As Chat GPT and other AI tools have garnered immense interest in the last few months, people have begun to wonder how these tools will impact higher ed: Will it represent the end of writing? Will we see a rampant rise in cheating? Or maybe these tools herald a new age of an improved quality of student work? Jeff and Michael pose these questions and more to computer science experts Charles Isbell of Georgia Institute of Technology College of Computing and Michael Littman of Brown University. This...
Apr 25, 2023•35 min•Ep 129•Transcript available on Metacast The role of Online Program Managers (OPMs) in the recruitment of students for online university programs has been a controversial issue, and one that is still up for debate. Michael and Jeff delve into OPMs, as well the federal government’s guidance on third party services, like OPMs, over the last few administrations. Relevant Links What's the OPM Episode? The Credential Cluster...
Apr 11, 2023•27 min•Ep 128•Transcript available on Metacast The digital economy has been driving job growth across the country for much of the last decade-plus. But nearly all of those jobs, no matter the industry, were created in major metropolitan areas. Michael and Jeff look at how one town and one university in Ohio can serve as a national blueprint for growing the rural economy. This episode made possible with support from Ascendium Education Group. Listen to more episode on our website at www.futureupodcast.com. Relevant Links Economic Impact of Ho...
Apr 04, 2023•24 min•Ep 127•Transcript available on Metacast As the Supreme Court prepares to rule on affirmative action yet again, the president of James Madison University, who played a key role as a lawyer in the University of Michigan's Supreme Court cases 20 years earlier, joins the show to offer historical perspective and an explanation of how the Court's decision could impact far more than just higher education admissions. This episode is made possible with support from Ascendium Education Group, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Course Hero...
Mar 28, 2023•45 min•Ep 126•Transcript available on Metacast New CDC data show that more than half of teenaged girls in the U.S. felt persistently sad or hopeless in 2021, but it's not just girls who are struggling. Lisa Damour, author of The Emotional Lives of Teenagers, breaks down the struggles of teenagers and the implications for colleges and universities from admissions to graduation and beyond. This episode is made possible with support from Ascendium Education Group, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Course Hero. Relevant Links The CDC repo...
Mar 14, 2023•53 min•Ep 125•Transcript available on Metacast The pandemic didn’t bring the wave of mergers and acquisitions that many in higher ed expected. Michael and Jeff talk with the head of Northeastern U’s M&A committee and an expert on M&A in health care and education about what’s next. This episode is made possible with support from Ascendium Education Group, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Course Hero. Listen to the March 2022 Future U episode on college consolidations at https://www.futureupodcast.com/episodes/is-consolidation-coming/ ...
Mar 07, 2023•44 min•Ep 124•Transcript available on Metacast Historically, rapid technological change sidelines unskilled or under-skilled workers. Michael and Jeff talk to the leaders of Merit America and the Marcy Lab School, two institutions providing an on-ramp to working adults who either never enrolled or dropped out of college. This episode is made possible with support from Ascendium Education Group. View More episodes on our website: www.FutureUPodcast.com
Feb 28, 2023•46 min•Ep 123•Transcript available on Metacast Back by popular demand: Reporters' Roundtable. Pam Kelley on how a motivational speaker and businessman turned around High Point University; Emma Pettit on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis's efforts to overhaul higher ed; and Paul Fain on the future of the bachelor degree. This episode made possible with sponsorship from Ascendium Education Group, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Course Hero. Relevant Links A Harbinger for 2023? Presentation College, a small private institution in South Dakota,...
Feb 14, 2023•41 min•Ep 122•Transcript available on Metacast A record 50.5 million Americans quit their jobs in 2022. Most left for offers of higher pay or the ability to work remotely. Higher Ed isn’t immune. Michael and Jeff talk with a former university human resource officer and a professor who studies how colleges manage their talent. This episode is made possible with sponsorship from Course Hero and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Relevant Links Jeff's article in The Atlantic on higher ed staff during the pandemic . "Right Now, Your Best Emplo...
Feb 07, 2023•40 min•Ep 121•Transcript available on Metacast Three years after the start of the pandemic, professors still report a disconcerting level of disconnection among students even as campuses return to “normal.” Michael and Jeff talk with MIT's former head of digital learning initiatives about what the science tells us on how to reach and teach students. This episode made possible with sponsorship from Course Hero. Relevant Links https://openlearning.mit.edu/ideas-designing-affordable-new-educational-institution...
Jan 24, 2023•34 min•Ep 120•Transcript available on Metacast We have come to accept there is no cure for rising costs in higher ed, so we treat the symptoms with measures like loan forgiveness. What are the root causes and what to do about them? Michael and Jeff ask two veterans of the college cost debate on this episode, made possible with support from Ascendium Education Group and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Jan 17, 2023•45 min•Ep 119•Transcript available on Metacast Some 1.5 million people are in state and federal prisons in the United States, but for more than two decades they haven’t been eligible for federal Pell Grants. That’s about to change on July 1, 2023, offering an opportunity for incarcerated people and colleges alike. Michael and Jeff talk with a scholar in prison education and a formerly incarcerated student who went on to earn his degree about providing meaningful rehabilitation through a college education. This episode made possible with supp...
Dec 20, 2022•42 min•Ep 118•Transcript available on Metacast Elite law schools are ditching the U.S. News rankings but what does it mean for the undergrad rankings? Also, Georgetown is making a bet on an online undergrad degree with Coursera. Plus, Michael asks about Jeff's piece for New York Magazine on the SATs. Send us your questions! This episode made possible with support from Course Hero, Ascendium Education Group, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Dec 13, 2022•25 min•Ep 117•Transcript available on Metacast About 91% of colleges understate or don't include the net price in their financial-aid offers to would-be students, the U.S. Government Accountability Office has found in a new report. We go into the archives for a 2019 episode when Rachel Fishman from New America joined us to discuss her research. With support from Ascendium Education Group and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Relevant Links: Report from GAO: https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-23-104708.pdf Wall Street Journal article: https://...
Dec 07, 2022•24 min•Ep 116•Transcript available on Metacast On the latest stop of Future U.'s campus tour, hosts Michael Horn and Jeff Selingo visit Bowie State University to speak with President Aminta Breaux, as well as faculty and administrators at the Maryland institution about increased enrollment at HBCUs, partnerships with employers, and student engagement. With support from Salesforce.org.
Dec 06, 2022•48 min•Ep 115•Transcript available on Metacast In a special episode recorded at The Chronicle of Higher Education Festival, Jeff Selingo and guest co-host Bridget Burns talk with three students about what has worked (and what hasn't) in their college experiences. With support from Ascendium Education Group, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Course Hero.
Nov 29, 2022•42 min•Ep 114•Transcript available on Metacast Penn State’s new president Neeli Bendapudi sits down with Jeff and Michael to talk about not only her personal leadership journey, but also shifting demographics, clear pullback in public financing of higher ed, college athletics, and more. With support from Course Hero and Ascendium Education Group.
Nov 15, 2022•44 min•Ep 113•Transcript available on Metacast In the second half of their conversation with Victoria Jackson and Matt Brown, Michael and Jeff dive into "Name Image Likeness," paying student athletes, and what shifting professional pathways to sports can mean for rethinking college athletics overall. This episode made possible with sponsorship from Course Hero and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Nov 08, 2022•39 min•Ep 112•Transcript available on Metacast So many headlines to parse this week: What the NYU brouhaha says about how we educate top students; how the coverage of ACT scores missed the real headline; and is it better to serve in the U.S. Senate or as a university president. Michael and Jeff break it all down. This episode made possible with support from Course Hero, Ascendium Education Group, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Relevant Links: NYU’s Firing of a Chemistry Professor Caused a Furor. Here’s What He Has to Say About It....
Nov 01, 2022•23 min•Ep 111•Transcript available on Metacast It's not often a university president talks about how degrees are being devalued and how higher education must align with workforce needs, but that's exactly what new Temple University president, Jason Wingard, does when he joins Jeff and Michael to discuss his book, “The College Devaluation Crisis," and what's next for Temple. This episode made possible with sponsorship from Ascendium Education Group, Course Hero, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Follow Future U on Twitter • LinkedIn...
Oct 25, 2022•56 min•Ep 110•Transcript available on Metacast With all the talk about the metaverse, Michael and Jeff examine where the latest bright shiny objects in edtech--augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR)--really stand when it to comes to transforming teaching and learning. This episode made possible with sponsorship from Course Hero. Follow Future U on Twitter • LinkedIn
Oct 11, 2022•47 min•Ep 109•Transcript available on Metacast The pandemic accelerated experimentation across industries, including education. Jeff Selingo interviews co-host Michael Horn about his new book called From Reopen to Reinvent: (Re)Creating School for Every Child. The book provides educators with practical examples and roadmaps for change in K-12, many of which can also be applied to higher ed. This episode made possible with sponsorship from Ascendium Education Group and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Purchase From Reopen to Reinvent: (Re...
Sep 27, 2022•38 min•Ep 108•Transcript available on Metacast It was bombshell news when the Big Ten announced this summer that UCLA and USC would be joining the conference in two years. Many think this latest edition of athletic conference realignment in higher ed has nothing to do with the wellbeing of students and it’s all about the money for their institutions. Reporter Matt Brown from The Athletic and Arizona State University sports historian Victoria Jackson break down why the conferences have so much power over the historical foundations of American...
Sep 20, 2022•41 min•Ep 107•Transcript available on Metacast Jeff and Michael discuss the current state of higher ed. The impact of economic conditions, a massive realignment of NCAA athletic conferences, the great resignation, and how to re-engage students in their learning after the last academic year are just some topics they'll investigate in Season 6. This episode made possible with sponsorship from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Ascendium Education Group. Relevant Links From Reopen to Reinvent: (Re)Creating School for Every Child Hardcover ...
Sep 06, 2022•38 min•Ep 106•Transcript available on Metacast Tune in for the Season 5 finale of the Future U podcast, as hosts Jeff Selingo and Michael Horn reflect on the challenges and changes in higher ed as the country emerges from the pandemic, the end of federal stimulus dollars, the podcast's 100th episode, and the Future U. campus tour. Listen to their predictions for the coming year, and get ready for a new season this fall, as the podcast hits the road again with a visit to Bowie State University. Relevant Links: Education Needs to Strengthen It...
Jun 28, 2022•22 min•Ep 105•Transcript available on Metacast On the campus of Georgia Tech, Future U. host Michael Horn and guest host Aimée Eubanks Davis talk with Georgia Tech's President Ángel Cabrera, Emory University's President Greg Fenves, and members of both communities on strengthening student wellbeing, the role of an urban campus, and the impact of research universities. President Ángel Cabrera, Georgia Tech President Gregory L. Fenves, Emory University Dean Charles Isbell, College of Computing, Georgia Tech Joyelle Harris, Faculty Director, Ge...
Jun 14, 2022•59 min•Ep 104•Transcript available on Metacast Two storied Jesuit institutions, the College of Holy Cross and Fordham Universities, have their first lay presidents. But Vincent Rougeau and Tania Tetlow are also both trained lawyers and each one respectively is the first Black president and first woman president to lead their institutions. Michael and Jeff welcome Vince and Tania to the podcast. Relevant Links: The future(s) of public higher education: How state universities can survive–and thrive–in a new era Choosing College: How to Make B...
May 31, 2022•45 min•Ep 103•Transcript available on Metacast The second stop of the Future U campus tour took hosts Jeff Selingo and Michael Horn to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Chancellor Gene Block and a panel of guests from the UCLA community fielded questions about the impact of university size on access, a flexible student experience, and the future of the higher education workforce. With support from Salesforce.org . Learn more about the podcast at futureupodcast.com
May 17, 2022•50 min•Ep 102•Transcript available on Metacast Given all we hear about the pandemic, learning loss, and mental health issues in K-12, how will Covid-era kids fare as they leave high school behind, and what will the ripple effect be on colleges and universities over the next decade-plus? Relevant Links: The Stolen Year: How COVID Changed Children's Lives, and Where We Go Now , Anya Kamentez From Reopen to Reinvent Rethinking Student Success Strategies for Engaging Learners in a Post-Pandemic Era by Jeff Selingo...
May 03, 2022•32 min•Ep 101•Transcript available on Metacast Michael and Jeff celebrate the 100th episode of the podcast, with its origin story, some themes that have emerged in five seasons, and lots of predictions from previous guests and our listeners.
Apr 19, 2022•40 min•Ep 100•Transcript available on Metacast 
