New Year, New Higher Ed Stories

This will be a momentous year for higher education – as colleges attempt to recover from COVID shutdowns, student loan bills come due again, and big changes come to admissions offices. What will college look like this year? How are institutions planning to spend billions of dollars in federal COVID-19 relief funds? And how bad a hit are overall enrollment numbers going to take in the third year of the pandemic? Delece Smith-Barrow, education editor for Politico, shares some of the top priorities on her radar this winter. Those hot topics include the impact of the extended pause on federal student loan repayments, and a potential landmark Supreme Court case on affirmative action in admissions. She also offers story ideas for education journalists following the continued evolution of hybrid instruction, campus health and safety protocols, and why so many potential first-generation college students are delaying their higher education plans. Plus, she shares some innovative angles on the nation’s student loan debt crisis, including focusing on borrowers who took advantage of the zero-interest window to make big dents in what they owe.