Business

As the coronavirus pandemic and economic recession hammer food-insecure students, lawmakers in several states renew efforts to pass hunger-free campus legislation.

Governor-backed plan would merge state's public university and community college system boards in July. Budgets would be combined next year.

Proposed changes to the state aid program would make older students eligible for awards and loosen high school grade requirements.

Despite large gifts grabbing headlines, college fundraising faces major challenges amid the pandemic. Advancement officers at a historically Black university, a public land-grant university and a private liberal arts college adjusted their fundraising strategies to cope.

Endowments post lowest returns since 2016, but the slide isn't enough to keep 10-year averages from hitting a target.