The Washington Post reports that this summer, Morehouse College, a historically Black men’s college, will launch an online undergraduate program for adult learners with some college credits under their belt. According to the Census Bureau, there are more than 3 million Black men in the US with college credits that never finished their degree. Morehouse is hoping to bring back at least 500 men within the next five years. “They had a desire to finish their degree, but didn’t have the ability to stop what they were doing in the world and go back to school,” Morehouse President David A. Thomas said “We owe it to the world to amplify our impact and that means … impacting the world without the world having to come to us. This is us going to the world.”
In an op-ed in The Chronicle, John J. Lennon, a contributing editor for Esquire magazine who has been incarcerated for 20 years, wrote about the lifting of the Pell Grant ban for prisoners. “It’s impossible to understand this opportunity without knowing how much was lost when Pell Grants were taken away.” he writes. “It’s worth the investment. Not just because it would help prisoners get jobs, lower recidivism, and save states money on incarceration costs.” Through telling his own story, Lennon shines a light on the human aspect of this policy change, explaining the important role that receiving an education has played in his life in prison.
Higher Ed Dive reports that California Governor Gavin Newsom recently proposed guaranteed admission to the state’s four-year universities for some community college graduates. Under the plan, starting in 2023, first-time, first-year community college students would be able to select either a California State University or University of California campus to reserve a spot.
In an op-ed for Oregon Live, Tim Cook, president of Clackamas Community College, Mark Mitsui, president of Portland Community College, and Lisa Skari, president of Mt. Hood Community College call on “Oregon’s elected leaders to make a down payment on our recovery and invest in community colleges.” They argue that community colleges are the state’s economic engine, graduating skilled workers who “will be essential to ride out the pandemic-created recession and get the state back on stable economic footing.” Cook, Mitsui and Skari write that community colleges need legislative support to be adequately funded.
According to Higher Ed Dive, two Virginia bills, one in the House and the other in the Senate, would extend in-state financial aid to unauthorized immigrant students. The bills have each passed their respective chambers.