GoKawiil
Tech News
As students return to campus this fall, institutions are increasingly recognizing the importance of engaging the over 37 million Americans under 65 who have some college credits but lack a degree. This group represents a significant, underutilized talent pool that could help address workforce skill shortages. Educational programs tailored to these learners could reshape higher education's role in workforce development.
Kurt Schlichter, a retired Army colonel with over 620,000 X followers, worked as a civilian government employee under the Pentagon's undersecretary for personnel and readiness, part of a task force targeting 'woke' content at military war colleges. WIRED reviewed years of his social media posts containing extremist and anti-democratic rhetoric, including a 2021 call for authoritarian crackdowns on liberals, which had not previously been reported alongside his Pentagon role.
After losing hundreds of thousands of students during the pandemic, community colleges are now seeing sustained enrollment growth, with 5.8 million students enrolled in spring 2026, a 5.2% increase from spring 2021, according to National Student Clearinghouse Research Center data. Researchers say students who left during the pandemic did not simply transfer to four-year universities, which also saw declines among 18- to 24-year-olds.