“Innovation” is one of those buzzwords that means everything and nothing. “Culture” is even harder to pin down. But in this episode of The Key, Inside Higher Ed’s news and analysis podcast, senior editor for special content Colleen Flaherty speaks with two people working hard to foster both on their campuses. In a panel discussion at the recent Digital Universities US event in Salt Lake City, Colleen spoke with Maricel Lawrence the innovation catalyst at Purdue Global and Kevin Yee special assis...
Jul 03, 2025•37 min•Ep. 165
This series of Voices of Student Success focuses on adult learners in higher education, the various challenges they face and successful support mechanisms to aid their retention and completion. Over 820,000 undergraduates are connected to the U.S. military, including those who are actively serving or enlisted in the National Guard, former service members and spouses or dependents of military servicemembers. The University of Texas at San Antonio, located in Military City USA , serves over 5,000 ...
Jun 26, 2025•26 min•Ep. 164
Throughout the first half of the year several colleges have announced hiring freezes and budget cuts in response to the Trump administration’s slashing of federal researching funding and general financial instability across the sector. And these cuts come after years of stagnating pay for faculty and staff. A recent CUPA HR analysis of salary data shows that across higher ed, employees are still being paid less in inflation-adjusted dollars than were before the pandemic. To help us understand wh...
Jun 18, 2025•40 min•Ep. 163
This season of Voices of Student Success, “Preparing Gen Z for Unknown Futures,” addresses challenges in readying young people for the next chapter of their lives in the face of large-scale global changes. As climate disasters become more frequent and severe, more institutions are investing in programs to address environmental changes and prepare students to engage in green careers. Clark University plans to launch its school of Climate, Environment and Society this fall, institutionalizing the ...
Jun 12, 2025•25 min•Ep. 162
Anxiety and depression are on the rise among college students driven, in part, by pressures to balance academics with personal, economic and family responsibilities. In this episode of The Key, Inside Higher Ed’s news and analysis podcast, two mental health leaders talk about how the current political climate and economic uncertainty are exacerbating the existing mental health challenges on campuses. Tara Harper, assistant vice president for student wellbeing and clinical operations at Lincoln U...
Jun 05, 2025•50 min•Ep. 161
This season of Voices of Student Success, “Preparing Gen Z for Unknown Futures,” addresses challenges in readying young people for the next chapter of their lives in the face of large-scale global changes. A workshop series at George Mason University in Virginia helps build students’ practical knowledge and well-being by giving them life advice and skills, such as how to change a tire. The program was created by Ethan Carter, associate director of programs, well-being and assessment, and support...
May 28, 2025•17 min•Ep. 160
Since the beginning of the second Trump administration, the American Council on Education has been early out of the gate in responding to the federal government’s onslaught of funding freezes, executive orders and threats to institutions. In February, ACE along with the Association of American Universities, the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, and other institutions sued the government over its decision to cap indirect costs at 15 percent for National Institutes of Health grant...
May 22, 2025•57 min•Ep. 159
This season of Voices of Student Success, “Preparing Gen Z for Unknown Futures,” addresses challenges in readying young people for the next chapter of their lives in the face of large-scale global changes. Encouraging students to engage with people who they disagree with can be a challenge for many in higher education. A class at the University of San Diego’s Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies put students on a train to crisscross the nation, encouraging them to speak across differences and en...
May 14, 2025•22 min•Ep. 158
Whether you’re a die-hard fan, sports curios or someone who sees college athletics as a very expensive distraction, you should know about the fundamental changes to NCAA policies because they will have profound impacts on institutions, students and even the future of U.S. Olympic teams. To help us make sense of the latest developments including name, image and likeness earnings, the transfer portal and the $2.8 billion anti-trust House settlement, Inside Higher Ed’s editor in chief Sara Custer s...
May 08, 2025•43 min•Ep. 157
Inside Higher Ed’s editor in chief, Sara Custer, speaks with IHE’s news editor Katherine Knott and reporters Liam Knox and Johanna Alonso about the executive orders, funding cuts and visa revocations of the last three months that have sent shockwaves through the higher education sector. Read more of Inside Higher Ed's coverage of Trump's first 100 days. This episode is sponsored by Strada Education Foundation....
May 01, 2025•46 min•Ep. 156
This season of Voices of Student Success, “Preparing Gen Z for Unknown Futures,” addresses challenges in readying young people for the next chapter of their lives in the face of large-scale global changes. The latest episode, featuring Handshake’s chief educational officer Christine Cruzvergara, discusses the current job market, graduating seniors’ perceptions of launching their careers and the role higher education can play in supporting students. Hosted by Inside Higher Ed Student Success Repo...
May 01, 2025•24 min•Ep. 155
In this episode of The Key, we turn the tables on host Sara Custer, editor in chief at Inside Higher Ed as she joins David Hummels, professor of economics and dean emeritus at Purdue University, and Jay Akridge, trustee chair in teaching and learning excellence, professor of agricultural economics and former provost at Purdue, in conversation with host Colleen Flaherty, senior editor, special content at Inside Higher Ed. They discuss the findings from the Inside Higher Ed/Hanover Research 2025 S...
Apr 24, 2025•1 hr•Ep. 154
This season of Voices of Student Success, “Preparing Gen Z for Unknown Futures,” addresses challenges in readying young people for the next chapter of their lives in the face of large-scale global changes. The latest episode addresses how digitalization has made it easier for young people to engage in unhealthy habits, including substance abuse, pathological gambling or social media addiction, compared to past generations. Amaura Kemmerer, director of clinical affairs for Uwill, discusses the ro...
Apr 16, 2025•24 min•Ep. 153
Many college leaders turned to civil discourse and dialogue programs in response to students protests that roiled campuses after the start of the Israel Hamas war. It’s work that they have been doing for decades, but a big question around these programs is: how do we know they’re working? That question led to Raj Vinnakota, president of the Institute for Citizens and Scholars, an 80-year old non-profit that works with leaders in higher education, business and philanthropy to equip young people w...
Apr 10, 2025•32 min•Ep. 152
This season of Voices of Student Success, “Preparing Gen Z for Unknown Futures,” addresses challenges in readying young people for the next chapter of their lives in the face of large-scale global changes. This episode focuses on the world of work and how experiential learning can provide students with a glimpse into professional careers and what they don’t know about work. Jane Swift , president of Education at Work, describes how private partners can help higher education meet workforce needs ...
Apr 02, 2025•43 min•Ep. 151
We’ve turned the page on the third month of the Trump administration and the White House has shown no signs of slowing down when it comes to actions that have direct impacts on higher education in this country. Linda McMahon was confirmed as education secretary and has made quick work of shrinking the size and influence of her department. At the same time the agency opened investigations into reports of antisemitism on dozens of college campuses and has threatened to withhold $400 million in fed...
Mar 27, 2025•50 min•Ep. 150
There are a few elements of the student lifecycle in higher education that are unavoidable, one being general education courses. While a majority of college students are unaware of support resources or unlikely to engage with all of them , each student must fulfill common core curriculum. For over a decade, the University of Louisville has offered an Oral Communication Success Guide for students in the public speaking general education course. Now a digital resource embedded in learning software...
Mar 19, 2025•25 min•Ep. 149
People across higher education are calling on college presidents to speak out against the onslaught of threats and funding caught imposed by the Trump administration. But that is just one kind of leadership. Jorge Burmicky, assistant professor in education leadership and policy studies in the school of education at Howard University, joins Sara Custer, editor in chief at Inside Higher Ed, for this episode of The Key. Burmicky's research focuses on the core competencies for the modern presidency ...
Mar 13, 2025•40 min•Ep. 148
Mental health is one of the greatest threats to student persistence and retention in higher education, but providing large-scale preventative and responsive mental health care is a looming challenge for colleges and universities. In addition to having sufficient clinicians and trained professionals to support students in need, finding ways to deliver wellness support to students before they’re in crisis is critical. One strategy is embedding mental health counselors into student spaces or academ...
Mar 05, 2025•40 min•Ep. 147
In this episode of The Key, Inside Higher Ed’s news and analysis podcast, editor in chief Sara Custer speaks with IHE’s news editor Katherine Knott about the policies, people and surprises from the first 30 days of the second Trump administration. They discuss the executive orders and actions that could have the most impact on higher ed and what pushback they’ve seen from the sector, as well as the people who Trump has tapped to lead the department. Katherine shares what has surprised her the mo...
Feb 27, 2025•37 min•Ep. 146
Having successful career outcomes is important for colleges and also for students, but getting students to engage in career services can feel like an uphill battle. Lebanon Valley College in Pennsylvania leaders decided to bring careers to students with an event called LVC Success Expo . During this day, LVC cancels classes so students can engage in an all-day career fair or meet with academic support staff to ensure their success in and after college. In this episode of Voices of Student Succes...
Feb 19, 2025•25 min•Ep. 144
At the beginning of February, the deadly L.A. wildfires were fully contained after burning for nearly a month. A few weeks ago we spoke with colleges in the city whose communities were upturned by the fires. Hundreds of students and staff had lost their homes and thousands more were displaced from evacuation zones. Now that the embers have died out, we wanted to check back in with one college to see how it is managing to rebuild. In this episode of The Key we speak with Ryan Cornner president of...
Feb 13, 2025•27 min•Ep. 145
Study abroad is tied to personal and professional growth for college students, but crossing the border can be an enormous hurdle for some learners or feel unattainable. A new initiative at Bucknell University in Pennsylvania seeks to empower and support first-generation and low-income students who are interested in experiential learning and study away through workshops, financial aid and mentorship. In this episode of Voices of Student Success, Chris Brown, Bucknell’s Andrew Hartman ‘71 & Jo...
Feb 05, 2025•24 min•Ep. 143
In the run up to the presidential inauguration on Jan. 20, Inside Higher Ed’s editor-in-chief Sara Custer and news editor Katherine Knott discuss what we know and what we don’t know about president-elect Trump’s policy agenda and how it could affect universities and colleges. Katherine and Sara discuss what sources are telling IHE reporters about incoming education secretary Linda McMahon and who the key players in the Republican-led Senate and House are. It's anyone's guess what the administrat...
Jan 15, 2025•23 min•Ep. 142
Highly customized admissions information and processes. Credit transfer evaluations that take minutes, not days or weeks. Precision tuition discounting estimates. Student success interventions informed by data gathered about students before they ever even applied to their institution. These are some of the ways that artificial intelligence is or may soon be improving the enrollment management experience for students, teams and institutions. That’s according to our recent panel discussion with ex...
Dec 23, 2024•56 min•Ep. 141
In his final days in the newsroom, editor and co-founder of Inside Higher Ed and host of The Key, Doug Lederman, sits down with editor-in-chief Sara Custer to discuss his nearly 40-year career in higher education and what he plans to do next. Doug talks about his work as a journalist over four decades, including leading Inside Higher Ed for the past 20 years. Doug shares what kept him up at night when he and Scott Jaschik started a new, independent media company in 2003 and the big breaks along ...
Dec 18, 2024•54 min•Ep. 140
College presidents don’t work in a bubble and there are a multitude of competing priorities jostling for their time and attention on a daily basis. It can be an overwhelming job, but having a guiding purpose behind every decision a president makes, the teams they form and the long-term strategies they develop can help keep leaders on the right track. How do they know which areas deserve their attention and which should be delegated to talented team members? How do they know they are making the r...
Dec 13, 2024•39 min•Ep. 139
Over the past two years, generative AI has blazed its way on to college campuses, first in the students’ hands and increasingly in the hands of administrators and instructors to improve campus operations and enrollment management, as well as teaching and learning. One of the greatest challenges of using generative AI in teaching is providing students with skills without interrupting the process of learning or introducing errors or misinformation. The University of Texas at Austin is in the initi...
Dec 11, 2024•31 min•Ep. 138
A recent IHE survey of university and college student success administrators found that they are confident in the quality of education their institution provides and say their college is effective in making student success an institutional priority. There are, however, still many areas where administrators say their institution can improve, with greater effort among faculty being the most common desired action. This episode of The Key explores the results of our survey and how they compare with ...
Dec 05, 2024•46 min•Ep. 137
A growing number of colleges and universities are integrating life design into the student experience to improve student well-being, academic pursuits and future planning beyond graduation. Life design, which originates from the 2016 book Designing Your Life, uses design thinking principles to help guide individuals as they navigate change and transition, ultimately helping them find meaning and purpose in their lives. In this episode of Voices of Student Success, Adrienne Ausdenmoore, assistant...
Nov 25, 2024•32 min•Ep. 136
