Daily News Roundup: Trump Budget Could Hit Arts Programs for Veterans

Fate of Arts Programs for Service Members in Question: The New York Times reports on the growth and success of federally funded arts-therapy programs that benefit members of the military and veterans. Supporters of the National Endowments for the Arts and the Humanities are citing the agencies’ support for programs for troops in lobbying Republican lawmakers to preserve the endowments, which President Trump’s budget targets for elimination.

George Lucas Doubles Down on Support for Diversity at USC Film School: Through his family foundation, the Star Wars filmmaker gave $10 million to an endowment at the Southern Cal’s School of Cinematic Arts that provides financial aid to African-American and Hispanic students, the Associated Press writes. The fund was launched last year with initial $10 million donation from Mr. Lucas, who also gave the university $175 million in 2006 to build a new complex for the film school.

Prison Education Programs Offer Inmates a Second Chance: NPR examines the role of programs that offer college education and professional training for prisoners and their role in reducing recidivism and boosting ex-inmates’ job prospects. The piece focuses on the highly selective Bard Prison Initiative, a privately funded program that has granted more than 375 degrees for incarcerated people in the New York penal system since 1999.

U. of Iowa Considers Merging Foundation and Alumni Association: The university’s president proposed establishing a single organization to more closely align the two fundraising entities, which now have “overlapping missions,” the Iowa City Press-Citizen reports. Other state universities, including Wisconsin, Ohio State, Connecticut, and the University of California at Los Angeles have shifted to a similarly integrated model.