Nick Anderson, former Washington Post education reporter and current senior vice president at the American Council on Education, shares insights on higher education's role as a cornerstone of American opportunity and prosperity.

• ACE represents 1,600 colleges and universities across all sectors of higher education
• Higher education has become increasingly polarized despite historically being a bipartisan issue
• The economic impact of higher education includes workforce development, regional growth, and research innovation
• Community colleges and regional institutions carry the bulk of educational work yet receive less attention than elite universities
• Higher education serves learners at all life stages, not just traditional 18-22 year old students
• Institutions must improve graduation rates, pricing transparency, and transfer pathways
• Partnerships with military, industry, and government are crucial for educational innovation
• Credit for prior learning represents an important opportunity to recognize workplace experience
• Federal student aid and research funding are investments in America's future, not handouts
• Higher education builds America's economy, national defense, health systems, and democracy

We invite all friends of higher education to rally during this crucial moment. Connect with Nick on LinkedIn to join the conversation and support education's vital role in building America's future.

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What would happen if you dropped all the roles you've been conditioned to play and simply showed up as your authentic self? In this transformative conversation with Genea Barnes, founder of Be the Wolf, we explore how reconnecting with your true essence can revolutionize not just your business but your entire life.

Genea shares the powerful origin story behind her company's name - when wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park after being eradicated, they restored the entire ecosystem simply by being who they were born to be. This serves as a perfect metaphor for what happens when we shed our false identities and operate from our authentic core.

One of the most fascinating revelations is how our need to justify our decisions often signals we're living from identity rather than truth. "Whenever you have to explain why or you feel the need to tell somebody the reason," Genea notes, "that's usually you trying to enroll the person into believing your not-true identity." True authenticity requires no explanation - a simple yes or no suffices.

For entrepreneurs and high-performers struggling with burnout, Genea offers a counterintuitive insight: perhaps you don't just need rest, but realignment with what truly energizes you. "The more you are doing the things that you love, the more energy you'll have," she explains, challenging us to evaluate which activities drain us versus which ones leave us feeling renewed.

The conversation delves into practical strategies for distinguishing between the frenetic voice of fear and the grounded voice of truth, regulating your nervous system using advanced mental techniques, and creating ripple effects of positive change in your relationships when you start operating from authenticity.

Ready to stop explaining and start existing? Listen now for a roadmap to reclaiming your inner wolf and creating a life of greater impact, joy, and fulfillment.

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Navigating the complex world of student loans just got a whole lot easier. Chris Abkarians, founder of Juno, shares the fascinating origin story of how a simple Google spreadsheet comparing MBA loan offers transformed into a groundbreaking platform that's revolutionizing student financial aid.

The revelation that sparked Juno's creation will shock you: identical borrower profiles can receive interest rates that differ by 3-4% between lenders – a discrepancy that translates to thousands of dollars over the life of a loan. This market inefficiency persists because traditional online searches for "best student loans" are dominated by advertising dollars rather than actual value. As Chris explains, "If you go to Google and try to search for best student loan or cheapest student loan, you are going to get anything but the cheapest student loan."

Juno's innovative approach flips the traditional power dynamic. By collecting "demand" from thousands of students with similar needs, they create collective bargaining leverage with lenders to secure better rates than individuals could get on their own. Their transparent business model only generates revenue when members actually secure loans through their negotiated partners, creating perfect alignment between Juno's success and customer savings.

The podcast takes a dramatic turn when Chris reveals potentially seismic changes coming to federal student loan programs in 2025. A proposed $50,000 lifetime cap on Parent PLUS loans and the possible elimination of Grad PLUS loans would force many more students into the private loan market. For medical and law students especially, these changes could create serious funding gaps that require innovative new private loan products with features like extended deferment during residency and clerkships.

Whether you're a parent planning for your child's education, a graduate student exploring your options, or a higher education professional preparing for industry changes, this episode delivers invaluable insights about navigating student loans in today's market and tomorrow's evolving landscape. Want to learn more? Chris welcomes inquiries at [email protected].

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Dave Sherwhood shares his journey from Rhodes Scholar studying chemistry at Oxford to founding BibliU, an educational technology company tackling textbook affordability and streamlining content access for universities.

• Started as a B2C business before pivoting to B2B after realizing consumer businesses are incredibly difficult to build successfully
• Discovered that long sales cycles in education (averaging 6-12 months) make EdTech a challenging fit for venture capital expectations
• Found product-market fit by developing a usage-based pricing model that addressed universities' concerns about paying for unused content
• Expanded from the UK to US market, navigating significant differences in university systems, budgets, and technology adoption patterns
• Experienced dramatic variations in digital adoption rates between similar institutions, largely influenced by leadership empowerment
• Sees AI as transforming content creation economics while recognizing that print still makes up approximately 70% of textbook adoptions
• Growing rapidly (60% last year) through both organic expansion and strategic acquisitions

Check out BibliU to see how we're helping institutions transition from physical to digital learning materials and creating more affordable, accessible options for students.

https://bibliu.com/. 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/davejlsherwood/

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The pathway to college completion remains filled with barriers that disproportionately impact first-generation students, adult learners, and historically underserved communities. But what if these obstacles aren't inherent to students themselves, but rather embedded in our educational systems?

Meacie Fairfax, Strategy Director at Complete College America, brings both personal experience and professional expertise to this conversation about transforming higher education. Drawing from her own journey as a student who encountered numerous barriers to completion, Fairfax offers a compelling vision for how institutions can redesign themselves around student success.

"We have to make sure that our supports, our structures, our pathways match the reality of our students," Fairfax emphasizes, challenging the traditional model that expects students to navigate broken systems. From reconsidering gateway courses to implementing flexible schedules that accommodate working students and caregivers, these structural changes can dramatically improve outcomes.

The conversation pulls back the curtain on how effective institutions approach student success. Data transparency emerges as a powerful catalyst—"Institutions that publicly share completion equity gaps shift faster," Fairfax notes. Rather than relying solely on metrics like GPA, leaders should ask deeper questions about where and why students encounter obstacles. This approach shifts the focus from "fixing students" to fixing systems.

Complete College America's framework encompasses four pillars—purpose, momentum, support, and structure—providing a comprehensive roadmap for institutional transformation. For leaders looking to begin this journey, Fairfax recommends starting with data analysis and collaborative campus-wide conversations that help everyone see themselves in the work of student success.

Ready to reimagine how your institution approaches college completion? Listen now to discover practical strategies that can transform educational pathways and create more equitable outcomes for all students.

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What happens when college becomes financially out of reach for an entire generation? Kristin McGuire, Executive Director of Young Invincibles, pulls back the curtain on America's broken higher education system and why it matters to all of us.

McGuire shares her personal journey from high school activist to leading the nation's largest youth advocacy organization, revealing how her experiences as a first-generation college student inform her fight for educational equity. With striking clarity, she articulates why the "starving student" stereotype should never be normalized and how the skyrocketing cost of education creates barriers that ripple through young lives: "The cost of growing up is exponentially higher than it was for generations before us."

Despite these challenges, McGuire makes a compelling case for why college remains the most powerful vehicle for economic mobility. Through her organization's work advocating for expanded Pell Grants, affordable housing, and student basic needs, she demonstrates how policy changes can create meaningful pathways to opportunity for all young Americans.

Perhaps most revealing is McGuire's insight into how higher education institutions often fail to engage with their primary consumers – the students themselves. "You'd be surprised how many conversations I'm in where I say something profound like 'have we talked to the students yet?' And a lot of times, the response is no," she explains, highlighting a fundamental disconnect in how universities operate.

Through it all, McGuire maintains what she calls "radical optimism" about the future, drawing inspiration from the resilience and determination of young people. Her perspective reminds us that investing in accessible, affordable education isn't just about individual opportunity – it's about nurturing the leadership potential of an entire generation ready to transform America.

Ready to join the movement for educational equity? Follow Young Invincibles on social media or visit younginvincibles.org to learn how you can get involved.

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Want more insights into the Higher Ed Space?

Check-out our Newsletter.

Please leave a review on your favorite podcast player!! It helps support the show.

Higher ed is at a crossroads. Career services teams are no longer gatekeepers of opportunity—they’re becoming curators of the student-employer relationship. But how do institutions actually make that shift?

In this episode, I sit down with Christine Y. Cruzvergara, Chief Education Strategy Officer at Handshake, to unpack:
🎯 The biggest mindset shift career services teams must make (or risk falling behind)
📊 How AI & data-driven personalization are transforming student job searches
🔗 Why curated job collections drive 7x more engagement—and how to leverage them
⚖️ The tension between mission-driven work and financial sustainability in career services

If you’re a higher ed leader, career services professional, or employer relations expert, this episode is packed with insights on the future of work, education, and workforce development.

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What does it take to run a 900-student college in the heart of Silicon Valley—next door to Stanford, no less? 

Steven Weiner, President of Menlo College, joins me for a deep dive into leadership, strategy, and what makes Menlo stand out in a crowded higher ed ecosystem.

In this episode, we discuss:

    Why small colleges have a unique edge in today’s market.

    How Menlo leverages its Silicon Valley location for career readiness.

    The JCPenney effect in higher ed pricing—and what it means for tuition models.

    Operational efficiencies, from outsourcing IT to tackling athletic travel costs.

Steven’s insights offer a fresh perspective on differentiation, student success, and navigating higher ed’s evolving challenges. 

Whether you’re in higher ed or just curious about running a complex institution, this is one conversation you won’t want to miss.

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In this part II conversation with Michael Avaltroni, President of Fairleigh Dickinson University, we dive deep into the challenges and opportunities reshaping higher education. 

Michael shares:

• How FDU is carving out niche strengths in health sciences and healthcare-adjacent fields.
• Why partnerships with community colleges and healthcare systems are essential to solving enrollment and workforce challenges.
• His bold vision for campus redesign—turning them into vibrant, lifelong learning hubs.
• How FDU is tackling the "broken business model" of higher ed by focusing on ROI and student outcomes.

This conversation is a must-listen for anyone invested in the future of higher ed and its impact on our communities.

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