This year, Juan Mendoza was named a Freeman Hrabowski Scholar by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, which funds efforts to bring more scientists from diverse backgrounds into scientific institutions. Mendoza said he got right to work on recruiting.
Higher Education
After photographer Jose Refugio “Fugie” Almanza tragically lost his 12-year-old son, Almanza sought to turn his pain into purpose. He founded the Joseph Jr. Scholarship Foundation, which aims to help Latinos fund their college educations.
The picture for student loan debt has been pretty tumultuous over the last couple of years. Borrowers will soon begin repaying their federal student loans after a forbearance period ends this month.
College students juggling multiple responsibilities might find a shortcut through artificial intelligence apps like ChatGPT — but there’s concern that that shortcut cheats students out of a learning opportunity.
Considerations start with getting admitted and continue with questions of an institution’s ongoing commitment to diversity and inclusion once students get inside the gates.
The U.S. Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in college admissions, a policy that withstood challenges reaching as far back as 1978. Now, higher education institutions wishing to achieve racially diverse student bodies have to find a new way forward.
The Illinois state budget passed this week included increased funding for higher education. That was welcome news to Northeastern Illinois University, which has seen some financial and institutional turbulence in recent years.
A wave of labor actions swept through Illinois public universities this month, with faculty at Chicago State, Eastern Illinois and Governors State universities on strike at various times throughout April.
Attention high school seniors and college students: Applications are now open for the Miller-Perez Family Scholarship at the nonprofit Latinos Progresando. Five $2,000 scholarships are being awarded.
The UIC United Faculty on Tuesday announced its members had voted in favor of the new deal, which applies to all 1,500 members of the tenure and non-tenure bargaining units.
Classes and labs will resume Monday as employees represented by the UIC United Faculty return to work after a four-year deal was struck during a nine-hour bargaining session Sunday.
University officials said the sides had agreed to resume bargaining Friday and could continue talks into the weekend to secure a new contract agreement.
University of Illinois-Chicago faculty striked Tuesday after union and administration officials were unable to come to a contract agreement during a “contentious” 12-hour bargaining session Monday.
Negotiations between the sides will continue Monday, one day before members of the UIC United Faculty plan to go on strike, citing a lack of “significant movement” at the bargaining table.
With President Biden announcing his student loan forgiveness plan last week as a way to alleviate some of the financial burdens of millions of people, it is worth understanding how college tuition reached this all-time high, and what can be done to address the rising costs of obtaining a college degree.
Dr. Alejandro Lugo has taught anthropology and Latinx studies at several colleges, including the University of Illinois. As part of our Last Word series, he gives La Ultima Palabra on the change he says needs to happen to better serve all students.
