commentary

Should colleges help students pay down their debt?

With student loan debt approaching the $2 trillion level and default rates rising, Republicans in Congress have advanced legislation that would require colleges to repay a portion of its students’ unpaid loans. The idea of…


From soil to cyber

What if a single campus building could prepare students to both grow North Carolina’s food supply and protect it from cyberattacks? At Blue Ridge Community College, we believe that well-designed facilities do more than house…


A strategic plan rooted in real voices

When Carroll Community College in Maryland launched development of its next four-year strategic plan, the leadership team wasn’t thinking about just KPIs and goal statements. They were thinking about trust. Visibility. Inclusivity. And what it…



Washington Watch: Some community college TRIO grants canceled

Several community colleges late last week received notices from the U.S. Education Department (ED) canceling their TRIO Upward Bound continuation grants. While the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) is still working with its membership…




Students take the lead on Pell advocacy

At Phi Theta Kappa (PTK), our mission is to recognize academic excellence and provide students with opportunities to grow—and to lead. And when it comes to leadership, advocacy is where we believe it must begin….


Washington Watch: Contact your senators to protect Pell

The U.S. Senate is accelerating action on its version of the House’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” It is increasingly possible that the Senate bill, and therefore also the final reconciliation bill, will include devastating…


Washington Watch: Preserving Pell, front and center

The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) has written to the Senate Labor, Health, Education and Pension (HELP) Committee, outlining its position on the higher education provision in the House-passed “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.”…