The Key with Inside Higher Ed

Robert Zemsky is a pioneer in market analysis of higher education and served as the founding director of the University of Pennsylvania’s Institute for Research on Higher Education, one of the country's leading public policy centers specializing in educational research and analysis. In this episode of The Key, Zemsky speaks with Inside Higher Ed's editor in chief Sara Custer about his biggest project yet: championing three-year bachelor's degrees in the U.S. He argues that higher education is seeing "product rejection" from students and that three-year degrees are the solution. But Bob is careful not to be proscriptive about how colleges develop shorter programs. His message to educators is: try it, you might like it.

News editor Katherine Knott joins editor in chief Sara Custer for an IHE newsroom updated on federal policy. Katherine shares what she expects will be on the agenda in the negotiated rule making for accreditation and how the department will run the process. At the time of recording the government was shut down, but Katherine explains how the budget bill awaiting passage in the House is far more generous to higher ed than the White House’s proposals. And rumors are swirling that the administration will unveil a second compact soon. Thanks to our partners The Gates Foundation for sponsoring this episode.

Best-selling author, Inside Higher Ed columnist and educator John Warner joins IHE’s editor in chief Sara Custer to discuss how institutions can continue to help students learn and grow when AI threatens to do everything for them. Read John’s IHE column “Just Visiting” Check out John’s latest book More Than Words: How to Think About Writing in the Age of AI

Collecting and analyzing student data and then acting on any findings to support student success is a struggle for many institutions. Often data is in the wrong format, inaccessible to the right teams or there are so many analytics colleges don’t know where to start. Many administrators also lack the data literacy needed to make accurate, data-informed decisions. In this episode, we’re sharing a discussion Inside Higher Ed Editor in Chief Sara Custer had with higher ed leaders at IHE’s Student Success 2025 event. Courtney Brown, vice-president of strategic impact and planning at the Lumina Foundation, Elliot Felix, the higher education advisory practice lead at Buro Happold and Mark Milliron the president of National University bring unique experiences and perspectives to the question of how institutions can be data-driven and student centered. This episode is sponsored by the Gates Foundation.

In the final Key episode of 2025, IHE’s news editor Katherine Knott and federal policy reporter Jessica Blake join editor in chief Sara Custer to discuss the three stories that encapsulate the year in state and federal policy.

In her final episode of Voices of Student Success, Inside Higher Ed reporter Ashley Mowreader walks through some of the latest trends in student success in higher education including generative artificial intelligence tools, mental health resources for students, affordability in higher education and internship requirements for students. Later, hear from Joshua Bay, Inside Higher Ed’s new Student Success reporter, who started Dec. 4. This episode is sponsored by TimelyCare.

This series of Voices of Student Success focuses on the use of generative artificial intelligence in higher education and how technology can support student success goals. Central New Mexico Community College is deploying a new AI-powered predictive analytics tool, CampusLens, part of CampusWorks, to improve data visibility in student retention, early alerts and career outcomes. In the latest episode of Voices of Student Success, Tracy Hartzler, president of Central New Mexico Community College, discusses the risks with taking on new tools, the college’s approach to change management and the need for more responsive data. Hosted by Inside Higher Ed Student Success reporter Ashley Mowreader, this episode is sponsored by TimelyCare. Read a transcript of the podcast here.

This series of Voices of Student Success focuses on the use of generative artificial intelligence in higher education and how technology can support student success goals. Since 2022, there’s been a surge in the number and types of applications using generative AI, but not all tools are the same. So how can faculty, staff and students learn to identify the differences and determine when it’s appropriate to leverage these tools? Colby College developed a platform, called Mule Chat, that allows users to explore several large language models, including ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and LLaMA. The platform provides a safe “on ramp” into GenAI usage and relies on student tutors to disseminate information to their peers. In the latest episode of Voices of Student Success, David Watts, the Director of Colby College's Davis Institute for Artificial Intelligence, and Michael Yankoski, Davis AI research and teaching scientist, discuss the college’s AI institute and how Mule Chat works. Hosted by Inside Higher Ed Student Success reporter Ashley Mowreader, this episode is sponsored by TimelyCare. Read a transcript.

In this episode, Katherine Knott, Inside Higher Ed’s news editor, is back to help us unpack the latest higher ed news out of Washington. She speaks with editor in chief Sara Custer about the Trump administration’s higher ed compact—who’s said no, who’s said yes please and who’s artfully dodging the question. We’ll give you the latest on the current round of negotiated rule making. Plus: the TRIO funding cuts affecting 40,000 students, UVA’s zero-dollar settlement that still cost them their president and looking for signs of life at the Department of Education. Track how institutions have responded to the Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education "Reading Between the Lines on Compact Responses", Inside Higher Ed, Oct. 24, 2025

This series of Voices of Student Success focuses on the use of generative artificial intelligence in higher education and how technology can support student success goals. A 2025 Inside Higher Ed survey of college provosts found that nearly 30 percent of respondents have reviewed curriculum to ensure that it will prepare students for AI in the workplace, and an additional 63 percent say they have plans to review curriculum for this purpose. Touro University in New York was an early adopter of AI-powered tools for experiential learning, encouraging faculty to integrate AI simulations into academic programs to advance students’ career success. In the latest episode of Voices of Student Success, Shlomo Argamon, associate provost for artificial intelligence at Touro, discusses the university policy for AI in the classroom, the need for faculty and staff development around AI and the risks of gamification of education. Hosted by Inside Higher Ed Student Success reporter Ashley Mowreader, this episode is sponsored by TimelyCare. Read a transcript of the podcast here.

Public scholarship is about more than just getting published. It’s about joining the public conversation at a time when expertise matters more than ever. In this episode of The Key, Philip Gray, Op-Ed Editor at The Los Angeles Times, and Susan D'Agostino, mathematician-turned-writer and columnist behind The Public Scholar at Inside Higher Ed join IHE’s editor in chief Sara Custer to pull back the current on what editors really want in submissions, what scholars get wrong and how to turn your expertise into compelling public writing. Read Susan's conversation with Phillip in The Public Scholar.

This series of Voices of Student Success focuses on the use of generative artificial intelligence in higher education and how technology can support student success goals. While AI tools have proliferated in education and workplace settings, not all tools are free or accessible to students and staff, which can create equity gaps regarding who is able to participate and learn new skills. To address this gap, San Diego State University leaders created an equitable AI alliance in partnership with the University of California San Diego and the San Diego Community College District. Together, the institutions work to address affordability and accessibility concerns for AI solutions, as well as share best practices, resources and expertise. In the latest episode of Voices of Student Success, James Frazee, San Diego State University’s chief information officer, discusses the alliance and SDSU’s approach to teaching AI skills to students. Hosted by Inside Higher Ed Student Success reporter Ashley Mowreader, this episode is sponsored by TimelyCare. Read a transcript of the podcast here.

In this episode of The Key, we're diving deep into what’s happening on Capitol Hill and inside the White House—and how it’s all affecting higher ed. Joining Sara Custer, IHE's editor in chief, is news editor Katherine Knott to unpack everything: the funding cuts hitting Minority Serving Institutions, restrictive policies upending life for international students and scholars, the latest twists in negotiated rule making around student borrowing, and yes—that Compact for Excellence in Higher Education everyone's talking about. Thank you to the Gates Foundation for sponsoring this episode.

This series of Voices of Student Success focuses on the use of generative artificial intelligence in higher education and how technology can support student success goals. Upward transfer is viewed as a mechanism to provide college students with an accessible and affordable onramp to higher education through two-year colleges, but breakdowns in the credit transfer process can hinder progress toward a student’s degree. A recent survey by Sova and the Beyond Transfer Policy Advisory Board found the average college student loses credits transferring between institutions and has to repeat courses they’ve already completed. Some students stop out of higher education altogether because transfer is too challenging. CourseWise is a new tool that seeks to mitigate some of these challenges by deploying AI to identify and predict transfer equivalencies using existing articulation agreements between institutions. So far, the tool has been adopted at over 120 colleges and universities, helping to provide a centralized database for credit transfer processes and automate course matching. In the most recent episode of Voices of Student Success, Joshua Pardos, an associate professor at the University of California, Berkeley, discusses how CourseWise works, the human elements of credit transfer and the need for reliable data in transfer. Hosted by Inside Higher Ed Student Success reporter Ashley Mowreader, this episode is sponsored by Strada Education Foundation. Read a transcript of the podcast here.

Beverly Daniel Tatum—two-time college president, New York Times bestselling author, and one of the country’s most influential voices on race and education – joins Inside Higher Ed’s editor in chief Sara Custer to discuss her latest book, College Leadership in Turbulent Times: Peril and Promise. Tatum shares lessons from her own leadership journey serving as president at Spelman College and serving as interim president at Mount Holyoke and dives into some of the biggest issues facing colleges today, from diversity equity and inclusion to politics and finances. Thanks to the Gates Foundation for sponsoring this episode.

This series of Voices of Student Success focuses on uses of generative artificial intelligence in higher education and how technology can support student success goals. As generative AI tools become more common, a growing number of young people turn first to chatbots when they have questions. A survey by the Associated Press found that among AI users, 70 percent of young Americans use the tools to search for information. For colleges and universities, this presents a new opportunity to reach students with curated, institution-specific resources via chatbots. In the most recent episode of Voices of Student Success, Jeanette Powers, executive director of the student hub at Western New England University, discusses the university’s chatbot, Spirit, powered by EdSights, and how the technology helps staff intervene when students are in distress. Hosted by Inside Higher Ed Student Success reporter Ashley Mowreader, this episode is sponsored by Strada Education Foundation. Read a transcript of the podcast here.

For more than 20 years, StoryCorps has been documenting conversations between Americans and broadcasting them on public radio. In 2017, StoryCorps launched One Small Step, a new project that pairs strangers on opposing sides of the political divide for one-on-one conversations. The organization is now bringing its initiative to college campuses. Dave Isay, the founder of StoryCorps, speaks with Sara Custer, Inside Higher Ed’s editor in chief, about the power of conversation and how seeing the common humanity in everyone can help foster understanding and belonging among students. Thanks to our partners The Gates Foundation for sponsoring this episode.

This series of Voices of Student Success focuses on adult learners in higher education, the various challenges they face as well as the successful support mechanisms employed to aid their retention and completion. Approximately 65 percent of the 1.2 million active duty service members of the U.S. Armed Forces have less than an associate degree-level of education, according to 2023 data; many of them hold some college credits but no degree. Federal aid programs make it accessible for military-affiliated students to enroll in college and earn a degree, but not every student is aware of academic interventions that can help them complete a credential sooner, including credit for prior learning. In the most recent episode of Voices of Student Success, three experts from the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education—senior fellows Matt Bergman and Dallas Kratzer, and Tracy Teater, associate director of adult learner attainment—discuss the state’s adult education attainment goals, challenges in CPL rollout and other models of success across the country. Hosted by Inside Higher Ed Student Success Reporter Ashley Mowreader, this episode is sponsored by Strada Education Foundation. Read a transcript of the podcast here.

In this episode of The Key, Jenny Billings, the program chair of Associate in Arts and division chair of English and study skills at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College in North Carolina tells IHE editor in chief Sara Custer about going through the stages of AI grief –from freaking out, to begrudging acceptance, to working with colleagues to figure out how to respond to eventually creating an institution-wide framework that teaches students how to use AI to enhance their learning. She’s seen improvements in retention and confidence among students in the developmental English program at Rowan-Cabarrus after they started using AI and the new model of telling all students how they can use approved AI tools has helped them have more open conversations with their professors. One of those AI tools is Grammarly and also joining us today is Jenny Maxwell, the head of higher education at Grammarly. She tells us how they’re developing tools that flip AI detection products on their heads and encourage students to engage more with their writing before they turn it in.

This series of Voices of Student Success focuses on adult learners in higher education, the various challenges they face as well as the successful support mechanisms employed to aid their retention and completion. Continuing education programs are one way for colleges and universities to provide targeted offerings and credentialing opportunities for alumni, adults in the region lacking postsecondary education and the local workforce. They also provide flexible support offerings, recognizing the competing identities and responsibilities adult learners hold. The School of Continuing and Professional Studies (CAPS) at Washington University in St. Louis houses certificate programs, undergraduate and graduate degrees, prison education initiatives and lifelong learning courses for adults in retirement. In the most recent episode of Voices of Student Success, Sean Armstrong, dean of the school of continuing and professional education, talks about the program’s goals and ways the school uplifts adult learners of all types. Hosted by Inside Higher Ed Student Success Reporter Ashley Mowreader, this episode is sponsored by Grammarly. Read a transcript of the podcast here.