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.
Since the advent of YouTube over 20 years ago, children have dreamed of skyrocketing to stardom simply by uploading videos of their lives and hobbies. The rise of TikTok over the past decade has further fueled young people’s aspirations of becoming a social media influencer, especially as creators tout brand deals worth thousands of dollars.
Meanwhile, surveys show that 57 percent of Gen Zers say they would like to become influencers if given the chance, while 12 percent actively aspire to do so. But few institutions of higher education have attempted to capitalize on that demand. Syracuse University’s new Center for the Creator Economy aims to fill that gap.
When this fall’s new doctoral and master’s students were filling out their applications, there was little cause for concern about the near-term future of graduate education.
That’s changed. President Trump’s return to the White House in January brought a cascade of new policy changes, including widespread termination of the grants that fund many doctoral students’ work and proposed caps on how much their institutions could be reimbursed for research. Visa policy changes and an uncertain political climate made international students leery about continuing their education in the United States. In turn, those changes have triggered a destabilization of graduate-school enrollment for both master’s and doctoral programs.
College students are using artificial intelligence tools more than ever, turning to generative AI to outline a term paper, brainstorm, and find answers to questions that they forgot to ask in class.
Some professors are on board with AI; others worry about how the tools can impact education. Will Teague, a professor at Angelo State University, lands firmly on one side of that debate. Teague believes students are sacrificing their agency to artificial intelligence.
In California, some six million adults have some college credit but no degree. For many years, Jennifer Liberty was one of them.
Liberty's journey as a comebacker began more than 25 years ago when she dropped out before the end of her first semester at Sierra College. It took her 17 years to reenroll there and another nine to earn a bachelor’s degree at Sacramento State. Now, with a master’s under her belt and plans to pursue a doctorate, she has the perspective to see what would have helped her persist—and what ultimately made it possible for her to earn her degrees. She explains more in this essay.
Higher education saw many newsworthy developments during 2025, led by the Trump administration’s multi-front campaign to align the nation’s colleges with the president’s political agenda. Research funding was slashed. Diversity, equity, and inclusion programs were condemned. Accrediting agencies were challenged. The tax on wealthy university endowments increased. Admissions were subjected to new federal scrutiny. International students and workers were targeted. Free expression came under fire, and several universities—deemed by Trump to be “woke” sources of liberal indoctrination—were investigated.
As higher education undergoes a time of immense change and reforms, college leaders throughout the country are asking themselves some key questions. What do they believe needs to change? How are their universities preparing for those changes? And what steps are they taking to tackle the persistent lack of faith in today's educational system?
Several college presidents and chancellors recently gathered to examine those questions and others in a recent panel discussion on the state of higher education.
