Open Campus

Mission

Open Campus is a nonprofit news organization focused on higher education, career and college readiness and workforce development. We combine the sophistication of a national newsroom that knows a topic very deeply with the engagement of local newsrooms that know communities very deeply to produce impactful journalism across the country. All of our reporting is done through an equity lens.

About our journalism

There are gaps in both where higher education is being covered and in what about higher education is being covered. In most major American cities, no reporter is dedicated to covering colleges. Of the top 50 media markets, only about one-third have a reporter who is focused primarily on higher ed.

At the national level, much of the coverage is focused on elite colleges and a small handful of issues. But most Americans go to college within 50 miles of home, and how well community colleges, regional publics, and state flagships serve them and their communities matters. This limited coverage fuels a disconnect and distrust that many Americans feel about their colleges. Colleges are central actors in many aspects of society — in social mobility, racial equity, and economic development. Limited coverage of how well they are fulfilling their missions fuels a disconnect between them and employers, civic leaders, and citizens.