Insights & Outlooks
My First-Gen Story: Navigating the College Experience and FAFSA
Editor’s Note: In this video narrative, University of Michigan graduate student and Georgetown University graduate Aya Waller-Bey discusses her experience as a first-generation student and navigating the federal student aid application process. This story is Aya-Waller-Bey’s video submission to Voices of Today’s Students, a nationa...
Setting the Agenda: Key State Higher Ed Issues to Watch in 2019
The dust has (mostly) settled on our 2018 election season, giving way to a holiday season filled with tidings of good will and hope for renewal in the New Year ahead. And while some of us may be thankful for a reprieve from the election scoreboard watch, the constant barrage of political ads, and uncertainty…
Elevating First-Gen Student Success
Sarah Whitley is the Senior Director of the Center for First-generation Student Success, an initiative between NASPA and The Suder Foundation, a small family foundation created by Eric and Deb Suder. Eric, a first-generation college graduate, was contributing to scholarship funds at universities around first-gen initiatives and found that first-gen...
From New Hampshire to Nairobi: How SNHU is Scaling Breakthrough Learning for All Students
Insights & Outlooks: Tell us about your own journey to getting involved in education professionally and becoming president of SNHU. What experiences inspire and motivate you to do this work? Paul LeBlanc, SNHU: My own story is that of an immigrant family and first-generation college student. I grew up in a working-class, melting-pot community i...
Bridging the Education-Workforce Divide: Perspectives from Kentucky and Virginia Champions Network Members
At a time when employees may change careers a half dozen or more times in a lifetime, the linear path from high school to college and employment is increasingly insufficient. Automation and the gig economy are changing the traditional career paths that defined 20th century America. Today’s students may need several entry and exit points…
Navigating the New Higher Learning Landscape
Today’s students need access to a variety of higher learning programs that equip them with the tools they need to succeed in the evolving workforce. The linear path from high school to college and employment is increasingly insufficient: today’s students may need several entry and exit points to and through higher learning throughout their live...
The Strategy Behind Putting Hoosier Students First
When it comes to higher education in Indiana, Hoosier students always come first. Whether we’re developing a statewide higher education strategy or focusing on specific goals, student outcomes represent our measure of success. At the Indiana Commission for Higher Education, our job is to recognize the changing needs and demographics of Hoosier st...
Putting Students First: What Does It Look Like in Policy and Practice?
From his time as a college president and a university trustee to his work as U.S. under secretary of education, few have had a more up close and personal view to the work of improving American higher education than Dr. Ted Mitchell. Today, he continues that work as the president of the American Council on…