Enrollment at Tennessee's network of 13 community colleges is lower than it's been in more than 30 years.

• The statewide headcount dropped to 70,313 students this fall, continuing a pandemic-era decline.
• That is the system's lowest enrollment since 1990, and a drop of more than 18,000 students in just three years.

Why it matters: Softening interest in higher education could jeopardize the state's long-term goal of growing a college-educated workforce.

Flashback: The downturn has already had campus-level effects. Layoffs and buyouts hit some colleges earlier this year.

State of play: The Tennessee Board of Regents, which oversees the state’s community and technical colleges, discussed the latest enrollment trends Friday.

• Chancellor Flora Tydings acknowledged a daunting "enrollment cliff."
• Nearly half of the state's high school graduates are choosing not to go to college, according to data released in May.

Zoom in: Enrollment numbers for this fall are preliminary and could shift slightly as more courses begin. But they offer a sobering view of the challenges ahead.

• In addition to a decline among new high school graduates, there has been a drop in older adults enrolling.
• Losses have been especially steep among Black students enrolling as first-time freshmen, a population that has fallen 35% since 2019.

Yes, but: Nashville State Community College was a bright spot for the state. The school saw a 10% year-over-year jump in its freshman class this fall.

What they're saying: Nashville State president Shanna Jackson tells Axios growth among incoming freshmen is a "direct result" of partnerships with K-12 school systems in Nashville and Clarksville.

• The Better Together partnership with Nashville public schools seeks to streamline the student transition from high school to college.
• One of the initiatives under that umbrella is Nashville GRAD, a city program that offers scholarships for textbooks or transportation.

The big picture: Enrollment declines in Tennessee are part of a broader trend that has seen college attendance plummet nationwide.

For the past decade, Nashvillians have debated the boundaries of the Gulch.

• As the neighborhood took off, real estate marketers extended the trendy area practically from Charlotte Avenue to Wedgewood, creating new descriptions like North Gulch and South Gulch.
• Well, now we can settle this debate once and for all.

Our visual storytelling team at Axios came up with a game allowing you to draw the boundaries for the neighborhoods near downtown and compare your answers to those of other Axios readers.

How it works: Follow this link to the game on our website, select Nashville, then hit play!

• You'll get some instructions, and then play through, drawing five neighborhoods.
• If you're not familiar with a neighborhood, you can skip it, and we'll choose a different one for you to draw. There are more than five neighborhoods in the game, so you'll have to play more than once and skip around to draw all of them.
• At the end, you can compare your answers to the average of other Axios readers to see how similar or different your guesses were.

Don't forget: You can download images of your results to share them with friends and on social media, letting people know where you think your neighborhoods are!

Challenge a friend

Wynonna Judd is starting "a new chapter" after the death of her mother and singing partner Naomi Judd.

• In her first televised interview since Naomi died by suicide, Wynonna described wrestling with grief and anger.

What she's saying: "I did not know that she was at the place she was at when she ended it, because she had had episodes before and she got better," Wynonna said during a segment on "CBS Sunday Morning."

• "That's the challenge with mental illness. It's really, really mysterious."

State of play: Wynonna is launching a tour this week in her mother's memory. It was originally planned as a reunion of The Judds, but will now feature backup from a rotating cast of country stars.

• "I think it's important to do it," Wynonna said. "I feel like I have my marching orders."
• "I feel her nudging me. And sometimes I laugh, and sometimes I say, 'I really miss you. Why aren't you here so we can argue?'"

The bottom line: "I want to come out on stage and sing from my toenails a song that helps someone out in that audience," Wynonna said.

• "It's about me singing to help someone feel better. That's always in my spirit."

If you or someone you know may be considering suicide, contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741.

🏈 The Titans squeaked out a narrow and much-needed win against the Las Vegas Raiders. (Tennessean)

❗Middle Tennessee State University scored a stunning victory against Miami, the program's first-ever win over a ranked opponent. (CBS Sports)

📈 Tennessee football climbed to No. 8 in the latest Associated Press top 25 college football poll. (The Associated Press)

💼 See who's hiring around the city.

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Last week, Taylor Swift seemed destined to headline next year's Super Bowl halftime show.

Yes, but: Initial reports that she would headline were quickly scuttled, and the NFL announced yesterday that Rihanna will take the iconic gig.

• Swift reportedly turned down the job because she's still rerecording her Big Machine era albums.

The back-and-forth seeped into this week's Music Monday playlist, which features songs by Super Bowl halftime headliners — starting with Rihanna.

📬 Reply to let us know if any songs should be added, and make sure to like the playlist on Spotify.