Beyond the Blisters: The Real Motivations Behind One Community College President’s 53 Marathon Run

🔗 Read our full interview: hope.temple.edu/newsroom/hop...

Dr. Tim Cook ran 1,400+ miles to every community college in Oregon.

Not for the blisters. Not for the headlines.

But to spotlight student basic needs.

His run raised $177K—and challenged big assumptions about who today’s students are.

Supporting Students Through the November 2025 SNAP Cliff & Federal Government Shutdown

SNAP payments are delayed and cut about in half this month. Many students and families could wait weeks for relief. Our new guide outlines how colleges can step up and support them through the disruption: hope.temple.edu/hope-blog/sn...

Supporting Students Through the November 2025 SNAP Cliff & Federal Government Shutdown

Despite two federal court rulings today, students in higher education may face a potential delay in SNAP benefits this weekend, and communities will likely experience a spike in hunger. Our new guide offers practical steps to support students during this time: hope.temple.edu/hope-blog/sn...

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: The Impact of OBBB on Student Basic Needs Security . After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar. This past July, Congress passed and the President signed the "One Big Beautiful Bill" Act (OBBB) which cut over $1 trillion from education, health, and nutrition programs. These cuts will have a pr...

The shutdown is just one reason why students and families are feeling squeezed. The recent passage of OBBB will only reduce support for critical safety net programs and make higher education more expensive. Learn more at our webinar today, 10/28 at 3PM ET: temple.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Statement on USDA’s Decision Not to Spend Emergency SNAP Funds During the Shutdown

🚨 42 million Americans—including 1.1 million college students—will see their November SNAP benefits halted or delayed as the Administration refuses to release emergency funds during the shutdown.

Hunger is not inevitable—it’s a policy choice. Read our statement: hope.temple.edu/newsroom/sta...

Student support programs in peril after federal cuts at Hispanic-serving community colleges California's community colleges are scrambling to preserve programs that are funded by Hispanic-Serving Institution grants, part of a federal program that the Trump administration is eliminating.

California's Hispanic-serving community colleges are scrambling to figure out next steps as they're set to lose $20 million in federal funding that would have supported STEM majors, efforts to eliminate equity gaps & other programs.
Via @edsource.org:
edsource.org/2025/hsi-gra...

Students shouldn’t have to park outside McDonald’s to access WiFi. Reliable internet isn’t a luxury—it’s a basic need.

Read our Q&A with @ilsr.bsky.social on "connection insecurity," the growing digital divide leaving too many college students behind. hope.temple.edu/hope-blog/ke...

Lessons on Collecting Data and Driving Change to Support Student Parent Success The Data-to-Action Campaign for Parenting Students has generated new insights into how to identify parenting students and advance their success. The Urban In…

Student Parent Month might be over—but until we see structural change, our support must continue. Join us at this @urbaninstitute.bsky.social webinar to learn more about how your college can collect data and support students. www.urban.org/events/lesso...

In this piece by Cristian Ulisses Reyes at @nasfaa.bsky.social, he summarizes the current understanding of student basic needs insecurity and gives a brave and insightful look into his own journey. We commend him—we need both data and narrative to support students. www.nasfaa.org/news-item/37...

How an old hotel shows one solution to community college student housing insecurity Some universities, colleges and nonprofits are attempting to address one of the fastest-growing problems in higher education: rising housing costs and housing insecurity among college students.

Our @markhuelsman.bsky.social sat down with @hechingerreport.org to talk about College Housing Northwest's ingenious housing support for students—converting an old hotel into low-cost housing. hechingerreport.org/from-pony-so...

In a rapidly changing higher education landscape, we need supports that are accessible, sustainable, and creative to combat funding cuts. College Housing Northwest has been working on just that.

And we leave you with this, a link to the full newsletter and words of wisdom from musician and author Naomi Littlebear:

mailchi.mp/temple/sept-...

Our Sara Abelson, among a host of other scholars, created this enlightening report on the state of mental health in Michigan—shedding light on the availability and accessibility of mental health services for students at Michigan’s community colleges.

mentalhealthcc.org/wp-content/u...

We’ve gone many places over the summer, seen many amazing colleagues, and been inspired by their work. You can read more about it all in the full newsletter.

We’re also excited about a new partnership with the fantastic Trellis Strategies to align our data collection efforts so we all have a better sense of what students face & how we can better support them. hope.temple.edu/newsroom/sta...

The Hope Center Joins Forces with Kentucky to Scale Student Basic Needs Support

We’re announcing an exciting partnership with Kentucky! We’re working with @kycpe.bsky.social
and KYSSC to train basic needs coordinators, support their campuses in stigma-reducing comms efforts, and advise them on building new tools to combat BNI. hope.temple.edu/kentucky-stu...

Join us & distinguished partners on October 28, from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. EST for a webinar where we’ll discuss the implications of OBBB on students’ basic needs security: temple.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

It’s been a while since our last newsletter! This summer featured an overwhelming set of policy changes on issues that deeply impact student basic needs security. In our first fall dispatch, we dive into our advocacy & other nation-wide efforts to support students: 🧵👇

USDA cancels survey tracking how many Americans struggle to get enough food The Department of Agriculture said it will end a longstanding annual food insecurity survey. Experts say the move will obscure the effects of recent changes that will lead to people losing food aid.

The decision to end the Household Food Security Report comes as Congress has made deep cuts to the SNAP program and made it harder to access and maintain benefits. www.npr.org/2025/09/22/n...

Ending food insecurity requires timely, reliable data on how many Americans struggle to put food on the table. The Trump Administration’s decision to end the USDA’s Household Food Security Report will make it incredibly difficult to measure and reverse the campus hunger crisis.

From Ontario to Hood River, a mission to support Oregon’s community college students Clackamas Community College President Tim Cook ran nearly 1,500 miles to all 17 state community colleges in 52 days, raising over $130,000 for students in financial need.

This community college president ran 1400 miles and raised over $130k to support students facing basic needs insecurity. May we all show up with his kind of determination to challenge student basic needs insecurity.

www.opb.org/article/2025...

Our @prinistacy.bsky.social was a part of this panel of brilliant changemakers at the 2025 SUCCESS Convening, leading a conversation on how we can better fund basic needs initiatives—a topic more critical than ever in the wake of recent policy decisions.

REGISTRATION: PEER Center Virtual Event on Reconciliation Earlier this year, Congress passed a reconciliation law (a.k.a. the One Big Beautiful Bill) that will substantially reshape the higher education sector. The U.S. Department of Education is now moving ...

This Thursday, our colleagues at the PEER Center are hosting a crucial webinar on the impacts of the OBBB reconciliation bill for researchers and scholars. docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Basic needs challenges are intersectional and interlocking—and they prevent students from actualizing their potential. By providing child care support for parenting students, we can support many of their needs at once.

This two-pager from our colleagues at @sheeoed.bsky.social provides an excellent case as to why state agencies across the country should invest in basic needs data.
sheeo.org/wp-content/u...

Our Senior Director Dr. Sara Abelson worked alongside some of our brilliant colleagues to create this succinct guide to what we know works for improving mental health in higher education: www.acenet.edu/Documents/Wh...

Half of college students say their mental health is ‘fair’ to ‘terrible,’ survey finds These issues may impact their trajectory, with large shares of learners reporting that they’re considering reducing their classload, transferring or dropping out.

Half of college students don’t have their mental health needs met. The good news? We can better support colleges in changing that. www.highereddive.com/news/half-of...

September is Student Parent Month—if we want to better support them, we need to first listen to them.

Throughout the month, we’ll share their answers to our survey question, “What does the world need to know about being a college student?”

Fighting Campus Fatigue UPCOMING: September 11, 2025 | 2 p.m. ET. Faculty and staff are stretched thin, with rising workloads, low morale, and growing burnout threatening retention across higher education. Discover practical...

To properly support students, we need to ensure faculty have their basic needs met too, including their mental health care. This webinar from @chronicle.com will give tips on how to help your faculty and staff avoid fatigue and burnout: www.chronicle.com/events/virtu...