Higher Ed Now

ACTA is proudly partnering with Better Angels, a depolarization initiative that has grown explosively and drawn wide media attention since its launch shortly after the 2016 election. We sat down with founder David Blankenhorn to explore how Better Angels brings thousands of conservatives and progressives—and a growing community of students—together in civil debate and dialogue.

Listen in on an inspiring conversation with Dr. Fred Beuttler, Associate Dean and guiding light behind the University of Chicago’s Graham School—where working professionals and students of all ages come to foster the life of the mind, explore great literature, and rediscover the lessons of history.  

What do philanthropists and investors have in common? A lot more than you’d think. A new generation of “venture philanthropists” are looking for real results when it comes to supporting American higher education. To consider both sides of the investor/philanthropist mindset, Mark Grovic of New Markets Venture Partners and Jacqueline Pfeffer Merrill, executive director of the Fund for Academic Renewal, discuss how to consider specific issues in higher education that are ripe for innovative philanthropists to target for giving.

Listen in on a remarkable conversation with Hanna Gray, the acclaimed former president of the University of Chicago, and one of the nation’s most respected academic leaders. Speaking with ACTA’s Michael Poliakoff and Karen Hyman, Mrs. Gray shares her incisive views on academic freedom, liberal arts education versus “vocationalism,” and much more.

It isn't a question of if intellectual freedom is under threat, but how it is under threat. Long-time free speech advocate and author of Kindly Inquisitors Jonathan Rauch joins Higher Ed Now to discuss this generation's battle for intellectual diversity and academic freedom. From unsettled science to social media, Jonathan breaks down the perilous instinct to embrace kindness over the creation of knowledge and discovery of truth. His thoughtful and considered take on provocateurs and identity politics will revive even the most cynical person's faith in the scientific method and civil discourse.

The dismal science has more bad news for American higher education. Economist Bryan Caplan’s new book, The Case Against Education, finds that a college degree is valuable not because college imparts knowledge, but because it signals certain qualities to future employers. But it doesn't have to be this way. If policymakers and trustees want to make higher education worth the investment, they’ll have to make reforms that increase graduation rates, reduce the opportunity cost of attending college, and ensure that students are graduating with real knowledge and valuable skills. Tune in to hear more about the ways that colleges are failing to deliver a quality education at an affordable price.

Many people have expressed dissatisfaction with American higher education. But students and taxpayers don’t know about the oblique system responsible for ensuring quality at colleges across the country. Accreditation is the key to understanding the problems ensnaring higher ed. Third Way’s Higher Education Senior Policy Advisor Michael Itzkowitz joins ACTA President Michael Poliakoff to demystify this strange regulator that influences so many of the problems within American universities.

Why is college so expensive? This deceptively simple question troubles students, parents, and policymakers alike. Barring large changes to the educational landscape, what can trustees do lead their institutions to embrace technological innovations and financial reforms that will make college more affordable and transparent for those pursuing the American Dream? American Enterprise Institute scholars Jason Delisle and Preston Cooper join Higher Ed Now to offer a few takes on what drives rising tuition costs and burdensome student loan balances. Can the market provide financial mechanisms that will make educational quality more transparent? Should the government utilize performance-based funding while also incentivizing open access admission policies? Jason and Preston’s creative solutions and surprising research will have listeners asking big-picture questions about higher education policy and where it’s headed.