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.
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New CDC data show that more than half of teenage 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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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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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.
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