AKA Weekly Rundown - July 2, 2021

From The Harvard Gazette:

Harvard and MIT-led nonprofit to tackle longstanding inequities in education
By Nate Herpich
In an effort to further the reach and impact of online learning globally, Harvard, MIT, and edX have agreed with 2U to convert edX into a public benefit entity fully owned and operated by 2U. An interview with Provost Alan M. Garber, Co-Chair of the edX Board of Directors, and Bharat Anand, Harvard Vice Provost for Advances in Learning and a member of the edX Board of Directors, discuss the merger and how Harvard hopes to help build a more equitable future with MIT through the new arrangement. Read this article

From Third Way:

One Year Later: COVID-19s Impact on Current and Future College Students
By Shelbe Klebs, Rachel Fishman, Sophie Nguyen, and Tamara Hiler
This third installment of a survey conducted of 1,002 college students nationwide indicates optimism that the worst of the pandemic is over. Students expressed mixed feelings about whether college is worth the cost despite general satisfaction with how higher education institutions handled the pandemic. They also cited concerns about the cost and practical needs of online education and how a degree will prepare them for a new economy. Read this article

From The Conversation:
How the billions MacKenzie Scott is giving to colleges attended by students of color will help everyone in America
By Ivory A. Toldson
When billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott announced her third round of charitable gifts to 286 organizations, 31 of which were colleges and universities serving people of color and other underserved communities, it was a departure from how billionaires usually approach higher education giving. If Scott's approach to giving, with its emphasis on racial justice, were to spark a trend, it could become a strategy for helping everyone in America. Read this article

From The Atlantic:

World War II’s Lesson for After the Pandemic
By Derek Thompson

During World War II, President Roosevelt established an agency that became the Office of Scientific Research and Development (OSRD) to give the country a technological push, and OSRD helped to launch a post-war golden age of progress. While government sponsored research and science were instrumental in mitigating the impact of the pandemic, a comparable approach could yield another golden age. Read this article

From American Academy of Sciences:

Bold Ambition: International Large-Scale Science
This report summarizes the Academy's Challenges for International Scientific Partnerships (CISP) initiative to assess both the importance and the challenges of international large-scale science collaborations for the United States. It suggests the benefits of such U.S. engagement and proposes principles by which the country could effectively and advantageously participate in these partnerships. Read this article