In 1994, a movie called PCU opened in theaters to little fanfare. But three decades on, the cult classic feels like an on-the-nose satire of the kinds of identity politics, liberal extremism, and right-wing intolerance that fuel many of today’s hottest disputes in higher education. In a conversation with The Chronicle’s Jack Stripling, Zak Penn, a co-writer of PCU, talks about how the film looks in 2024. Later, Chronicle staff share their impressions of the movie.

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Guest: Zak Penn, a co-writer of PCU

For more on today’s episode, visit chronicle.com/collegematters. We aim to make transcripts available within a day of an episode’s publication.

Months after he’d announced his coming retirement as chancellor of the University of Wisconsin at La Crosse, Joe Gow made a fateful decision: He posted on the internet pornographic videos of himself and his wife. Wisconsin’s Board of Regents promptly fired him as chancellor and, more recently, terminated him as a tenured professor. His case presents some thorny First Amendment questions that are expected to play out in court. Meantime, Gow spoke with The Chronicle’s Jack Stripling about how he balanced his X-rated private hobby with his important public job — and what motivated him to release those videos.

Guest: Joe Gow, former chancellor of the University of Wisconsin at La Crosse

For more on today’s episode, visit chronicle.com/collegematters.

Office hours with an android? We’re not quite there yet, but the science-fiction future of higher education is closer than you might think. Thanks to a slew of new products known as courseware, college professors can practically run a class on autopilot.

Guest: Taylor Swaak, tech and innovation reporter at The Chronicle of Higher Education

For more on today’s episode, visit chronicle.com/collegematters. We aim to make transcripts available within a day of an episode’s publication.

Cap down. Earbuds in. Eyes on phones. Despite what you may see in college viewbooks, many students say they feel lonely on campus — isolated in dorm rooms or walled off in tech bubbles. But talking about student loneliness is a tricky issue for colleges.

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Guest: Alexander C. Kafka, senior editor at The Chronicle of Higher Education

For more on today’s episode, visit chronicle.com/collegematters.

During his September debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, former President Donald Trump amplified a debunked rumor that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were eating people’s pet cats and dogs. Soon, Wittenberg University, a private institution in Springfield, began receiving violent threats. Michael Frandsen, the university’s president, feared the worst — and got an education in the viral power of misinformation.

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Guest: Michael Frandsen, president of Wittenberg University

For more on today’s episode, visit chronicle.com/collegematters. We aim to make transcripts available within a day of an episode’s publication.

You may not have heard much about higher education in the presidential campaign, but it’s definitely on the ballot.

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Guest: Rick Seltzer, senior writer at The Chronicle of Higher Education

For more on today’s episode, visit chronicle.com/collegematters. We aim to make  transcripts available within a day of an episode’s publication.

Outside consultants are helping cash-strapped colleges cut majors, like foreign languages, that once seemed essential — and are taking the heat for those unpopular decisions.

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Guest: David Jesse, senior writer at The Chronicle of Higher Education

For more on today’s episode, visit chronicle.com/collegematters. We aim to make transcripts available within a day of an episode’s publication.

As president of the U. of Florida, Ben Sasse, a former U.S. senator, steered millions of dollars toward consultants and hired his Republican allies to serve in lucrative jobs. And he threw some expensive parties.

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Guest: Garrett Shanley, reporter for The Independent Florida Alligator / intern at The Chronicle of Higher Education

For more on today’s episode, visit chronicle.com/collegematters.

Would big-name universities pay a magazine to write puff pieces about them? You bet.

Guest: Francie Diep, senior reporter for The Chronicle of Higher Education 

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For more on today’s episode, visit chronicle.com/collegematters.

A feud among three professors inspired a debate over woke politics in academe.

Guest: Emma Pettit, senior reporter for The Chronicle of Higher Education

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For more on today's episode, visit chronicle.com/collegematters.