Un colegio comunitario al norte de Sacramento está probando una forma innovadora de reducir los costos para los estudiantes necesitados: con un nuevo programa "Endow-a-Bed". Sierra College recibió 80 millones de dólares del Estado para construir una nueva residencia universitaria, donde los estudiantes pagarán 450 dólares al mes para vivir mientras estén en la escuela. Pero Sunbol Aliabadi, de la Sierra College Foundation, dice que los donantes han intensificado el esfuerzo para ofrecer alojamiento y comida gratuitos a unos pocos estudiantes de muy bajos ingresos.

"Contamos con un poco mas de siete camas dotadas. Con suerte, para cuando los dormitorios estén listos, que será el otoño de 2026, ya tendremos las 10 camas dotadas," dijo Aliabadi.

Un informe reciente del fondo State Legislative Analyst encontró que casi una cuarta parte de los estudiantes encuestados en los colegios comunitarios de California informaron haber estado sin hogar en algún momento durante los últimos doce meses. Sólo los estudiantes de tiempo completo y de muy bajos ingresos calificarán para alojamiento y comidas gratis en Sierra College. La escuela calcula que ofrecer alojamiento cuesta 6.000 dólares al año, además de las comidas en la cafetería de la escuela.

Aliabadi dice que los donantes están intensificando sus esfuerzos para mantener el programa funcionando indefinidamente.

"Por una inversión única de 250.000 dólares, a una tasa de rendimiento del 3%, se generan alrededor de 7.500 dólares al año, y eso cubriría alojamiento y comida para un estudiante, a perpetuidad," Aliabadi explicó.

Sierra College también recibió una subvención que permite disponer de cuatro camas de emergencia en los dormitorios existentes. Entonces, si un estudiante repentinamente se queda sin hogar, puede quedarse en el dormitorio durante 30 días y trabajar con la escuela para encontrar un alojamiento permanente.

El apoyo para este reportaje fue aportado por la Fundación Lumina.


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Artificial intelligence is changing how people learn and work, and universities in North Carolina and across the country are racing to keep up.

William Peace University in Raleigh is one of them, taking part in a national program to help students develop the AI skills they will need to thrive in the workplace.

Lynda Szymanski, vice president of academic affairs at the university, said it is all about giving students real-world experience and preparing them for the demands of today's jobs.

"The statistic that really struck me is, 66% of the leaders said they would not hire someone without artificial intelligence skills," Szymanski noted. "We feel compelled to make sure our students have the skills that they need to be successful."

The latest Gallup poll found 93% of Fortune 500 companies are already using AI in the workplace. William Peace is one of 124 schools selected to participate in the American Association of Colleges and Universities inaugural Institute on AI, Pedagogy and the Curriculum.

Michelle Corvette, director of faculty development and immersive learning at the university, said the new focus brings some challenges, especially in teaching students when and how to use AI responsibly. The goal is to help them rethink how they work and learn, and one way they are doing it is by integrating AI into the curriculum from day one.

"That is something that we do focus on here at William Peace University," Corvette explained. "Because our students experience immersive learning and generative AI in our first-year seminar classes as first years and then all the way to senior. And we don't just save it for our senior seminar students."

As a part of the initiative, she said the university will join other schools in monthly webinars to share ideas. Faculty members will also connect with mentors and AI experts to help navigate learning.

The automotive industry is changing, and one Utah university is reimagining how to prepare new and current auto technicians to meet the demands of the transition from internal combustion engines to electric vehicles.

Brian Rague, associate dean of the College of Engineering, Applied Science and Technology at Weber State University, says their automotive technology program's "stackable" credentialing approach enables students of any age and desire to learn the fundamental skills they'll need to be hired by industry partners.

"We are a higher education institution, our four-year degrees are valuable to us. But certainly, within our college and across the university, we see the necessity to allow students to take things a little bit at a time. To learn things and earn credentials in a step-by-step fashion," he explained.

Rague added they work with car companies to ensure students are learning in-demand skills. Add EVs and autonomous driving into the mix, and students are also learning about IT and engineering. He said many already work in the field and can apply their professional certifications toward credits for an associate degree. Students can stop there, or continue on toward a bachelor of science in automotive technology.

Rague said the college is in constant conversations with industry partners to update their courses and certificates.

"We have a couple of certificates available for our automotive students. We have several certificates in other disciplines within the college; and we also have advanced certificates for those who have been in the workforce for a while," he continued.

He said the more advanced certificates could be attractive to those who want to learn more about electric vehicles and newer battery technology, and added that the need for experts and specialists of all ages will grow as EVs gain more traction.

A new study from the University of Maine showed college students' well-being is as important as their grade-point average for overall success.

Researchers said conducting semesterlong projects, taking part in campus clubs and having at least one mentoring professor makes students excited to learn.

Holly White, a doctoral student in ecology and environmental sciences at the University of Maine and the study's lead researcher, said there's growing evidence academics and well-being go hand-in-hand.

"If we support well-being in undergraduate students, they're going to be set up for a healthier and happier life after graduation," White explained.

White pointed out schools often mark success by student retention and graduation rates but the transition to college can be tough. She emphasized ensuring students have a sense of belonging and purpose on campus makes it more likely they will complete their degree.

The study looked at six universities nationwide and their best practices for improving student well-being, including the University of Maine System. Here, first-year students take part in Research Learning Experiences, courses exposing first-year students to both field and lab research they normally would not take part in until their junior or senior year. White noted smaller class sizes help students connect.

"Some of them do feel like they really are just a face in a big crowd and in those lecture halls they might not have opportunities to interact with the peers in their class as much," White observed. "Having that small cohort is really, really important, I think, for that first year."

The courses also include summer excursions for students to meet one another the week before school begins. Other schools, like Bates College, are focusing on what it called "purposeful work" for students or adding civic engagement to the curriculum. White stressed when schools foster well-being, they help students learn.

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.