporting students when safety nets break down. And when 1.1 million college students are caught in the disruption of SNAP food benefits, they can’t wait weeks for help.
Campus leaders must view it as their responsibility to help these students and act immediately.
Campus leaders must view it as their responsibility to help these students and act immediately.
More students are stacking majors as a form of job protection for the future. In a rapidly changing job market, a double major can offer both broader skills and greater stability.
Students shouldn’t have to overwork or overspend on an education to feel employable.
Students shouldn’t have to overwork or overspend on an education to feel employable.
College students hedge their bets in a chaotic labor market by double-majoring
The practice of double-majoring is rising at many colleges and universities as students fret about getting jobs in an economy seemingly shifting faster than single majors can keep up.
hechingerreport.org
November 7, 2025 at 8:18 PM
More students are stacking majors as a form of job protection for the future. In a rapidly changing job market, a double major can offer both broader skills and greater stability.
Students shouldn’t have to overwork or overspend on an education to feel employable.
Students shouldn’t have to overwork or overspend on an education to feel employable.
The AI flood into higher education presents some incredible opportunities, but we also need to establish boundaries and guardrails to protect students.
Today's students need professors, not technology devoid of humanity. AI can be a great tool for access, but only when students stay at the center.
Today's students need professors, not technology devoid of humanity. AI can be a great tool for access, but only when students stay at the center.
AI Has Joined the Faculty
More instructors are teaching with it. Is it making their courses better or dragging the profession down?
www.chronicle.com
November 6, 2025 at 3:20 PM
The AI flood into higher education presents some incredible opportunities, but we also need to establish boundaries and guardrails to protect students.
Today's students need professors, not technology devoid of humanity. AI can be a great tool for access, but only when students stay at the center.
Today's students need professors, not technology devoid of humanity. AI can be a great tool for access, but only when students stay at the center.
Students should have absolute transparency in what college *actually* costs, but in a system built on complexity, they rarely do.
Tools like Niche’s new True Cost calculator aim to change that by including real-life expenses. This offers some helpful clarity, but at what risk?
Tools like Niche’s new True Cost calculator aim to change that by including real-life expenses. This offers some helpful clarity, but at what risk?
A Cost Comparison Tool That Includes All Student Expenses
Niche's True Cost resource includes the price of doing laundry on campus, taking a spring break vacation and buying a laptop. Its goal is to demystify the cost of college, though some experts say it's not accurate for all families.
www.insidehighered.com
November 5, 2025 at 3:38 PM
Students should have absolute transparency in what college *actually* costs, but in a system built on complexity, they rarely do.
Tools like Niche’s new True Cost calculator aim to change that by including real-life expenses. This offers some helpful clarity, but at what risk?
Tools like Niche’s new True Cost calculator aim to change that by including real-life expenses. This offers some helpful clarity, but at what risk?
A prolonged government shutdown threatens the future that students are working hard to build. This is more than a political standoff. It's a direct hit to the stability, aid, and support systems students count on.
Higher Ed May Be in Trouble if the Government Is Shut Down for Much Longer
The prolonged shutdown is putting a strain on colleges that are dependent on federal dollars. Policy advocates say things will only get worse.
www.chronicle.com
November 4, 2025 at 6:10 PM
A prolonged government shutdown threatens the future that students are working hard to build. This is more than a political standoff. It's a direct hit to the stability, aid, and support systems students count on.
New grads usually take seven to nine months to land jobs that match their skills and with fewer openings, that ramp-up is taking longer. Not because degrees are worth less, but because the path after college has become harder to navigate.
The degree is not the problem. The system is.
The degree is not the problem. The system is.
No, College Degrees Aren't Losing Their Value
Yes, AI is disrupting entry-level work. But don’t mistake short-term chaos for collapse. The college wage premium still holds.
washingtonmonthly.com
November 3, 2025 at 5:50 PM
New grads usually take seven to nine months to land jobs that match their skills and with fewer openings, that ramp-up is taking longer. Not because degrees are worth less, but because the path after college has become harder to navigate.
The degree is not the problem. The system is.
The degree is not the problem. The system is.
Opportunity shouldn’t depend on what a student’s family owns.
States can increase the number of college graduates and strengthen their economies by changing how they fund financial aid to students from low-income, low-wealth families.
Targeted state aid can pay off in the long run.
States can increase the number of college graduates and strengthen their economies by changing how they fund financial aid to students from low-income, low-wealth families.
Targeted state aid can pay off in the long run.
New Research Shows How States Can Boost College Enrollment and Economic Returns by Supporting Low-Income, Low-Wealth Students
Targeted grants for "dually-disadvantaged" students could produce economic benefits far exceeding costs, according to UC Merced report.
www.theeduledger.com
November 3, 2025 at 10:56 AM
Opportunity shouldn’t depend on what a student’s family owns.
States can increase the number of college graduates and strengthen their economies by changing how they fund financial aid to students from low-income, low-wealth families.
Targeted state aid can pay off in the long run.
States can increase the number of college graduates and strengthen their economies by changing how they fund financial aid to students from low-income, low-wealth families.
Targeted state aid can pay off in the long run.
In a time of growing federal pressure on colleges, states must step up.
"While wages are a necessary part of the equation leading to economic prosperity, wages are not a sufficient expression of what both individuals and society get from a more educated population."
Watch New America's webinar:
"While wages are a necessary part of the equation leading to economic prosperity, wages are not a sufficient expression of what both individuals and society get from a more educated population."
Watch New America's webinar:
Achieving a State of Excellence in Higher Ed
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We are dedicated to renewing the promise of America by continuing the quest to realize our nation's highest ideals, honestly confronting the challenges caused by rapid technological and social change, and seizing th...
www.youtube.com
October 30, 2025 at 6:29 PM
In a time of growing federal pressure on colleges, states must step up.
"While wages are a necessary part of the equation leading to economic prosperity, wages are not a sufficient expression of what both individuals and society get from a more educated population."
Watch New America's webinar:
"While wages are a necessary part of the equation leading to economic prosperity, wages are not a sufficient expression of what both individuals and society get from a more educated population."
Watch New America's webinar:
Reposted by Lumina Foundation
Important read from Lumina Foundation higher education must deliver real opportunity—not just degrees. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/22/us/value-of-higher-education-attainment-rates-graduation.html
Colleges Face a Reckoning: Is a Degree Really Necessary?
Wyoming is one of many states that embraced a campaign to encourage more people to enroll in higher education. Some leaders and students wonder if they reached a limit.
www.nytimes.com
October 29, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Important read from Lumina Foundation higher education must deliver real opportunity—not just degrees. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/22/us/value-of-higher-education-attainment-rates-graduation.html
People still see college as a place for real opportunity, not political theater.
Progress in higher ed will come from investing in students and communities, not restricting institutions.
Progress in higher ed will come from investing in students and communities, not restricting institutions.
Americans Think Trump Is Overreaching With His Higher-Ed Compact
Most don’t want the federal government setting colleges’ policies, a new Quinnipiac poll reveals.
www.chronicle.com
October 29, 2025 at 7:47 PM
People still see college as a place for real opportunity, not political theater.
Progress in higher ed will come from investing in students and communities, not restricting institutions.
Progress in higher ed will come from investing in students and communities, not restricting institutions.
The greater emphasis on peer advising, FAFSA guidance, mentoring, and outreach tailored to students who have long been excluded from opportunity shows what's possible when schools, colleges, and community-based organizations work together. This is what real investment in student success looks like.
More first-generation students in Texas are applying for college - The Hechinger Report
DALLAS — Adrian Torres’ obsession with race cars began when he was 11 years old. He got hooked watching a YouTube video of someone playing a Formula One game and quickly grew fascinated with the race ...
hechingerreport.org
October 29, 2025 at 4:02 PM
The greater emphasis on peer advising, FAFSA guidance, mentoring, and outreach tailored to students who have long been excluded from opportunity shows what's possible when schools, colleges, and community-based organizations work together. This is what real investment in student success looks like.
With less than a week left to apply, there's still time to bring your big idea about reinventing college admissions to life.
We're investing $3.3 million to support efforts that make the process simpler, fairer, and built around students. Applications are open until Nov. 3 at 11:59 p.m. ET.
We're investing $3.3 million to support efforts that make the process simpler, fairer, and built around students. Applications are open until Nov. 3 at 11:59 p.m. ET.
The Great Admissions Redesign
To transform how people get into college, we're launching The Great Admissions Redesign to find and support the best ideas on simplifying admissions.
www.luminafoundation.org
October 28, 2025 at 7:35 PM
With less than a week left to apply, there's still time to bring your big idea about reinventing college admissions to life.
We're investing $3.3 million to support efforts that make the process simpler, fairer, and built around students. Applications are open until Nov. 3 at 11:59 p.m. ET.
We're investing $3.3 million to support efforts that make the process simpler, fairer, and built around students. Applications are open until Nov. 3 at 11:59 p.m. ET.
Programs like Colorado’s CORE initiative, which awards associate degrees to students who earned enough credits at a four-year college but didn’t finish, are innovative, student-centered solutions that recognize progress, reduce barriers, and help people move forward.
Without starting over.
Without starting over.
Reverse Transfer Policies Boost College Completion Rates
Reverse transfer—the practice of awarding associate degrees for credit earned in pursuit of a bachelor’s degree—is beneficial for colleges, state workforces and the vast some college, no credit popula...
www.insidehighered.com
October 28, 2025 at 6:14 PM
Programs like Colorado’s CORE initiative, which awards associate degrees to students who earned enough credits at a four-year college but didn’t finish, are innovative, student-centered solutions that recognize progress, reduce barriers, and help people move forward.
Without starting over.
Without starting over.
The U.S. spends more on education than most countries, but gets less in return.
"We’re not facing a single crisis but a series of overlapping failures."
The fix isn’t quick, but it is possible. And urgent.
"We’re not facing a single crisis but a series of overlapping failures."
The fix isn’t quick, but it is possible. And urgent.
America is slipping in higher education. The slide starts long before college.
Once a global leader in higher education, the United States now finds itself spending more than nearly all of its peer nations while delivering outcomes that fall increasingly short of expectations.
www.luminafoundation.org
October 24, 2025 at 4:05 PM
The U.S. spends more on education than most countries, but gets less in return.
"We’re not facing a single crisis but a series of overlapping failures."
The fix isn’t quick, but it is possible. And urgent.
"We’re not facing a single crisis but a series of overlapping failures."
The fix isn’t quick, but it is possible. And urgent.
"What you hear in universities, all the time, for years, is, 'We just have to tell our story better.' But I think we really have to look ourselves in the mirror and say, 'We need a better story.'"
This is a signal to redesign and write new, better stories about college. Not retreat.
This is a signal to redesign and write new, better stories about college. Not retreat.
Colleges Face a Reckoning: Is a Degree Really Necessary?
www.nytimes.com
October 22, 2025 at 2:19 PM
"What you hear in universities, all the time, for years, is, 'We just have to tell our story better.' But I think we really have to look ourselves in the mirror and say, 'We need a better story.'"
This is a signal to redesign and write new, better stories about college. Not retreat.
This is a signal to redesign and write new, better stories about college. Not retreat.
College should be a launchpad for a better life. For everyone.
"These changes will be disastrous for the American Dream. Research consistently shows that a college degree is the No. 1 driver of economic mobility. Reduced access to college means trapping millions of people in poverty."
"These changes will be disastrous for the American Dream. Research consistently shows that a college degree is the No. 1 driver of economic mobility. Reduced access to college means trapping millions of people in poverty."
OPINION: New education budget cuts will mean millions of young people could lose the opportunity to earn a college degree and build a more financially secure future
If recent education budget cuts are enacted, millions of young people will lose the opportunity to earn a college degree and build a more financially secure future for themselves and their families. I...
hechingerreport.org
October 21, 2025 at 4:11 PM
College should be a launchpad for a better life. For everyone.
"These changes will be disastrous for the American Dream. Research consistently shows that a college degree is the No. 1 driver of economic mobility. Reduced access to college means trapping millions of people in poverty."
"These changes will be disastrous for the American Dream. Research consistently shows that a college degree is the No. 1 driver of economic mobility. Reduced access to college means trapping millions of people in poverty."
Restoring trust in higher education starts with value students can see and feel. Credentials must lead to good jobs, career growth, and a stronger sense of purpose. That means aligning all post-high school education with the real opportunities communities need most.
Rebuilding Trust In Higher Ed Through Value And Purpose
Americans still believe in the power of education--but they want proof that it delivers real value. Here's how we can make the system better for everyone.
forbes.com
October 16, 2025 at 8:35 PM
Restoring trust in higher education starts with value students can see and feel. Credentials must lead to good jobs, career growth, and a stronger sense of purpose. That means aligning all post-high school education with the real opportunities communities need most.
Reposted by Lumina Foundation
It's time to put humans at the center of the AI revolution
www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-vie...
www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-vie...
Humanity AI: Putting people at the center of the AI revolution
The announcement today of Humanity AI marks one of the most ambitious philanthropic responses yet to the disruptive rise of artificial intelligence. Backed by an initial $500 million in commitments, t...
www.luminafoundation.org
October 14, 2025 at 4:42 PM
It's time to put humans at the center of the AI revolution
www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-vie...
www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-vie...
Our choices today will shape who AI serves tomorrow.
“We’ve seen this story before: Moments of disruption that ultimately deepened human potential when guided by shared values. The difference now is that we're acting earlier, more collaboratively, and with a clear sense of what's at stake.”
“We’ve seen this story before: Moments of disruption that ultimately deepened human potential when guided by shared values. The difference now is that we're acting earlier, more collaboratively, and with a clear sense of what's at stake.”
October 16, 2025 at 5:59 PM
Our choices today will shape who AI serves tomorrow.
“We’ve seen this story before: Moments of disruption that ultimately deepened human potential when guided by shared values. The difference now is that we're acting earlier, more collaboratively, and with a clear sense of what's at stake.”
“We’ve seen this story before: Moments of disruption that ultimately deepened human potential when guided by shared values. The difference now is that we're acting earlier, more collaboratively, and with a clear sense of what's at stake.”
Jasmine's story isn’t rare. Too many students build real skills through intensive learning experiences, but they often leave college unsure how to talk about what they’ve learned.
That disconnect isn’t their fault—it’s a design flaw.
That disconnect isn’t their fault—it’s a design flaw.
I did the hard work. I just didn't know how to talk about it.
From campus to work: Why Lumina is investing in career-connected High-Impact Practices
www.luminafoundation.org
October 15, 2025 at 5:08 PM
Jasmine's story isn’t rare. Too many students build real skills through intensive learning experiences, but they often leave college unsure how to talk about what they’ve learned.
That disconnect isn’t their fault—it’s a design flaw.
That disconnect isn’t their fault—it’s a design flaw.
We—humans—must have a say in how AI is designed. Because AI should serve people, not the other way around.
That’s why we've joined Humanity AI, a $500 million, five-year commitment to center people, public good, and civil society in the future of artificial intelligence.
That’s why we've joined Humanity AI, a $500 million, five-year commitment to center people, public good, and civil society in the future of artificial intelligence.
Humanity AI: Putting people at the center of the AI revolution
The announcement today of Humanity AI marks one of the most ambitious philanthropic responses yet to the disruptive rise of artificial intelligence. Backed by an initial $500 million in commitments, t...
www.luminafoundation.org
October 14, 2025 at 4:09 PM
We—humans—must have a say in how AI is designed. Because AI should serve people, not the other way around.
That’s why we've joined Humanity AI, a $500 million, five-year commitment to center people, public good, and civil society in the future of artificial intelligence.
That’s why we've joined Humanity AI, a $500 million, five-year commitment to center people, public good, and civil society in the future of artificial intelligence.
Community colleges drive local economies, improve health, and strengthen democracy, yet these contributions rarely count in value measurement.
This new project redefines success for open-access colleges by capturing their real impact on communities. Download the report to see this new framework:
This new project redefines success for open-access colleges by capturing their real impact on communities. Download the report to see this new framework:
Colleges Contributing Value to Communities
The Colleges Contributing Value to Communities project aims to capture the contributions that community colleges are making to their communities, but that ha…
www.urban.org
October 13, 2025 at 6:28 PM
Community colleges drive local economies, improve health, and strengthen democracy, yet these contributions rarely count in value measurement.
This new project redefines success for open-access colleges by capturing their real impact on communities. Download the report to see this new framework:
This new project redefines success for open-access colleges by capturing their real impact on communities. Download the report to see this new framework:
Higher education’s job is to teach students how to think, not what to think.
As Gerardo Martí writes in this Inside Higher Ed piece, universities must be curators of knowledge, not platforms for unchecked ideology.
Protecting that mission matters for learning, fairness, and democracy.
As Gerardo Martí writes in this Inside Higher Ed piece, universities must be curators of knowledge, not platforms for unchecked ideology.
Protecting that mission matters for learning, fairness, and democracy.
Universities Are Curators of Knowledge, Not Chaos (opinion)
Universities cannot--and should not--platform every perspective, Gerardo Martí writes.
www.insidehighered.com
October 10, 2025 at 9:06 PM
Higher education’s job is to teach students how to think, not what to think.
As Gerardo Martí writes in this Inside Higher Ed piece, universities must be curators of knowledge, not platforms for unchecked ideology.
Protecting that mission matters for learning, fairness, and democracy.
As Gerardo Martí writes in this Inside Higher Ed piece, universities must be curators of knowledge, not platforms for unchecked ideology.
Protecting that mission matters for learning, fairness, and democracy.
The fact that fewer students now expect to go to college than at any point in the past 20 years isn't a shift in ambition. It’s a sign that the systems meant to support opportunity are failing, and we can't ignore those signs.
Student Expectations To Attend College Have Plunged Over Past 20 Years
Young students' expectations for earning a college degree have plunged in recent years, finds a report by the Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in Education.
www.forbes.com
October 10, 2025 at 3:29 PM
The fact that fewer students now expect to go to college than at any point in the past 20 years isn't a shift in ambition. It’s a sign that the systems meant to support opportunity are failing, and we can't ignore those signs.
Leaders like Morgan State University President and Lumina Foundation board member David K. Wilson don't just guide institutions; they transform them.
This great Q&A from Capital B showcases how he leads with clarity, courage, and community in mind.
Read the full piece:
This great Q&A from Capital B showcases how he leads with clarity, courage, and community in mind.
Read the full piece:
What's Kept Morgan State’s President at the Helm After 15 Years
David K. Wilson’s tenure is often referred to as the “Morgan Modern Era” by people in the campus community.
capitalbnews.org
October 9, 2025 at 3:39 PM
Leaders like Morgan State University President and Lumina Foundation board member David K. Wilson don't just guide institutions; they transform them.
This great Q&A from Capital B showcases how he leads with clarity, courage, and community in mind.
Read the full piece:
This great Q&A from Capital B showcases how he leads with clarity, courage, and community in mind.
Read the full piece: