Christopher Newport University is Headed in the Wrong Direction

By Katlyn Riggins Christopher Newport University, led by former U.S. Senator Paul Trible (R-VA) and located in current U.S. House Education Committee Chairman Bobby Scott’s (D-VA) Congressional District, is the sixth worst public college in the country on working-class and low-income student access. In fact, its Pell Grant student enrollment rate has been going down.

Washington & Lee: A National Disgrace

By James Murphy On March 23, several hundred students at Washington and Lee University in Virginia walked out of class to protest the Board of Trustees’ decision to delay deciding whether to drop Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s name from the institution, almost a year after a faculty vote to do so. Tahri Phillips, Class

Words and Deeds: James Madison University

By Katlyn Riggins There’s quite the gap between words and deeds at James Madison University (JMU) when it comes to matters of racial equity and social justice.  For context though, know that James Madison is a public research university situated in the picturesque Shenandoah Valley in Harrisonburg, Virginia. It enrolls just over 21,000 undergraduates and

Shame on the University of Richmond

By: Katlyn Riggins The University of Richmond seems more concerned with creating an inclusive history than an inclusive present. Last week, the University of Richmond was in the news over two campus buildings named for a slave owner and long-time segregationist. Instead of removing the names, as James Madison University recently did, Richmond added the

De Facto Segregation in Virginia Higher Ed

By Michael Dannenberg A new issue brief by Education Reform Now highlights the extent to which Virginia’s leading public and private colleges are choosing to under enroll students from working class, low-income, and racial minority backgrounds. Of the 15 worst public colleges and universities in America on working class and low-income student enrollment, one-third are

Rich Schools, Poor Recruiters

By James Murphy The National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) has released its 2020 report on university endowments, identifying the wealthiest universities and colleges in the nation. If only that list intersected more with the universities that enroll large numbers and proportions of low-income students.  In 2019-20, approximately 31% of all undergraduates

Social Mobility Elevators

By James Murphy Higher education remains an important driver of social mobility in America. Everyone benefits when low-income and working-class students enroll in and complete postsecondary training. Those with postsecondary degrees earn more, are more likely to be employed, and pay more in taxes. Racial inequities in employment and income increasingly even out where there

Pell No! New Data on Colleges That Under-Enroll Talented, Working Class Students

By James Murphy The Department of Education has released new data on college enrollment, including the number of undergraduate students at each university who received a Pell Grant. In 2018-19, almost 7 million college students received a Pell Grant, which typically goes to individuals from households earning less than $65,000 per year. That’s almost half

Words and Deeds: Washington and Lee University

By: Katlyn Riggins  Since George Floyd’s murder, it has become clear institutional leaders can no longer remain silent on the brutality Black Americans face on a daily basis. Several university leaders have made statements in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, but all too often these words are not backed up by outcomes. Our

Quality, Online College

By Michael Dannenberg & James Murphy What college professors did this past spring—moving courses online with no preparation—was nothing short of heroic. But it also was not very good. Colleges need to aim higher this fall. During the initial shift to online learning, the primary concern for administrators, rightly, was ensuring students could connect to instruction.