Elissa Nadworny
Elissa Nadworny reports on all things college for NPR, following big stories like unprecedented enrollment declines, college affordability, the student debt crisis and workforce training. During the 2020-2021 academic year, she traveled to dozens of campuses to document what it was like to reopen during the coronavirus pandemic. Her work has won several awards including a 2020 Gracie Award for a story about student parents in college, a 2018 James Beard Award for a story about the Chinese-American population in the Mississippi Delta and a 2017 Edward R. Murrow Award for excellence in innovation.
Nadworny uses multiplatform storytelling – incorporating radio, print, comics, photojournalism, and video — to put students at the center of her coverage. Some favorite story adventures include crawling in the sewers below campus to test wastewater for the coronavirus, yearly deep-dives into the most popular high school plays and musicals and an epic search for the history behind her classroom skeleton.
Before joining NPR in 2014, Nadworny worked at Bloomberg News, reporting from the White House. A recipient of the McCormick National Security Journalism Scholarship, she spent four months reporting on U.S. international food aid for USA Today, traveling to Jordan to talk with Syrian refugees about food programs there.
Originally from Erie, Pa., Nadworny has a bachelor's degree in documentary film from Skidmore College and a master's degree in journalism from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.
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The Trump administration urges schools to reopen in the fall. Immigration and Customs Enforcement rules say international students can't stay in the U.S. if their schools are entirely online.
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College reopening plans all rely on one thing: students following the rules. Some experts worry that's too big of an ask.
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A recent change has led to some colleges hesitating to help students affected by the economic downturn.
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The College Board canceled the at-home fall SAT and asked admissions offices to be flexible about standardized tests. Colleges have not only complied, some even saying they'll do the same next year.
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High tuition, restrictions on travel and a potential semester online — about a quarter of students are rethinking their college plans, according to a recent survey. Many are thinking of a gap year.
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For In-Person College, Coronavirus Testing Will Be Key. But Is That Feasible?Colleges might be able to reopen their campuses if they're able to frequently test their students. But can they get tests --- and with budgets already squeezed, will they be able to afford it?
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Like so many sectors of the economy, higher education is taking a big hit from the pandemic. The U.S. Department of Education has so far distributed more than $10 billion in relief funds to colleges.
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Colleges around the country are expecting significant shortfalls — up to $1 billion for some universities. Many are turning to hiring freezes and layoffs despite rich endowments.
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AP Tests Begin Online And At Home — But Not For EveryoneThe college credit exams were moved online in response to the pandemic. But many students don't have Internet access at home. Up until Friday, one senior planned to take her tests in a parking lot.
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NPR's education reporter talks about what graduating seniors are going through right now as the colleges are closed due to the pandemic and answers their questions.