The College Donor Digest
Higher Education Fall News Roundup
August 31, 2023 | Emily Burden Rees
As the fall semester begins, here is a roundup of some of the latest news you need to know to stay informed about higher education and philanthropy. Check out the following stories.
1. A 2023 study by the Lumina Foundation and Gallup shows that earning a higher education degree contributes to a series of positive outcomes in addition to increased lifetime earnings. Respondents with a postsecondary degree averaged higher than peers without one on 50 of 52 outcomes, including income, job satisfaction, health, wellbeing, voting rates, and volunteerism. In an age of decreased trust in higher education and dissatisfaction with college costs, the results of this study reinforce the purpose of college as a formative bedrock for a meaningful life. Read more here.
2. Philanthropy Roundtable recently released an article analyzing the implications for charitable organizations of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling against race-based admissions at public colleges and universities. The article advises charities that receive federal funding to ensure their own DEI standards align with the new ruling. The broader repercussions of the ruling for philanthropy remain to be seen, but the author states, “Throughout the philanthropic landscape, the clear takeaway is that the Supreme Court has sent a strong signal: stop discriminating based on race.” Read the article here.
3. Professor Randy Laist, chair of the English department at the University of Bridgeport, writes in Inside Higher Ed’s opinion section that despite prevailing bias against studying the humanities, students in Generation Z are increasingly interested in these fields. Dr. Laist argues that young students feel that “social reality is not what it seems to be and therefore requires analysis, interpretation, deconstruction, close reading." Members of Generation Z have already adopted terminology from past humanities scholars to explain their world, like “intersectionality” and “multiculturalism.” Dr. Laist also defends the humanities as a framework that empowers students to think critically, an essential skill for navigating today’s social and political climate. See the full piece here.
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