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Future U Podcast – The Pulse of Higher Ed

Jeff Selingo and Michael Horn discuss what’s next for higher education and talk with the newsmakers you want to hear from most. Find the latest news and insights into the current trends in higher ed on the Future U. Podcast.

Copyright: © 2024 Future U Podcast

Latest Episodes:

The Busts in Buildings, AI, and College Presidencies Apr 07, 2026

Show notes

As winter thaws and spring arrives, Jeff and Michael reflect on six big issues facing higher education. First up, why they think the campus building boom is over — and what comes next. They also discuss how AI is changing both higher ed and the world of work; what recent scandals involving college presidents mean for the sustainability of that job; and why the finances of college sports just don’t add up. This episode is made with support from Ascendium Education Group.

Relevant Links:

“From Building to Stewardship,” by Jeff Selingo.

“Labor market impacts of AI: A new measure and early evidence,” by Anthropic.

“AI Isn’t Lightening Workloads. It’s Making Them More Intense,” in The Wall Street Journal.

“2026 Survey of College and University Presidents,” in Inside Higher Ed.

Chapters

0:00 - Intro

1:59 - The Campus Building Boom Is Over

4:30 - Moving to ‘Facilities Stewardship’

12:47 - Is Higher Ed Too Negative About AI?

17:47 - ‘AI-Native Universities Will Be Pretty Disruptive’

21:13 - Why the Cost of Acquiring Students Is Key

23:13 - New Report on How AI Is Changing Jobs

29:22 - What’s Happening With the University Presidency?

32:00 - New Survey of College Presidents

33:22 - Why the Finances of College Athletics Don’t Add Up

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The Sports Betting Madness on College Campuses Mar 24, 2026

Show notes

It’s March Madness, a prime time for college sports – and for sports betting. Some two-thirds of college students now bet on sports, and the meteoric rise in popularity brings a mix of tough challenges for campus leaders. On this episode, Jeff and Michael talk with two officials from the NCAA, Clint Hangebrauck and Mark Hicks, to understand why a rise in student gambling could become “the next big public health crisis” for campuses. This episode is supported exclusively by Ascendium Education Group.

Related Links

“U.S. sports betting: Where all 50 states stand on online sports betting sites,” in CBS Sports.

“Federal prosecutors charge 26 men with alleged conspiracy to manipulate college basketball games,” in The Athletic.

Suspensions, arrests and lifetime bans: A timeline of sports betting scandals since the repeal of PASPA,” in ESPN.

“NCAA won't allow pro sports betting by college athletes and staff amid gambling scandals,” in PBS NewsHour.“

‘Is This Insider Information?’ The Prediction Market Bets Driving a Campus Frenzy,” in The Wall Street Journal.

Chapters

0:00 - Sports Betting Is Suddenly Everywhere

2:10 - The Turning Point That Drove a Gambling Boom

3:11 - Scandals Threaten the Integrity of Games

3:53 - Why ‘Prop Bets’ Pose Threats for Athletes

4:44 - The NCAA’s Role and Introducing Our Guests

5:45 - Laying Out the Landscape of College Betting

8:37 - How Widespread Are Problems Related to Sports Betting?

12:07 - Why College Presidents Should Be Concerned About Gambling

15:56 - Which Sports or Schools Face the Biggest Impact of Sports Betting?

20:04 - Should Student Athletes Be Allowed to Bet on Pro Sports?

22:51 - What Should Colleges Do About Sports Betting?

25:15 - What Is the NCAA Doing to Protect Student Athletes?

29:40 - How NCAA Collaborates With Betting Companies

33:52 - What’s Next for Sports Betting?

36:42 - A Wake-Up Call to the Issue of Sports Betting

40:53 - Sports Betting Touches Many Parts of Campus

Connect with Michael Horn:

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Dream School: Finding the College That's Right for You

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How AI Could Transform, or Replace, the LMS Mar 10, 2026

Show notes

For 30 years now, colleges have relied on the Learning Management System, or LMS, as a key portal for professors and students to teach and learn. It's a tool that has helped colleges adapt to online learning and bring digital tools to classroom teaching. But generative AI seems poised to disrupt the LMS. And it’s unclear whether the LMS will evolve—or be replaced altogether. For this episode, Jeff and Michael talk with a pioneer of the technology, Matthew Pittinsky, about the lessons of past moments of tech disruption like the smartphone and cloud computing and about what could be different this time. This episode is made with support from Ascendium Education Group.

Relevant Links

The LMS at 30: From Course Management to Learning Management (At Last), by Matthew Pittinsky in OnTech.

LMS at 30 Part 2: Learning Management in the AI Era, by Matthew Pittinsky in OnTech.

“Pygmalion in the Classroom: Teacher Expectation and Pupils' Intellectual Development,” by Robert Rosenthal and Lenore Jacobson

“Two-Sigma Tutoring: Separating Science Fiction from Science Fact,” by Paul T. von Hippel in Education Next.

Chapters

0:00 - Intro

1:34 - How the LMS Became Key Infrastructure at Colleges

3:04 - What Was the Sales Pitch When the LMS First Emerged?

5:15 - Why Blackboard Bought Up So Many Competitors

7:36 - AI Will Disrupt LMS Even Though Previous Tech Didn’t

10:57 - Could AI Can Bring ‘Hogwarts Magical Study Aids’?

12:22 - Is the LMS Needed In an Age of AI?

14:14 - Should LMS Providers Build Guardrails to Prevent Cheat-Bots?

18:25 - What Lessons From the Past Can Help Respond to AI?

19:52 - A New Leader at Blackboard

21:06 - Sponsor Break

22:00 - How Faculty Are Key to Change

28:03 - Why Change From AI Might Be Discipline-Specific

34:50 - Lightning Round With Matt Pittinsky

Connect with Michael Horn:

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Higher Ed 101: Tenure Explained Mar 03, 2026

Show notes

Tenure is a defining feature of U.S. higher education, but these days the practice is in decline and under attack by critics. On this episode, Jeff and Michael talk with Jacques Berlinerblau, a Georgetown University professor who has written extensively about the tenure system, for an explainer on its colorful origins as well as a look at the dramatic changes that seem to be coming. This episode is made with support from Ascendium Education Group.

Chapters

0:00 - Intro

2:50 - The Colorful History of Tenure

8:14 - A Distinctly American System

9:14 - How Tenure Works

13:26 - What Is the Legal Nature of Tenure?

14:46 - Which Types of Colleges Use Tenure?

16:19 - Is Tenure Different in Different Disciplines?

18:52 - How Difficult Is It For Colleges to Dismiss a Tenured Faculty Member?

20:40 - Can Tenured Departments Be Eliminated for Lack of Student Demand?

22:57 - Complaints Against the Tenure System

24:43 - A Turning Point in the 1990s

31:43 - A Renewed Campaign to Erode Tenure

34:31 - How Professors Are Partly to Blame for Tenure’s Woes

37:33 - Will Only Elite Universities Keep Tenure?

38:49 - Are Younger Faculty As Excited About Tenure?

41:48 - What Can Professors Do in the Face of Tenure’s Erosion?

Relevant Links:

“1915 Declaration of Principles on Academic Freedom and Academic Tenure,” and a history of the American Association of University Professors.

“1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure,” from the American Association of University Professors.

"Professors Lay Dying: Selecting a College Amidst an Educational Crisis," by Jacques Berlinerblau

“They’ve Been Scheming to Cut Tenure for Years. It’s Happening,” by Jacques Berlinerblau in The Chronicle of Higher Education.

“Laboratories of Autocracy: A Wake-Up Call from Behind the Lines,” by David Pepper.

“The War on Tenure,” by Deepa Das Acevedo

Connect with Michael Horn:

Sign Up for the The Future of Education Newsletter

Connect with Jeff Selingo:

Dream School: Finding the College That's Right for You

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Connect with Future U:

Submit a question and if we answer it on air we'll send you Future U. swag!

Sign up for Future U. emails to get special updates and behind-the-scenes content.

Will a Flood of Credentials Threaten the Four-Year Degree? Feb 17, 2026

Show notes

Colleges and other providers have flooded the market with non-degree credentials in the past decade. But a recent analysis shows that only one in three credentials bring meaningful returns for graduates. Jeff and Michael talk with Matt Sigelman, president of the Burning Glass Institute, who is working to provide data to consumers and policymakers about the ROI of non-degree credentials. Given many of the returns of credentials come to those with traditional degrees already, the future of the degree and credentials are inextricably tied together. This episode is supported exclusively by Ascendium Education Group.

Chapters

0:00 - Intro

1:21 - Creating a Way to Measure Real-Time Labor Market Data

3:15 - Charting an Explosion of Non-Degree Credentials

7:14 - Helping Consumers Find Which Credentials Have Value

11:36 - What is the ROI of Non-Degree Credentials?

12:51 - How Could the Data on These Credentials Be Improved?

14:20 - The Challenge of Getting Data to Consumers

18:38 - Will Better Data Push Providers to Improve Degree Offerings?

20:52 - How Will Non-Degree Credentials Impact the Four-Year Degree?

24:25 - Sponsor Break

25:38 - Why Creating Measurement Tools Takes So Long

27:49 - New Credentials Could Increase the Value of the Four-Year Degree

30:02 - Providing Data Doesn’t Mean Students Will Use It

35:06 - Addressing the ‘AI Paralysis' in Hiring

39:53 - Lightning Round With Matt Sigelman

Relevant Links

“Counting Credentials 2025 Report,” by the nonprofit Credential Engine.

Credential Value Index Navigator by The Burning Glass Institute.

Education Quality Outcome Standards (EQOS), a collaboration of Jobs for the Future and The Burning Glass Institute.

Connect with Michael Horn:

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Connect with Jeff Selingo:

Dream School: Finding the College That's Right for You

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Connect with Future U:

Submit a question and if we answer it on air we'll send you Future U. swag!

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Inside the Role of College Trustees During Turbulent Times Feb 04, 2026

Show notes

College trustees consider more than just the monetary policies of universities. And former Brown University trustee Lauren Zalaznick is out with a new book that aims to humanize these often secretive roles with letters of reflection by Brown board members going back more than 100 years, some of them during other turbulent times in U.S. history. She brings the sensibility from her career as a television executive, when she led the Bravo network as it created The Real Housewives franchise and hits like Project Runway and Top Chef. Jeff and Michael talk to Zalaznick about her new book and her views on how colleges need to reassert their broader social value to meet this moment of crisis for higher ed. This episode is made with support from Ascendium Education Group.

Chapters

0:00 - Intro

4:05 - What Led to the Book of Trustee Letters?

6:40 - The Value of Sharing Once-Secret Letters

9:01 - A Reality TV Pioneer’s Interest in University History

11:34 - What Is the Role of University Trustees?

15:40 - The Case for Large University Boards

20:14 - Hearing From a Diversity of Voices

23:52 - From Rabble-Rousers to Trustees

26:42 - How Do College Boards Navigate All Those Diverse Voices?

31:24 - Reflecting on Brown University’s Deal with the Trump Administration

36:58 - Should Every College Adopt the Tradition of Sharing Reflections From Board Members?

41:55 - Sponsor Break

42:43 - How Important Is It That College Board Members Be Alums?

46:45 - Making the Board Feel Like a Team

49:54 - More on Trustees Who As Students Criticized Leadership

52:37 - Getting the Right Mix on a Board

54:03 - How Large Should a Board Be?

Relevant Links

“Letters from the Corporation of Brown University,” edited by Lauren Zalaznick.

“The Affluencer,” profile of Lauren Zalaznick in The New York Times.

“Navigating a Merger as a College Trustee,” past Future U episode.

Connect with Michael Horn:

Sign Up for the The Future of Education Newsletter

Connect with Jeff Selingo:

Dream School: Finding the College That's Right for You

Sign Up for the Next Newsletter

Connect with Future U:

Submit a question and if we answer it on air we'll send you Future U. swag!

Sign up for Future U. emails to get special updates and behind-the-scenes content.

Is Grade Inflation Deflating Trust in Schools? Jan 20, 2026

Show notes

To kick off 2026, Jeff and Michael weigh in on some key higher ed issues making headlines these days, starting with a deep dive into grade inflation at the nation’s colleges. A range of sources show that more students are getting A’s even as they are spending less time on schoolwork and deep reading. Meanwhile, AI is raising questions about the validity of college assessments when students can offload their work to chatbots. How can colleges respond? Other issues discussed include whether colleges should change what they teach as employers embrace AI, what types of colleges employers recruit from these days, and recent data on where online learning is most prevalent. This episode is made with support from Ascendium Education Group.

Chapters

0:00 - Introduction

1:34 - Are Those 2026 Coming True?

2:26 - Why Grade Inflation Is a Big Story Now

4:55 - How the Grade Inflation Issue Has Changed Since Al Franken Joked About It in 2002

6:43 - Why Professors Shouldn’t Grade the Students They Teach

8:38 - What If Mastery-Based Learning Upends Grading?

10:43 - Encouraging Students to Focus More on Feedback Than on Grades

12:16 - Has We Become an ‘Accomodations Nation’?

13:09 - Colleges Are Returning to Admissions Tests

15:01 - AI Could Help Admissions Officers Analyze Transcripts

19:17 - Are Elite Colleges Back at the Top of the List for Company Recruiters?

26:28 - Entry Into the Job Market Is Not Linear

27:55 - Sponsor Break

28:36 - What If AI Changes Nothing About What Students Need to Learn?

35:23 - New Data On Who Offers Online-Only Education

Relevant Links:

“Education Secretary Says She Wants to Shift Away From Higher Ed,” by Ryan Quinn in Inside Higher Ed.

“UC San Diego Sees Students’ Math Skills Plummet,” by Emma Whitford in Inside Higher Ed.

“High Grades are Presumably the Goal. So Why is Everyone Freaking Out?” by Michael Horn on Substack.

“Colleges Have Struggled To Curb Grade Inflation. Can Harvard Beat the Odds?” in the Harvard Crimson.

Sen. Al Franken’s 2002 Class Day speech at Harvard, from CSPAN.

“Accommodation Nation,” by Rose Horowitch in The Atlantic.

"Elite Colleges Are Back at the Top of the List for Company Recruiters.” by Lindsay Ellis in The Wall Street Journal.

“AI Changes Nothing About What Students Need to Learn,” by Rick Hess in Education Next.

“Fall 2024 IPEDS Data: Profile of US Higher Ed Online Education,” by Phil Hill In OnEdtech.

Connect with Michael Horn:

Sign Up for the The Future of Education Newsletter

Connect with Jeff Selingo:

Dream School: Finding the College That's Right for You

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Connect with Future U:

Submit a question and if we answer it on air we'll send you Future U. swag!

Sign up for Future U. emails to get special updates and behind-the-scenes content.

Why Don’t More Colleges Run Co-Op Programs? Jan 06, 2026

Show notes

Co-op programs are trending these days, with many colleges looking to offer students on-the-job experiences while taking classes. Jeff and Michael talk with Robert McMahan, president of Kettering University, which has a long-running co-op program for all students. He argues that more colleges could incorporate and scale the approach. But there are obstacles, both cultural and logistical. This episode is made with support from Ascendium Education Group.

Chapters

0:00 - Intro

1:44 - An Unusual History of a Co-op Model

3:28 - Kettering Presidents’ Path to University Leadership

6:17 - Why Colleges Should Think of Employers as Their Customers

11:23 - Why Colleges Can’t Learn Everything They Need On Campuses

17:17 - How Kettering University’s Co-op Model Differs Than Others

20:44 - Why Isn’t Kettering More Popular?

24:44 - What Is Keeping More Universities From Doing Co-op Programs?

29:30 - Sponsor Break

31:05 - How More Colleges Can Move to a Co-op Model

35:36 - Companies Don’t Have Enough Internships to Meet Demand

39:08 - Could There Be ‘31 Flavors’ of Experiential Learning?

41:50 - Will We See a Return of the Corporate University?

45:52 - Lightning Round With Robert McMahan

Links

“Colleges Teach Learning, but They’re Not Learning How to Survive,” by Robert McMahan in Fortune.

“Former Governor Dishes on Connecting Work and College,” past Future U episode.

Connect with Michael Horn:

Sign Up for the The Future of Education Newsletter

Connect with Jeff Selingo:

Dream School: Finding the College That's Right for You

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Connect with Future U:

Submit a question and if we answer it on air we'll send you Future U. swag!

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Resist or Reform? Vanderbilt’s Chancellor Speaks Out Dec 16, 2025

Show notes

Should colleges actively resist the Trump administration or find ways to engage and compromise? Vanderbilt University’s chancellor, Daniel Diermeier, has emerged as a leading example of engagement — facing a mix of cheers and jeers in the academy. Jeff and Michael talked with Diermeier about why he thinks higher education needs to change, and his ambitions to grow his institution’s prestige and research impact. This episode is made with support from Ascendium Education Group.

Relevant Links:

“Live from Milken: One-on-One with Bill Ackman,” preview Future U episode.

“Arizona State’s President Is Pulling Out All the Stops to Get on Trump’s Good Side,” in The New York Times.

“The Elite-University Presidents Who Despise One Another,” in The Atlantic.

“The (Not So) Quiet Schism Among Academic Leaders,” in The Chronicle of Higher Education.

“College-Age Jews Are Heading South,” in The Atlantic.

Chapters

0:00 - Introduction

2:07 - Why Vanderbilt’s Chancellor Stands Out in This Moment

4:46 - Is Vanderbilt Trying to Beat the Ivies?

7:23 - Why Vanderbilt Chose Dialogue With Trump Administration

10:06 - Did Higher Ed Get Too Comfortable?

11:12 - Are Higher Ed Institutions Up to the Challenge of Responding to Trump?

15:22 - What Daniel Diermeier Sees As Most Needed Reform for Higher Ed

17:40 - Will 'Resistance" by Colleges Hurt Federal Funding Broadly?

21:48 - Could the U.S. Lose the Lead In Higher Ed?

23:25 - Why Jewish Students are Flocking to Vanderbilt -

26:58 - A Plan for Expansion to Other Cities

29:03 - Sponsor Break

29:43 - Is Trump the Symptom or Cause of Higher Ed’s Challenges?

34:37 - A Rift Over How to Respond to Skepticism of College

37:40 - How Could the Research Process Be Reformed?

39:41 - The Fallout from October 7 Protests

43:40 - The Challenge of Political Diversity on Campus

49:37 - Can a New Group of Campuses Unseat the Ivy League?

52:06 - The Role of College Athletics in Campus Prestige

53:06 - A Regional Shift in Prominence

57:55 - Lightning Round With Daniel Diermeier

Connect with Michael Horn:

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Connect with Jeff Selingo:

Dream School: Finding the College That's Right for You

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Connect with Future U:

Submit a question and if we answer it on air we'll send you Future U. swag!

Sign up for Future U. emails to get special updates and behind-the-scenes content.

Takeaways from 2025 and Predictions for Next Year Dec 09, 2025

Show notes

As the year comes to a close, Jeff and Michael step back to review some themes from recent episodes. They home in on how to build innovative campus cultures, and how colleges can respond to AI. And they look ahead, offering predictions for higher ed for 2026. This episode is made with support from Ascendium Education Group, Adobe, and Butler University.

Relevant Links

“A Looming Crisis: New Analysis Shows Dozens of Well-Known Colleges Are Near Financial Trouble,”

Michael Horn and Steven Shulman

"The Financially Sustainable University,"

Jeff Denneen and Tom Dretler

Chapters

0:00 - Introduction

4:22 - A Case for Massive Experimentation

6:30 - Making Shared Governance an Asset

10:00 - Building Innovation Into Campus Culture

11:41 - Lessons From Silicon Valley

13:17 - What Parents Are Asking About AI at Colleges

14:54 - Importance of Experiential Learning

18:40 - How Liberal Arts Can Be Taught Differently in the AI Age

21:11 - Being Creative v. Being a Creator

22:20 - Time for Colleges to Step Back and Strategize About AI

28:00 - New Research Reveals Mid-Size Colleges Could At Financial Risk

33:43 - Understanding the Details of New Student Loan Caps

37:37 - Breaking Down the Latest Enrollment Numbers

40:07 - Michael’s Predictions for 2026

41:56 - Jeff’s Predictions for 2026

Connect with Michael Horn:

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Connect with Jeff Selingo:

Dream School: Finding the College That's Right for You

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Connect with Future U:

Submit a question and if we answer it on air we'll send you Future U. swag!

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