In this week's roundup:
details were announced on student loan forgiveness applications, the higher education workforce is back to pre-pandemic numbers and most Americans believe college is unaffordable.
October 6-12
- Republican Senator Ben Sasse was named a finalist for president of the University of Florida, a decision met with student protests. The Nebraska senator had been outspoken about higher education and conservative viewpoints.
- Cybersecurity is becoming a growing concern, and institutions are investing more in risk prevention and protection. Insurance costs have been increasing between 40-60%.
- Students at California community colleges are demanding more online classes. Students say remote learning offers greater flexibility and removes the high cost of commuting.
- Institutions are exploring different ways to boost employees' morale following the pandemic's challenges. Some offer four-day work weeks while others provide perks such as access to massages and gym memberships.
- More details were released about the application for student loan forgiveness, except for the date when it will become available. The application will be short and will not require uploading documents or a federal student identification number.
- Higher education’s workforce has returned to its pre-pandemic size. After adding thousands of jobs in July and August, the higher education sector employs over 4 million workers.
- The Department of Education claims that it does have the authority to cancel student debt after a national emergency like the COVID-19 pandemic. This argument comes after the many legal challenges based on the Biden Administration overstepping its authority.
- A new survey from Morning Consult found that 77% of Americans believe higher education is challenging to afford. Women were more likely than men to call higher education unaffordable. Black respondents were the largest population to say it is unaffordable.
- A community college in North Carolina is helping students in need of transportation to attend classes. Cars for College, created by Lenoir Community College, helps working students purchase refurbished cars at a discounted price in order to commute to campus.
- Fordham University is one of the few institutions that require a COVID-19 booster shot or valid exemption by November 1. Students who do not receive a booster shot risk being locked out of campus, a stance drawing backlash from students and their families.
