A number of recent studies reveal a lack of confidence in the role of higher education in preparing students for the workforce.  Misgivings about the efficacy of higher education come in large part from the conflicting perspectives of employers, students, and even within the higher education community itself, on the value of education in society. In this episode I’ll look at several of these studies and examine the decisions that will need to be made to keep higher education a relevant and viable part of the education to workforce pipeline.  In short, there will need to be coordinated decisions about who does what, where and when.  As we’ll see, it’s easier said than done.

EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network

Hi, nice weather, eh? How about those Cubs?  Oh, by the way, have you heard?  The art of small talk is on the verge of extinction. Apparently, recent generations have replaced much of casual conversation with texts, Instagram and TikTok. But now they claim to be struggling with face to face interactions in personal and professional situations and are looking for help.  But is small talk really the problem? I don’t think so.  In this episode I’ll connect the dots from conversational ineptitude to widespread cultural clumsiness and look at some root causes.

EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network

Why does the whole issue of student loan forgiveness seem to be dragging on endlessly?  What has been happening and where is the whole process now?  In this episode I’ll review previous efforts and look at how we got to where we are now—in negotiated rulemaking. I’ll look at what negotiated rulemaking is, how it works, and where it is likely to end up. 

EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network

In every election cycle we are subjected to discussions about whether we should abolish the Department of Education. Are there substantive issues here, or are we all attending a football game where education is the football and the playing field is politics? In this episode I’ll look at the major issues that are raised.  Why would we want to abolish ED, how would that be done, and what would that mean?  Join me at the stadium see how this game is played.

EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network

Have you ever wondered why change in higher education seems to be so different from change in other sectors of society? Recently there has been discussion concerning whether changes in higher education like community colleges offering four-year degrees, shorter time to degree completion, and yes, online delivery are eroding academic rigor. But why we would assume that innovation and creativity would affect academic rigor at all?   I don’t think that advances in transportation like autos, trains or air travel impeded the progress of that industry.  And the development of incandescent and LED lights don’t seem to have impacted our lives negatively.  What makes higher education different?  The short answer is, “Nothing.”  At least it shouldn’t. In this episode I’ll explore the resistance to change in higher education and how  the shackles of complexity can be cast off to move higher education forward. And (surprise!) I’ll give an example of how it was already done once!

EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network.

 As 2023 winds down, I’ll take a look at some of the conspicuous issues that occupied higher education and what they portend for the future. I’ll start with some sage advice about how to better understand these concerns by filtering out the noise introduced by influences like social media, political posture, and the general proximity of lots of misinformation on the internet. It’s actually pretty simple.  Then I’ll apply this counsel to current issues, including legislation affecting higher education, DEI, and political rhetoric.  It’s action-packed and thrill-a-minute, so don’t miss it.

EdUp insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network.

The value and place of the humanities have been questioned as higher education looks to adapt itself to the priorities of a dynamic society.  In this episode I will argue that the value is in some measure dependent upon the place.  Specifically, higher ed has allowed the humanities to become an amorphous amalgam of disciplines that are difficult to identify or define as a cohesive set of subjects that are of consequence to the academy or to the general public. I’ll take one specific example, literary studies, and put it into the context of why the humanities in general don’t get no respect. My contention is that there is no “house” where the humanities reside as a clearly defined, integrated set of subdisciplines, like, for instance, business.  How can this happen?  Drop in and find out.

EdUp insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network.

Higher education has a unique ability to act for the benefit of the pubic good, if can stand above the fray.  It should not, therefore, permit itself to be diverted into playing the role of a second-rate political force or influence.   In this episode I’ll look at how higher education can be a platform that challenges social values and policies without encouraging, fostering, or worse—participating in—chaos. Higher education is not a club, a trade association, or a lobby. Can it can encourage and accommodate a diversity of opinions without taking a public stance on societal issue?  Should it? We can learn a lot about this from a seminal report from the 1960’s, another turbulent time.  You may be surprised how higher ed can remain relevant and constructive now, as it was then.

EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast network.

American culture is struggling with a variety of influences today that affect its ability to define a strategy to move the country forward in productive ways.  The tensions produced by wokeism, political ideology, and cancel culture are magnified through the lens of social media. This, in turn, impedes our ability to develop a cohesive culture that can drive a rational and focused strategy for advancing the national interest.  In this episode I’ll look at the alignment of culture and strategy generally, and how higher education can cut through societal dysfunction and its own cultural dissonance to develop a unified culture and strategy. 

EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast network

In the last episode I looked at external factors influencing change in higher education. But there are also internal tensions that exacerbate the current turmoil and encumber higher ed’s ability to remain connected and relevant to society.  In this episode I’ll look at one of the chief offenders: the management structure of higher education. I’ll explain how the current structure—which also the old structure—is out of step with the rest of the business model that is driving the American economy, and why this is a bad thing for higher education.  In particular I’ll look at the tension between administration and faculty that frustrates both sides and hampers the constructive evolution of the higher ed community.

EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network