Higher Ed Spotlight

Today, we’re turning our attention to the world of higher education in California — a state where, in 1960, a master plan for higher ed was released that was hailed as a model for other states. However, six decades later, it may need a critical update to tackle current challenges in access and affordability. Su Jin Jez, CEO of California Competes, joins us to discuss the issues facing California colleges and universities – from equity gaps to better support for adult learners – and how their response may have lessons for other states. A key issue she highlights is California’s need for a coordinating entity at the state level to address turf battles within the higher ed system.

This week we navigate the rocky terrain of the current Canadian higher education landscape with Alex Usher, the president of Higher Education Strategy Associates. The recent decision by the Canadian federal government to impose a cap on international student applications has reverberated across the student body, leading to internal conflicts among Canadian college leaders, including some pretty spicy name-calling. What’s driving this change in Canadian higher education? Could it signify trouble for the once-thriving trend of global student mobility? Alex unravels this complex and fascinating issue offering a clear, entertaining and, at times, shocking tale of the trials and tribulations of higher ed up north.

Despite some success in American Higher Ed's efforts to increase accessibility to degrees and credentials, completion rates continue to disappoint. With over 40 million Americans in the "some college no degree” population, it's clear that the focus must now shift to supporting higher ed students - including adult learners - throughout their journey. Courtney Brown, vice president of Impact and Planning at Lumina Foundation, joins us to explore strategies for addressing this issue and the necessary changes institutions and policymakers need to make to reverse this trend.

Welcome back to Higher Ed Spotlight, a podcast that explores the key questions shaping the future of higher education. In our third season, we continue to delve into major debates with the country’s leading thinkers, while also expanding our conversations internationally. Our biweekly podcast starts April 09, 2024. Hosted by veteran journalist and higher education policy expert Ben Wildavsky. Sponsored by Chegg’s Center for Digital Learning.

In this bonus episode, we turn the tables. Ben Wildavsky discusses his new book, The Career Arts: Making the Most of College, Credentials and Connections. He makes the case for why degrees still matter, despite the popular rhetoric calling for skills-based hiring. Goldie Blumenstyk, a veteran reporter for The Chronicle of Higher Education, guest hosts this episode. Higher Ed Spotlight is sponsored by Chegg’s Center for Digital Learning and aims to explore the future of higher education. It is produced by Antica Productions

Battles over free speech and the boundaries of civility are roiling college campuses. Rutgers President Jonathan Holloway sees these as high stakes issues connected to student learning and their engagement with citizenship and democracy. He and a group of 12 other college leaders are reiterating the importance of free speech, respectful debate, and civility at their institutions. Higher Ed Spotlight is sponsored by Chegg’s Center for Digital Learning and aims to explore the future of higher education. It is produced by Antica Productions.

Sally Kornbluth is the new president of MIT - probably the most prestigious STEM school around. But she also stands up for the arts and the humanities and champions their integration within the sciences. Sally believes that graduating students with great technical skills isn’t enough in today’s demanding job market, nor will rigid academic silos help us face our most pressing challenges, like climate change. Higher Ed Spotlight is sponsored by Chegg’s Center for Digital Learning and aims to explore the future of higher education. It is produced by Antica Productions.

The Biden administration recently urged 16 governors to rectify their state’s chronic underfunding of Historically Black Colleges and Universities - HBCUs. That underfunding reached hundreds of millions to, in some cases, billions of dollars. Darrick Hamilton is an Economics Professor and founding director of The New School’s Institute on Race, Power and Political Economy. He argues for the proper funding of HBCUs, especially in light of the Supreme Court’s decision to ban affirmative action in college admissions. In fact, he contends that HBCUs have done so much with so little, that a debt is owed to them. Higher Ed Spotlight is sponsored by Chegg’s Center for Digital Learning and aims to explore the future of higher education. It is produced by Antica Productions.

Peter Norvig is a big deal in AI. He’s currently at Stanford's Human-Centered AI Institute. But he built his reputation mainly at Google, where he helped shape the most powerful and widely used search engine today. What does an AI expert have to say about higher education’s adoption of new technologies, the dangers of AI-assisted cheating, and the bigger question of academia’s purpose? Higher Ed Spotlight is sponsored by Chegg’s Center for Digital Learning and aims to explore the future of higher education. It is produced by Antica Productions.

Arizona State University President Michael Crow is known as an education innovator and early tech adopter. Most recently, his university turned to Hollywood to revamp its intro biology labs into a full VR experience. How does he navigate the concerns and often reluctance of higher ed to innovate around learning and tech? Higher Ed Spotlight is sponsored by Chegg’s Center for Digital Learning and aims to explore the future of higher education. It is produced by Antica Productions.

Higher education is in trouble. A declining birthrate means fewer young people applying to college. But what if we did more to cater to older students and not just recent high school grads? Eloy Ortiz Oakley, the President of College Futures Foundation and former head of the California Community Colleges system, has been advocating for higher ed to pay attention to the needs of adult learners for decades now. Are they the answer to the enrollment cliff? Higher Ed Spotlight is sponsored by Chegg’s Center for Digital Learning and aims to explore the future of higher education. It is produced by Antica Productions.

As colleges and universities continue to debate the usefulness of admissions tests like the SAT, we talk to FairTest’s Akil Bello. He argues that admissions tests aren’t good indicators of student success and that the SAT has come to mean way more than it should within and outside of the walls of academia. Higher Ed Spotlight is sponsored by Chegg’s Center for Digital Learning and aims to explore the future of higher education. It is produced by Antica Productions.

Rachel Lipson is the co-editor of the new book “America’s Hidden Economic Engines: How Community Colleges Can Drive Shared Prosperity.” She shares what the five community colleges profiled in the book are getting right and how they’re fulfilling the institution’s promise of community economic growth and student career advancement. Higher Ed Spotlight is sponsored by Chegg’s Center for Digital Learning and aims to explore the future of higher education. It is produced by Antica Productions.

After almost 30 years, incarcerated students are once again eligible to receive Pell Grants. It’s a significant move with reverberations beyond prison. But providing college courses to incarcerated students isn’t easy. Andrea Cantora, Director of the University of Baltimore’s Second Chance College Program, sheds light on the importance of this move, the bipartisan shift it signals from punishment to rehabilitation, and what it’s like to teach in prison. Higher Ed Spotlight is sponsored by Chegg’s Center for Digital Learning and aims to explore the future of higher education. It is produced by Antica Productions.

“Universities on Fire: Higher Education in the Climate Crisis” is a provocative new book by author and futurist Bryan Alexander. He believes academia is uniquely poised to be a key player in the climate change debate and that the time has come for academics to step outside of the ivory tower and influence the public conversation. Higher Ed Spotlight is sponsored by Chegg’s Center for Digital Learning and aims to explore the future of higher education. It is produced by Antica Productions.

A wide ranging interview with the new President of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), Valerie Sheares Ashby. We touch on the legacy she’s inherited of inclusive excellence, what it takes to diversify STEM, and the challenges of leading a major state university in the current political climate. Higher Ed Spotlight is sponsored by Chegg’s Center for Digital Learning and aims to explore the future of higher education. It is produced by Antica Productions.

Susan D. Blum is one of a growing number of educators questioning the role of grades in learning. She’s a professor and the editor of “Ungrading: Why Rating Students Undermines Learning (and What to Do Instead).” She advocates for a sweeping pedagogical shift based on the practice of ‘ungrading’ - not assigning a number or letter value to a student’s work. Higher Ed Spotlight is sponsored by Chegg’s Center for Digital Learning and aims to explore the future of higher education. It is produced by Antica Productions.

The state of boys and men in higher education looks grim. That’s one of the key takeaways from Brookings fellow Richard Reeves’ latest book, “Of Boys and Men: Why the Modern Male Is Struggling, Why It Matters, and What to Do about It.” He discusses ways to help men and boys achieve equity in education, how focusing on men doesn’t mean you don’t care about women’s equality, and how ignoring men’s struggles can lead to further political polarization. Higher Ed Spotlight is sponsored by Chegg’s Center for Digital Learning and aims to explore the future of higher education. It is produced by Antica Productions.

Amit Sevak is the CEO of ETS - the leading testing organization behind the GRE and the College Board’s SAT. While higher education grapples with the role of tests in admissions, Amit defends the importance of assessments as crucial learning tools in and beyond the classroom, while also arguing for revolutionizing what they look like today. Higher Ed Spotlight is sponsored by Chegg’s Center for Digital Learning and aims to explore the future of higher education. It is produced by Antica Productions.

Sheila Sarem is the CEO and founder of Project Basta - an organization that builds the social capital of first generation graduates of color. Sheila argues that degrees aren’t translating into good first jobs for some because of a gap in social capital - the invisible networks, information, and informal coaching that some students have access to and that others don’t, depending on their background. It’s often the missing piece, including the ‘it’s not who you know but who knows you’ part of it, that helps kick start a career. Higher Ed Spotlight is sponsored by Chegg’s Center for Digital Learning and aims to explore the future of higher education. It is produced by Antica Productions.