University of Wisconsin–Madison
This article originally appeared in EdSurge. In recent years, a growing body of research has looked at the impact of college ‘deserts’ — sometimes defined as an area where people live more than a 30-minute drive to a campus — and found that those residing close to a college are more likely to attend. But …
By Misti Jeffers In late September, I attended the ECMC Foundation’s 2024 Career and Technical Education Leadership Collaborative (CTE LC) Convening, an annual opportunity for all past and current CTE LC Fellows (500+!) to convene for 2-3 days of community and professional development. The CTE LC, “an initiative focused on bringing together diverse perspectives and …
By Jared Colston With overall numbers of high school graduates projected to decline nationally, higher education professionals fear this “demographic cliff” will result in a postsecondary “enrollment cliff.” Policy debates at the state level often invoke concerns around brain drain of their home state prospective college-goers, while postsecondary institutions look to attract out-of-state students to …
By Cherish Golden, Misti Jeffers, & Gresham Collom In a recent All My Relations podcast episode, when asked “Why college for Indigenous students,” Dr. Bryan Brayboy (Lumbee), stated “I’m convinced not all Native people should go to college. I’m equally convinced that everyone should have the option about whether or not they go.” We echo …
By Nick Hillman For over three years — between March 2020 and September 2023—monthly payments on certain federal student loans were paused. The pause ended nearly a year ago, and many researchers and policy organizations want to know how the return to repayment is going for borrowers. However, getting access to high-quality data on student …
View the original news release on the ACCT website. The Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) is excited to publish a new brief that explores how states fund community colleges based on the enrollment for their students, including those pursuing credit-bearing degrees and certificates, non-credit workforce programs, and those enrolled via dual-enrollment programs. An interactive data …
By Cherish Golden Over the last year, the SSTAR Lab has been taking an inventory of all financial aid opportunities available to Indigenous students at the state-, system-, and postsecondary institution-level. Why? Because there is currently no comprehensive and reliable resource for Indigenous students and other stakeholders to find reliable, easy-to-digest information on scholarships and grants …
By Jared Colston At the beginning of August, two members of the SSTAR Lab (myself and Amberly Dziesinski) attended the State Higher Education Executive Officers (SHEEO) Conference. Initially, I went into the SHEEO conference hoping to better understand the connection between institutions, state agencies, and federal policy when it comes to creating and improving our …
By Amberly Dziesinski If you listen in to a conversation between members of the SSTAR Lab discussing financial aid policies, chances are, you’ll hear the phrase “administrative burden.” Administrative burdens are the costs associated with accessing a public benefit, from learning about the program, to proving you are eligible and complying with the requirements, to …
By Bonniejean Zitske, Associate Director, SSTAR Lab Hello! Welcome to a new blog series featuring interviews with the talented people at SSTAR Lab. Each month, I’ll interview someone different, learning what drew them to the world of higher education and what keeps them engaged and motivated. This month, I interviewed Jared Colston, our new Data …