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.
Like many struggling colleges in recent years, Southern Oregon University has cut and cut. It eliminated about a third of its faculty and staff positions through several rounds of budget slashing over the past three years, and it declared financial exigency in 2025. Total student headcount has declined by 14 percent since 2014, according to state data. Faced with more financial shortages in early 2026, it hired a consulting company to make recommendations, which included yet more cuts.
But now Southern Oregon is doing something different to try to staunch the bleeding. Instead of continuing to shrink, the university is trying to shift how it functions.
For generations, students chose colleges based on factors like their academic reputation, tuition costs, or social scene. But in today’s divided nation, politics has emerged as a rising influence on where young people pursue an education beyond high school.
Recently, researchers have found that growing numbers of students rule out applying to colleges in states they consider too liberal or too conservative. Some are even willing to pay thousands of dollars more to attend schools where they feel politically in sync. For others, the issue isn’t politics alone. They’re looking at whether a campus—and the state it's in—reflects the rights and values they need to feel safe and accepted.
An Oregon program that provides tuition waivers to cover costs left after financial aid is helping to make higher education possible for hundreds of young people from a population whose plight is often hidden.
Participants praise the Youth Experiencing Homelessness Program, or YEHP, for giving eligible students who experience homelessness and housing instability a chance to pursue meaningful futures and careers. Says Bell Cambridge, a recipient of the waiver and member of YEHP's Youth Action Board: "For a long time, I believed I wasn't able or worthy enough to get the chance to pursue higher education. This program changes that.”
At Western Nevada College, nearly 70 percent of students now fall outside what many would consider a traditional college profile. Approximately 30 percent are age 25 or older, while nearly 40 percent are 18 or younger and participate in dual-enrollment opportunities before graduating from high school.
Those numbers reflect a broader trend unfolding in higher education today. The traditional college pathway is no longer the dominant one. Students are pursuing education at different stages of life, balancing work and family responsibilities, seeking shorter pathways to meaningful careers, and expecting institutions to adapt alongside them. For community colleges, that shift presents both a challenge and an opportunity.
Arthur Monarque became the first incarcerated student at Pelican Bay State Prison to earn a bachelor's degree through Cal Poly Humboldt. Now, after serving a 10-year sentence, he is preparing to attend Wake Forest University on a full scholarship to pursue a master's degree.
His story comes as prison education programs expand nationwide following the restoration of Pell Grant eligibility for incarcerated students. Supporters say those programs can reduce recidivism and create new opportunities for people after release.
It is a transition of power few saw coming, but one the Board of Trustees at Purdue University felt brought immediate stability. Mitch Daniels is back in West Lafayette serving as Purdue’s interim president, after former president Mung Chiang announced his July 1 departure to serve as president of Northwestern University. Daniels previously served as Purdue’s president for nearly 10 years after two terms as governor of Indiana.
In this interview, Daniels reflects on his goals for the upcoming weeks and the university's greatest challenges, including the role artificial intelligence plays in higher education, growing enrollment in West Lafayette, and accelerating progress at the university extension in Indianapolis, among other issues.
