Elsie Soto and the story of Potter’s Field
I was nine years old when my dad died of AIDS in 1993. Faced with the fact that many funeral homes would not take AIDS victims or charge exorbitant prices to embalm them, my family…
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Collaborating to learn about humanitarian needs
Jordan Cutter is a student at Allegany College of Maryland (ACM) looking to start in its nursing program. Last month, he participated in a unique two-day “field simulation” hosted by the Forage Center for Peacebuilding…
Interview and inquiry: Rethinking writing and research
For years, higher education has been reevaluating how to look at the student research process. At first, sites like Wikipedia and Google were the bane of any professor’s existence. Then came the onslaught of blog…
AANHPI Heritage Month: Advancing knowledge, visibility and alliances
May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (AANHPIHM). We recognize that for many of us, our heritage exists beyond one month, but having our country, our colleges, our communities recognized and…
The smart higher ed choice
Each spring high school seniors face tough choices about continuing their education at a community college, such as Houston Community College (HCC), or at a university. Typical concerns are quality, cost, student support and social…
A responsive approach to OER
There’s a growing consensus that the use of open educational resources (OER) has reached a turning point. Spurred by the shift to online learning during the pandemic and ongoing efforts by states, institutions, philanthropies and…
A letter to community colleges
In today’s economy, a high school diploma alone is no longer a guaranteed ticket to a well-paying job and a middle-class life. Within the next four years, it’s estimated 70% of jobs will require some…
Washington Watch: Another try at tax-free Pell grants
Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas), a longtime champion of reforming higher education student tax benefits, has introduced HR 3000, bipartisan legislation to make Pell grants non-taxable and help community college students better access the American Opportunity…
Advocacy quick hits
Editor’s note: This new weekly update from the government relations office at the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) provides the latest on what’s happening in Washington and how AACC is advancing policies to support…
Washington Watch: ED to grant case-by-case extension of HEERF dollars
The U.S. Education Department (ED) will soon begin accepting requests from colleges who need an extra year to spend remaining allotted funding from the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) provided during the Covid pandemic….