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.
While the Trump administration certainly hasn’t stopped its war on higher education, the attacks have lost a little of the intensity that marked the president’s first nine months in office. The relative reprieve makes the current moment an opportune time for institutions to regroup and forge a united front against the onslaught.
That sentiment comes from panelists at a New America forum who voiced concerns about the damage Trump has inflicted on higher education—and expressed hopes for a unified response to the ongoing attacks moving forward.
The core responsibility of community colleges is to remain responsive to the evolving needs of the communities they serve, contends Mordecai Ian Brownlee, president of the Community College of Aurora in Colorado, in this perspective piece.
According to Brownlee, this work demands the design and implementation of intentional systems that connect faculty and instructors with current and emerging industry partners to shape teaching and learning experiences that advance learners’ economic mobility. When done well, such work allows community colleges to drive talent development and fulfill a critical role in sustaining the long-term vitality of the communities they serve.
The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center's final enrollment data for Fall 2025, released in January, revealed a familiar story with a striking new intensity. Total postsecondary enrollment in the United States rose by 1 percent in fall 2025, reaching more than 19.4 million students, and growth in undergraduate enrollment was driven by a 3 percent surge in community college enrollment, compared to a 1.4-percent increase at public four-year colleges. Private four-year institutions, meanwhile, saw enrollment declines.
The numbers confirmed what many in higher education had been watching develop for several years: Community colleges are not just recovering from their pandemic-era free fall. They are thriving and pulling away from every other sector in the process.
Undocumented young people face enormous challenges when it comes to accessing higher education, including lack of support, financial issues, and a future where programs that can help them thrive are being dismantled.
The following story illustrates the hopes, dreams, fears, and obstacles of one Honduran family as they navigate America’s shifting immigration landscape to help their son, 17-year-old Mateo, realize his college dreams.
On college campuses across Illinois, students and faculty are grappling with the effects of the war in Iran. Some Iranian students are struggling to contact family members back home and are worried about their safety. Others have put their career plans on hold while they try to get their visas renewed.
The war has also had tangible effects on teaching and learning, with some colleges, including the University of Chicago, canceling or postponing study abroad and research programs in the region due to the violence. And the conflict has raised larger questions about free speech on college campuses and the state of anti-war activism, as some students hesitate to protest during the Trump presidency.
Anxiety is in the air at computer science programs on university campuses across Texas. Many students worry that a computer science degree, once viewed as a reliable path to a well-paying tech job, no longer seems like a sure thing, as they fear being the first victims of a future built around artificial intelligence.
Now, Texas universities are reworking their computer science curricula in response to the fast-changing job market.
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