University of Wisconsin–Madison
By Cherish Golden This blog continues our series highlighting financial aid policies and opportunities that are specific to Indigenous students. Here, we focus on 39 funding opportunities for Indigenous students in five Pacific and West Coast states: Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington. In early 2025, Indigenous students will have access to our publicly available …
By Nicholas Hillman You may have read recently that the SSTAR Lab is undertaking a new set of studies focused on rural students’ pathways to and through higher education. These two new studies extend our existing work on geography of opportunity. But you may be wondering why geography/rurality is part of the Lab’s portfolio. To …
By Kathryn Boonstra As a research-practice partnership, SSTAR Lab engages with program leaders and practitioners in ways that are quite different from traditional academic researchers. One role we may play, particularly when launching a partnership during the ideation or design stage, is to facilitate the development of a theory of change. What is a theory …
This story originally appeared in The Washington Post. With no car and a toddler, Shamya Jones enrolled this fall at the four-year university in her small town in Mississippi — Delta State University. She planned to major in digital media arts, but before she could start, the college eliminated that major along with 20 other …
By Bonniejean Zitske, Associate Director, SSTAR Lab This month I sat down with Derek Kindle, the Vice Provost of Enrollment Management and our number one supporter. Derek was the Director of Financial Aid when SSTAR Lab was established, and he’s championed our success as a research practice partnership for over five years. His commitment to …
By Misti Jeffers This post continues our blog series sharing information on financial aid opportunities for Indigenous students across the United States. We highlight details of 24 funding opportunities we found across four Mid-Atlantic states (New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, & Virginia). Access to information about college affordability and financial aid is a key piece …
By Bonniejean Zitske Why do college-going rates in rural communities lag behind non-rural areas, even though their high school completion rates are equal to or higher than those in non-rural areas? Well, that’s a great and important question. Unfortunately, there are many unknowns when it comes to understanding trends and disparities in geography and opportunity. …
By Kathryn Boonstra The teacher labor market may be more front-of-mind for everyday Americans today, in the aftermath of COVID-19, than at any other time in recent history. While initial fears of a mass exodus of teachers may not have borne out as predicted, schools across the country are still reeling from the pandemic’s effects, …
This story originally appeared in USA Today. Americans love to grouse about the rising cost of college. But consider this: The average in-state student at a public university now pays only $2,480 a year in net tuition and fees. Tuition, of course, is only one item on the list of college expenses. Room and board …
This story originally appeared in USA Today. There’s a long list of jobs that convicted felons can’t have. It doesn’t seem to include being a high-end college admissions consultant. Proving that point is William “Rick” Singer – the silver-haired ringleader of the “Operation Varsity Blues” scheme who pleaded guilty to charges involving racketeering, money laundering, …