Future U Podcast - The Pulse of Higher Ed

By Jeff Selingo, Michael Horn

What's Future U Podcast - The Pulse of Higher Ed about?

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.

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Future U Podcast - The Pulse of Higher Ed episodes:

04.23.2024
Fighting for Free Speech on Campus
In this thought-provoking episode of Future U., we sit down with Greg Lukianoff, president and CEO of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) and co-author of the bestselling book "The Coddling of the American Mind," as well as...
04.09.2024
The Wild West of Dual Enrollment: Its Growth, Benefits, and Drawbacks
In this episode, Jeff and Michael dive into the complex world of dual enrollment, examining its rapid growth, potential benefits, and emerging challenges. They speak with John Fink, a senior research associate at the Community College Research Center, to understand...
03.26.2024
Apprenticeship in America: Rethinking the Role of Community Colleges
More and more business leaders, policy makers, and educators are looking to apprenticeships to prepare the American workforce for in-demand careers. The US system leans on its community colleges to facilitate these programs, but they have not always been the...
03.12.2024
The Simplified FAFSA’s Complicated Rollout
Michael and Jeff go deep on the revised FAFSA and the challenges encountered in its rollout. They sat down with Andrew LaCasse, who helped develop the simplified FAFSA in his former role as a senior education policy advisor on the...
03.05.2024
Testing, Athlete Labor & the FAFSA
Jeff and Michael dive into the higher ed acronyms that have been in the headlines these past few weeks: SAT/ACT, NLRB, and FAFSA. What's next for test-optional after announcements from Dartmouth and Yale; what does it mean that the Dartmouth...
02.20.2024
The Future of the Ph.D.
Hosts Jeff and Michael are joined by Len Cassuto, an author and professor at Fordham University, and focus their conversation on the role of Ph.D. students and what the challenges in that part of academia might mean for higher ed....
02.06.2024
“College Unbound” from the Traditional Model
Last season, Jeff and Michael explored the reinstatement of the Pell Grant for incarcerated learners. The question now is what’s next for these learners and where can they actually get to use their federal funds? In this episode, Jeff and...
01.30.2024
Reporters Roundtable: Enrollment, Loan Forgiveness, & FAFSA Simplified
The Hechinger Report’s Jon Marcus and Chris Quintana of USA Today join hosts Jeff and Michael for a roundtable discussion to talk about recent headlines in higher ed. Jon discusses the impact of lower birth rates in Japan on university...
01.16.2024
Student Success 2.0
How do you engage learners in the post-pandemic age? Hosts Jeff Selingo and Michael Horn are joined by Carrie Bartek, from Wake Technical Community College, and Randi Harris, from Portland State University, to ask some important questions: What has changed...
01.09.2024
How Small Schools Can Thrive As Higher Ed Changes
To kick off the new year, host Jeff Selingo welcomes Lynn Perry Wooten, President of Simmons University, for a conversation on the unique position of smaller universities in higher education. They discuss some vital concerns facing smaller universities like Simmons,...
12.19.2023
Season 7 Midterm Report
Hosts Jeff Selingo and Michael Horn wrap up 2023 by discussing some headlines in higher ed, including the reaction on campuses to the Israel-Hamas War, the big changes afoot at 2U, and more college closures. The episode is sponsored by...
12.12.2023
The Role of Higher Ed in the American Dream
New York Times columnist and author David Leonhardt discusses his new book, “Ours Was The Shining Future: The Story of the American Dream." In his conversation with Michael and Jeff, they talk about the impact of the high-school movement on...
11.28.2023
Visiting Michigan: Balancing Local Impact with Global Reach
Jeff Selingo and Michael Horn take their conversation on the road with another stop on the Future U. Campus Tour, this time visiting the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. They sat down with president Santa Ono to discuss the...
11.20.2023
Leveraging Apprenticeships to Bolster the Rural Talent Pipeline: Part 2
In Part 2 of our conversation with Mallory Dwinal-Palisch, Chancellor of Reach University, we discuss why their model of the apprenticeship teacher is better than the traditional student-teacher model, how public universities that historically educated the bulk of teachers are...
11.14.2023
Leveraging Apprenticeships to Bolster the Rural Talent Pipeline: Part 1
In too many rural areas, workers lack access to affordable training pathways to high-quality jobs. Jeff and Michael sit down with Mallory Dwinal-Palisch, Chancellor of Reach University, to learn about how Reach is addressing this challenge with an apprenticeship approach...
11.08.2023
How Colleges Can Cultivate Relationships to Improve the Student Experience
Author Ana Homayoun joins hosts Jeff Selingo and Michael Horn to discuss her new book "Erasing the Finish Line: The New Blueprint for Success Beyond Grades and College Admission." They ask what other measures for success should we consider for...
10.31.2023
Future of Online Ed
Jeff and Michael are joined by the CEOs of Academic Partnerships, Fernando Bleichmar, and Coursera, Jeff Maggioncalda, to talk about the future of online learning, including a new study on ROI, the role of degrees vs. credentials in the job...
10.17.2023
Deep into Data Analytics
In this episode, hosts Jeff Selingo and Michael Horn delve into the world of data analytics, as they discuss the evolution of data science needs across various industries and how universities are preparing students to meet those needs in the...
10.03.2023
Community Colleges, the Value of Degrees, and Changes in Admissions
Jeff Selingo and Michael Horn review recent headlines around higher ed before they speak in person to a community college board at a retreat in Sun Valley, Idaho. They compare the different value propositions of two- and four-year colleges...
09.19.2023
Building Resilience in Students, Deliberately
Hosts Jeff and Michael are joined by President Jim Gash of Pepperdine University to discuss student resilience and mental health and Pepperdine’s attempt to proactively support students through its RISE (Resilience-Informed Skills Education) program. President Gash also spoke about the impact...
09.07.2023
Demise of Pac-12, Campus Spending, and DeSantis at Yale
In the Season 7 kickoff episode of Future U, Jeff and Michael discuss the 'new normal' in higher education by digging into the summer headlines exploring enrollment losses, haves vs have-nots among campuses, and skepticism toward institutions. Michael weighs in...
07.18.2023
Promoting Belonging in Diverse Classrooms
In this special episode of the Future U Podcast, hosts Michael Horn and Jeff Selingo engage in a lively conversation with faculty members Crystal White from the University of Memphis, and Stephanie Speicher from Weber State University. The discussion, sponsored...
06.20.2023
Season 6: Final Report
Jeff and Michael look back on Season 6 and the stories they’ve covered, from college rankings and affirmative action to religion and student mental health. They each pick their favorite episode from this season and make predictions for what the...
06.14.2023
Visiting Marymount: Liberal Arts Education and What Really Prepares Students for the Future
On the Marymount University campus, Michael speaks with University President Irma Becerra about the university's decision to incorporate the liberal arts in the context of high-demand programs that result in jobs, while Jeff fields a panel discussion on how to...
06.06.2023
Higher Ed 101: Accreditation Explained
Far too often, individuals in higher education don't understand the nuances of how accreditors operate and the role they play in supporting—or constraining—institutions. Jeff and Michael welcome Barbara Brittingham, former president of the New England Commission on Higher Education, to...
05.30.2023
Religion and Higher Education
Even as higher education in America has its roots in religion, over the centuries it's drifted away from those beginnings. And yet, as our guest informs us, enrollment at religious higher ed institutions has actually risen over the past 20...
05.24.2023
Learner Mobility and Transfer in Higher Ed
In a discussion with George Mason University president Dr. Gregory Washington, Jeff and Michael delve into a few ways to get to and through college: programs that allow students to more seamlessly move from community college to four-year college programs,...
05.16.2023
Future U Live from NAIS
At the recent National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) annual meeting, Debra Wilson, the incoming president of the NAIS, flips the script and interviews Jeff and Michael about key takeaways from the pandemic for schools and higher education, how mental...
05.09.2023
Do College Rankings Matter and is a Bachelor’s Degree Even Worth It?
It’s often a forgone conclusion that you should not only go to a four-year college, but also that the better the university’s ranking, the better you’ll do in life. On this episode, Jeff and Michael dig into the data behind...
05.02.2023
A Look Back at Governor Jeb Bush’s Florida Higher Ed Policies
With Florida politics and the current governor’s recent moves in higher ed attracting so much attention, we caught up with former Florida Governor Jeb Bush to add context to the current debates. Bush reflected on his own experiences, successes, and...
04.25.2023
What We're Missing When It Comes to Colleges and AI
As Chat GPT and other AI tools have garnered immense interest in the last few months, people have begun to wonder how these tools will impact higher ed: Will it represent the end of writing? Will we see a rampant...
04.11.2023
Acronyms Galore: TPS, OPM, and K12 ESAs
The role of Online Program Managers (OPMs) in the recruitment of students for online university programs has been a controversial issue, and one that is still up for debate. Michael and Jeff delve into OPMs, as well the federal government’s...
04.04.2023
Higher Ed’s Role in Growing Rural Economies
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...
03.28.2023
The Affirmative Action Conversation Colleges Should Be Having
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...
03.14.2023
Will the Teens Be OK?
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...
03.07.2023
A Looming Wave of Mergers and Acquisitions
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...
02.28.2023
Short, Affordable Alternatives to College
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...
02.14.2023
Reporters' Roundtable: Florida, Amenities U. and the Future of the BA.
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...
02.07.2023
Great Resignation in Higher Ed
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...
01.24.2023
Re-engaging Students after Covid
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...
01.17.2023
Solving the Problem of College Costs
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...
12.20.2022
The Expansion of Pell Grants
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...
12.13.2022
Rankings, Elite Online BA, and Future of the SAT
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...
12.07.2022
From the Archives: Misleading Financial Aid
About 91% of colleges understate or don't include the net price in their financial-aid offers to would-be students, the U.S. Government Accountability Office has found in a new report. We go into the archives for a 2019 episode when Rachel...
12.06.2022
Visiting Bowie State University: HBCUs, Employer Partnerships, and Student Engagement
On the latest stop of Future U.'s campus tour, hosts Michael Horn and Jeff Selingo visit Bowie State University to speak with President Aminta Breaux, as well as faculty and administrators at the Maryland institution about increased enrollment at HBCUs,...
11.29.2022
What Students Think of Their College Experience
In a special episode recorded at The Chronicle of Higher Education Festival, Jeff Selingo and guest co-host Bridget Burns talk with three students about what has worked (and what hasn't) in their college experiences. With support from Ascendium Education Group,...
11.15.2022
Leadership, Business and Athletics: Penn State University President Neeli Bendapudi
Penn State’s new president Neeli Bendapudi sits down with Jeff and Michael to talk about not only her personal leadership journey, but also shifting demographics, clear pullback in public financing of higher ed, college athletics, and more. With support from...
11.08.2022
Rethinking College Athletics
In the second half of their conversation with Victoria Jackson and Matt Brown, Michael and Jeff dive into "Name Image Likeness," paying student athletes, and what shifting professional pathways to sports can mean for rethinking college athletics overall. This episode...
11.01.2022
Headlines in Review: NYU Prof, ACT Scores, Senate vs. College Prez
So many headlines to parse this week: What the NYU brouhaha says about how we educate top students; how the coverage of ACT scores missed the real headline; and is it better to serve in the U.S. Senate or as...
10.25.2022
Talk of Disruption from the Top: Temple University President Jason Wingard
It's not often a university president talks about how degrees are being devalued and how higher education must align with workforce needs, but that's exactly what new Temple University president, Jason Wingard, does when he joins Jeff and Michael to...

What's Future U Podcast - The Pulse of Higher Ed about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Future U Podcast - The Pulse of Higher Ed episodes:

Fighting for Free Speech on Campus

The Wild West of Dual Enrollment: Its Growth, Benefits, and Drawbacks

Apprenticeship in America: Rethinking the Role of Community Colleges

The Simplified FAFSA’s Complicated Rollout

Testing, Athlete Labor & the FAFSA

The Future of the Ph.D.

“College Unbound” from the Traditional Model

Reporters Roundtable: Enrollment, Loan Forgiveness, & FAFSA Simplified

Student Success 2.0

How Small Schools Can Thrive As Higher Ed Changes

Season 7 Midterm Report

The Role of Higher Ed in the American Dream

Visiting Michigan: Balancing Local Impact with Global Reach

Leveraging Apprenticeships to Bolster the Rural Talent Pipeline: Part 2

Leveraging Apprenticeships to Bolster the Rural Talent Pipeline: Part 1

How Colleges Can Cultivate Relationships to Improve the Student Experience

Future of Online Ed

Deep into Data Analytics

Community Colleges, the Value of Degrees, and Changes in Admissions

Building Resilience in Students, Deliberately

Demise of Pac-12, Campus Spending, and DeSantis at Yale

Promoting Belonging in Diverse Classrooms

Season 6: Final Report

Visiting Marymount: Liberal Arts Education and What Really Prepares Students for the Future

Higher Ed 101: Accreditation Explained

Religion and Higher Education

Learner Mobility and Transfer in Higher Ed

Future U Live from NAIS

Do College Rankings Matter and is a Bachelor’s Degree Even Worth It?

A Look Back at Governor Jeb Bush’s Florida Higher Ed Policies

What We're Missing When It Comes to Colleges and AI

Acronyms Galore: TPS, OPM, and K12 ESAs

Higher Ed’s Role in Growing Rural Economies

The Affirmative Action Conversation Colleges Should Be Having

Will the Teens Be OK?

A Looming Wave of Mergers and Acquisitions

Short, Affordable Alternatives to College

Reporters' Roundtable: Florida, Amenities U. and the Future of the BA.

Great Resignation in Higher Ed

Re-engaging Students after Covid

Solving the Problem of College Costs

The Expansion of Pell Grants

Rankings, Elite Online BA, and Future of the SAT

From the Archives: Misleading Financial Aid

Visiting Bowie State University: HBCUs, Employer Partnerships, and Student Engagement

What Students Think of Their College Experience

Leadership, Business and Athletics: Penn State University President Neeli Bendapudi

Rethinking College Athletics

Headlines in Review: NYU Prof, ACT Scores, Senate vs. College Prez

Talk of Disruption from the Top: Temple University President Jason Wingard