For more than 150 years, access to higher education, regardless of a student’s financial background, has been the driving force behind efforts to make good on the transformative promise of education. It is a paradigm that began with the Morrill Land-Grant Acts in the late 1800s and was later dramatically shaped by the GI Bill,…

Several weeks ago CampusLogic released a data snapshot on the patterns in FAFSA® (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) filings during the 2018-19 aid year. The piece, Timing Is Everything: FAFSA Filing Trends, offers a never-before-seen look at the data from a form that more than 18 million individuals looking for financial assistance to make...

For all of us who were first in our families to go to college. Who worked fast food or retail to make as much extra cash as possible. Who had to convince our worried immigrant parents to turn over their taxes so we could fill out FAFSA and then shock them with the news that…

Zakiya Smith Ellis, New Jersey’s Secretary of Higher Education, has played a significant role in shaping federal policy around higher education affordability and outcomes over the past decade. She served as a senior advisor at both the White House and the U.S. Department of Education during the Obama administration, working on high-profile initia...

Five years ago, we launched Reach Higher at a College Signing Day event in San Antonio, Texas. Former First Lady Michelle Obama, a first-generation college graduate herself, wanted to create an initiative that would inspire students to continue their education past high school. She wanted to change the national conversation around higher education ...

In an interview with Training Industry, Emily Bouck West argues that stakeholders and policymakers should work to build stronger linkages between the higher education and workforce systems.

Higher Learning Advocates is working to shift federal policy from higher education to higher learning—education and training beyond high school that leads to a degree, credential, or employment. While more students are participating in higher education than ever before, there is a vast and growing disconnect between federal policy and the needs o...

Julie Peller was quoted in Market Watch where she argued that the current higher education system is not designed to reflect the demographics of today’s college students.

What does human capital strategy mean? The answer seems to differ, depending on who you ask. Ask local elected officials, and the answer will likely involve their plans for K-12 schools or community colleges. Ask  economic development leaders, and they might discuss their strategy to attract more jobs to their region. Ask an employer, and…

Growing up, Scot McLemore developed an interest in technology, innovation, and inventions, which led him to study Engineering Technology at Purdue University and then on to a 28-year career at Honda Motor Company. Scot was the first in his immediate family to attend college and when met with the challenge of finding his own pathway,…

Originally from Hawaii, Kimo Kippen rose through the ranks of the hospitality industry, beginning as a busboy to a corporate learning executive for the world’s largest hospitality companies. Because of that experience, he also understands that the backbone of every business–no matter how big or small–is its employees. For the past 20 ...

Serving one of the fastest growing communities of the Washington, D.C. suburbs, Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) has faced the challenge of helping local communities prepare for an influx of new jobs in health care, information technology, and cybersecurity. As the vice president for workforce and economic development, Steve Partridge has...