Future U Podcast - The Pulse of Higher Ed

Latest Episodes:

Higher Ed’s Role in Growing Rural Economies Apr 04, 2023

Show notes

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.

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Economic Impact of Hospitals and Higher Education Institutions Revealed in New Tool from the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia

The Affirmative Action Conversation Colleges Should Be Having Mar 28, 2023

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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.

Will the Teens Be OK? Mar 14, 2023

Show notes

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 report on increased sadness and exposure to violence among teen girls and LGBQ+ youth

Lisa Damour’s latest book, The Emotional Lives of Teenagers

Lisa’s podcast on the psychology of parenting

A Looming Wave of Mergers and Acquisitions Mar 07, 2023

Show notes

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/

Higher Ed Dive is tracking closings, mergers, acquisitions and other consolidation among public and private nonprofit institutions from 2016 to the present: https://www.highereddive.com/news/how-many-colleges-and-universities-have-closed-since-2016/539379/

Fitch Ratings anticipates a deteriorating credit environment for U.S. Public Finance Higher Education in 2023 relative to 2022.

A new study from researchers at Harvard University and the National Bureau of Economic Research finds that health system mergers only marginally improve the quality of care, but at significantly higher cost.

In the late 1990s, several members of Congress made a push for cost controls in higher education. To learn more, listen to Episode 119 of Future U for our interview with Bill Troutt, former chair of the National Commission on the Cost of Higher Education who's also President Emeritus of Rhodes College in Tennessee, and Harvard economist Susan Dynarski.

Short, Affordable Alternatives to College Feb 28, 2023

Show notes

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

Reporters Roundtable: Florida, Amenities U. and the Future of the BA. Feb 14, 2023

Show notes

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, has announced its plans to close due to "slumping enrollment and rising costs."

How to Sell a University -- An examination of High Point University President Nido Qubein turned HIgh Point University around "wow" amenities, flag-waving patriotism and a focus on life skills.

High Point's Controversial New Law Dean Speaks Out (Sort Of) -- Critics of former North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark Martin say he needs to take responsibilty for his role in fighting the 2020 election outcomes.

DeSantis's Higher-Ed Push Just Got Bigger. Fresh Resistance is Starting to Bubble Up -- DeSantis announced a wide-ranging plan that includes greater authority for boards and college presidents to hire and fire, including tenured faculty members

What is Happening in Florida? -- Demands for diversity data, a governing-board overhaul, and a pledge to strip "trendy ideology" from higher ed. Is Ron DeSantis just getting started?

DeSantis Asked Florida Universities to Detail their Their University Spending. Here's How They Answered -- The amounts the state’s public universities reported spending on diversity and critical race theory came out to 1 percent or less of their overall budgets.

Pennsylvania is axing its college degree requirement for 65,000 state jobs, calling it an "arbitrary requirement" Measuring the returns on college -- Paul Fain examines several studies on the value of college credentials.

A 'Divorce' Creates Florida's 11th University -- Jeff's 2001 article on the creation of New College of Florida.

The Rich-Poor Gap Widens for College Students -- Jeff's 2006 article on the growing divide between students.

Great Resignation in Higher Ed Feb 07, 2023

Show notes

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 Employees Are Eyeing the Exits," The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Book: Involving Colleges: Successful Approaches to Fostering Student Learning and Development Outside the Classroom.

Re-engaging Students after Covid Jan 24, 2023

Show notes

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

Solving the Problem of College Costs Jan 17, 2023

Show notes

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.

The Expansion of Pell Grants Dec 20, 2022

Show notes

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 support from Ascendium Education Group

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