The College of Education and Human Development is excited to announce the addition of the Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice. Led by Sara Goldrick-Rab, professor of higher education policy and sociology and one of the nation's leading educational researchers, the Hope Center will continue the legacy built out of the Wisconsin HOPE Lab which has served as a leader in understanding issues of food and housing insecurity among college students. Since 2013, the Wisconsin HOPE lab has conducted research to inform ways to make college more affordable, especially for students experiencing challenges in meeting basic needs such as food and housing. Their findings have gained national attention, including coverage in The New York Times, Washington Post, and the Daily Show with Trevor Noah. The momentum has resulted in $12 million in support of their efforts, impacts on state and federal legislation, and the publication of Paying the Price: College Costs, Financial Aid, and the Betrayal of the American Dream. 

On September 29th, the Hope Center will continue the work the HOPE Lab has
pioneered. The findings of a recent large-scale national survey has indicated that there is still much to be done in the realm of policy and practice for college students. In April, Goldrick-Rab and her team of researchers released "Still Hungry and Homeless in College," which gained national attention for both its scope and its findings. The largest comprehensive study of food and housing insecurity found that of 43, 000 student surveys, 36% of university students and 42% of community college students had experienced food insecurity in the prior 30 days. The findings were just as startling for community college students. 

Their work has not stopped there. Researchers on this project have released two working papers examining how need-based grants have impacted college choice, as well as college persistence and attainment of the students supported by the Fund for Wisconsin Scholars. The findings for recipients of the Wisconsin Scholars Grant were mixed regarding degree completion and rates of entry into graduate school, however WSG recipients tended to complete their degrees faster. Researchers, however, determined that offering a need-based grant led to increased numbers of students majoring in STEM fields, suggesting that simply providing aid to those who need it can increase a student's willingness to pursue those high-demand fields. It is work like this that continues to inform what works and what does not when offering aid to students which in turn allows researchers to inform better policy practices regarding student aid to increase efficiency, impact, and student outcomes at the college level. The Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice is the next step in this pursuit of college affordability.