Americans' confidence in higher education has plummeted but students and staff at Maine's Colby College hope continued community outreach will help bridge the divide.

A major investment in surrounding Waterville has brought more than 30 new businesses and art programs, while a downtown dormitory houses students, who commit to working in area homeless shelters, the public library or schools.

David Greene, president of Colby College, said students are even working with the local fire department to help improve services.

"That work has really transformed the way that students see themselves connected to the community," Greene observed. "And it's transformed the way that people in Waterville see Colby students as well."

Green argued institutions of higher learning have a moral obligation to contribute to the betterment of their communities and help change the narrative of higher education, which he asserted has long been the gold standard for industries worldwide.

When he first arrived in 2014, Greene recounted he often heard local kids describe Colby as "the palace on the hill." Waterville was struggling with the loss of mills and manufacturing plants, and mistrust of the college was widespread. But through investments of time and money, Greene emphasized area children can now see themselves at Colby, and more Colby students are choosing to stay in the area after graduation.

"The more that people start to see that this is a place that you can grow businesses, this is a place where the housing will be available to you, the more that our students will stay here, the more integrated the city and the college will become over time," Greene projected.

Greene noted Colby is committed to increasing workforce housing in Waterville as well as boosting local innovation and entrepreneurship. He added while there is no "one size fits all" model, other schools and economic development agencies are taking lessons from Colby's community approach.

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.


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Educators at Iowa State University are creating a new major to meet what they see as a new and growing demand in the health care field: pairing medical knowledge with business and "people skills."

Iowa State is launching an integrated health major, which goes beyond the so-called hard, science-based skills medical professionals usually get to include the "softer skills."

Yanhai Yi, professor and chair of the Department of Genetics, who helped develop the curriculum, said there is a tremendous need.

"The health care occupation is projected to grow by 15% from 2021 to 2030," Yi pointed out. "There's a strong need. In the United States, health workers need to be increased by about 1 million in the next 10 years."

The integrated health major will focus on wellness from multiple angles, with classes in life sciences, behavioral and social sciences, data gathering and the humanities. According to Yi, it is designed to create more well-rounded health care professionals, something he argued the medical field has been lacking.

Yi noted there has been so much interest in the new program, some Iowa State students are switching majors to take advantage of the future demand created by meshing the traditional hard sciences with the people skills health care professionals need to be compassionate, as well as training them to be business savvy.

"That not only understand the scientific part of health, but also understand the social aspect, ethical aspect of human health," Yi explained.

There appears to be high demand for the new major, not just in Iowa but nationwide. Only a handful of universities offer integrated health majors and all of them are relatively new.

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.


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Minnesota officials have launched a new portal, asking parents, students and others to share how they are affected by the Trump administration's aggressive approach to reduce federal education support. Fears persist about the student loan impact.

Last month, the White House followed through on its pledge to begin dismantling the Department of Education and shift responsibilities to other agencies, including management of student loans for roughly 43 million borrowers.

Mike Dean, executive director of the Minnesota think tank North Star Prosperity, worries about the potential for a rocky transition. He said more confusion could deter people from pursuing higher education.

"When you don't have that customer support on the other end, students are not going to be able to really complete the application process," Dean explained. "I think we're going to see fewer and fewer students go to college."

He pointed out the scenario unfolded when a series of glitches hampered the overhaul of the federal student aid system in 2023. The Trump administration acknowledged Congress will likely have to give its approval on ending the Education Department, meaning it is still active. But Dean noted many staffers have been laid off.

For now, advocates said students and parents should keep reaching out to as many resources as possible to get their loan questions answered. Under its Commerce Department, Minnesota does have a Student Loan Advocate to help resolve issues.

Dean emphasized it is important to ensure people who rely on aid to keep their college dreams alive.

"Education isn't just for the wealthy," Dean contended. "It's really a right for everyone, and we know our economy demands it."

There is also a bill in the Minnesota Legislature, which would require more transparency when colleges and universities send financial-aid offers to prospective and current students.

Dean added it is one way to eliminate some of the confusion swirling around the world of college loans right now. As the for the federal action, Republicans have long argued key functions of the U.S. Education Department would be better left to the states.

As Americans wait to see if Congress goes along with President Donald Trump's plans to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, the uncertainty is frustrating some Arizona college students.

Trump has said funding for some programs, including Pell Grants and student financial aid, won't be touched. But the DOE already has laid off nearly half its staff, and experts say that can't help but compromise the agency's ability to manage programs.

Joelly B. Chavez, who attends Arizona Western College in Yuma, said that if it wasn't for the help she's gotten through FAFSA, she wouldn't be able to pursue her dreams.

"It is really hard to be where we are right now as students," Chavez said. "In a place where I'm not supposed to succeed, I am somehow succeeding because of these programs. I am a first-generation student. I am an LGBTQ youth."

Chavez said no one in her family had made it past the tenth grade, and she's proud of changing that narrative.

This week, 11 Democratic senators called for an investigation into the Trump administration's plan to do away with the department, claiming it would result in "disastrous consequences."

Northern Arizona University student Sarina Cutuli also is a fellow with the Arizona Student Association, which advocates for affordable and accessible higher education. Cutuli said despite being awarded a Pell Grant, which doesn't need to be repaid, and receiving financial aid, private loans are also part of being able to cover college costs.

"I rely on my financial aid for everything," Cutuli said. "I rely on it for groceries, I rely on it for health care, I rely on it to go to school. I rely on it for housing. It's very expensive to live in Flagstaff; it's ridiculous."

Cutuli contended that if something were to happen to federal financial aid, repercussions would be felt across the board - and for years to come.

"I can guarantee you that almost every single student on this campus relies on financial aid in some way, shape or form," Cutuli said. "Even the richest families - they need financial aid, we need financial aid. We do not have enough students graduating with bachelor's degrees to actually support Arizona's economy right now."


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