Higher Ed Now

How are college students coping with the wide-ranging effects of the Coronavirus pandemic? Our first episode features Daniel Acosta-Rivas, rising senior at American University, and Erez Binyamin, a recent graduate from Rochester Institute of Technology.

ACTA's Michael Poliakoff explores the erosion of academic freedom in the academy with John M. Ellis, professor emeritus at University of California-Santa Cruz, and the author of The Breakdown of Higher Education: How It Happened, the Damage It Does, and What Can Be Done.

How do the challenges that COVID-19 presents compare to other times of crisis in higher education? What forces have been brewing under the surface of the academy to make this such a difficult time for college campuses to cope with the pandemic? ACTA's Erik Gross tapped Jonathan Zimmerman, professor of history of education at the University of Pennsylvania, for perspectives.

As the COVID-19 pandemic expands, higher ed leaders, faculty and students are being forced to adapt in real time and rethink the future. Kaplan University Partners president Brandon Busteed joins ACTA's Michael Poliakoff for a wide-ranging discussion about the crucial challenges confronting institutions this fall and for many years to come.

The COVID-19 pandemic is forcing professors and instructors to move toward delivering courses online -- almost overnight. How are faculty, institutions, and students reckoning with this sudden shift? Lee Skallerup Bessette, Ph.D., Learning Design Specialist at Georgetown University, explores what goes into maintaining great pedagogical values in online instruction, and the sweep of urgent issues confronting students during this crisis.

One of the nation's leading researchers in the field of drug and alcohol abuse, Dr. Amelia Arria is respected by higher ed leaders and policy makers alike. A key driver of the influential Maryland Collaborative, she helps trustees and administrators forge strategies and intervention policies to help students stay healthy and successful on their academic journey. 

Robert L. DuPont, MD, one of the nation's leading voices on drug and alcohol use, joins our podcast for a passionate discussion on recovery, prevention, and what college leaders need to know to save students' lives and help them succeed. Over the past 51 years, Dr. DuPont has been a major player shaping federal policy, guiding institutions, and helping countless individuals move from addiction into recovery.

Do colleges treat anti-Semitism differently from sexism and racism? Evan Gerstmann, professor of political science at Loyola Marymount University, phoned in to talk with ACTA president Michael Poliakoff about his recent Forbes articles that explore this topic.

In this conversation recorded on Veteran's Day, Michael Poliakoff explores the modern influence of the liberal arts tradition with two of its most dedicated proponents, John Hillen and Ryan Pemberton from Hampden-Sydney College -- an institution with roots linked to the founding of our nation.

Professor George LaNoue brings a lifetime of teaching college students about the First Amendment, educational policy, Constitutional law, civil rights, and more. He visited ACTA to spotlight his new book, Silenced Stages: The Loss of Academic Freedom and Campus Policy Debates, which probes into how often colleges expose their students to civil debate on important, and often controversial, public policy questions.