Future U Podcast

The 23-campus California State University system was among the first to announce in the spring it would go mostly online for the fall (and eventually for the spring). As a complement to the previous episode where Jeff and Michael talked about what it took to welcome students back to campus, in this episode they talk … Continue reading Early To Go All Remote →

As colleges considered whether to open their campuses to students in-person for the fall, different institutions approached the question from different vantage points. In this episode, Michael and Jeff talk with the president of Boston University, which welcomed students back, to understand what went into that decision and the logistics behind pulling it off. Questions? … Continue reading The Debate Over Reopening Colleges →

Emily Oster joins Michael and Jeff as the debate over reopening both K–12 schools and colleges has reached a fever pitch. Oster, a Brown University economist, has been at the forefront of the public conversation about schools and COVID-19. Jeff and Michael asked Oster about the dynamics of being a public intellectual on a university … Continue reading The Role of the Public Intellectual →

Regional public universities are the workhorses of the higher ed systems of many states. Overall, the 400-plus regional public universities across the U.S. educate some 40% of all American undergraduates. But often they are stuck in the middle between better known public flagship universities and community colleges. After years of declining state revenues, and in … Continue reading Rethinking the Regional Public →

When we think of hybrid education we tend to think of the classroom–a mix between online and face-to-face learning. In this episode, Marni Baker Stein, provost and chief academic officer at Western Governors University talks about how the fast-growing online institution had to rethink all its services and offerings to students in the virtual world, … Continue reading The Hybrid University →

Southern New Hampshire University has skyrocketed to the top of largest higher education institutions over the past decade, as its president, Paul LeBlanc, has led it through a dramatic transformation. In this episode, LeBlanc talks about the perilous state of higher education, its importance for the nation and world, what Covid-19 and the recession will … Continue reading Blurring the Lines of the University →

With international enrollment down sharply, especially in STEM fields, and potential students questioning the worth of mostly online education, how can graduate schools adapt and innovate? We talk to David Poole of the University of Miami College of Engineering and Jillian Baer of Liaison International about graduate admissions in 2020 and beyond. Questions? Comments? Connect … Continue reading Will Graduate Schools Face a Reckoning in 2020? →

Jeff and Michael preview Jeff’s new book, Who Gets In and Why: A Year Inside College Admissions, which goes on sale September 15. Jeff, who embedded in three different college admissions offices, pulls back the curtain on how admissions decisions get made and discusses how their choices are much more than just GPAs and test … Continue reading Who Gets In and Why →

Higher education is now facing another fall of remote learning, just months after many colleges and universities had announced they’d be coming back to campus. Jeff and Michael talk to the president and CFO at one of the first institutions that decided to reverse course, Dickinson College. They also catch up with the College Crisis … Continue reading Reversing Course on the Fall →

Is summer over already? Higher ed didn’t have much of a summer break this year, and Michael and Jeff begin the fourth season of FutureU by reviewing the big headlines and talk about the trends that will shape the coming academic year — as well as a preview of Jeff’s new book that will be … Continue reading Kicking Off a Fall Like No Other →

When Michael and Jeff began season three of the podcast last August, few could have imagined the disruptions to higher ed and the country by the time this season comes to a close. In the last episode before the regular summer hiatus, Michael and Jeff look back on their favorite episodes and ahead on the … Continue reading The End of a Crazy Year →

Martin Van Der Werf from Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce joins the podcast to discuss the center’s attempts to rank colleges and universities on the return on investment of their degrees. Questions? Comments? Connect with us on Twitter or Facebook, or email FutureUpodcast at gmail dot com.

As colleges and universities announce their plans for getting students back on campus, Michael and Jeff talk with Farnam Jahanian, president of Carnegie Mellon University and Lenore Rodicio, provost at Miami Dade College about their approaches to returning this fall. Questions? Comments? Connect with us on Twitter or Facebook, or email FutureUpodcast at gmail dot … Continue reading A President and Provost on Plans for the Fall →

John Katzman, founder and CEO of Noodle Partners, and Ben Nelson, founder and CEO of the Minerva Project, join Jeff and Michael to talk about how COVID-19 might transform higher education in the longer – and what institutions should be doing in response. Questions? Comments? Connect with us on Twitter or Facebook, or email FutureUpodcast … Continue reading Will COVID-19 Permanently Change Instruction and Costs In Higher Ed? →

Fernando Bleichmar from Cengage joins Michael and Jeff to talk about three waves of the higher ed response to Covid-19, what’s worked and not worked on campuses, and the results of a new survey of faculty and institutions the company conducted with the Online Learning Consortium, UPCEA, and other organizations. This episode of Future U … Continue reading The Three Digital Waves of Higher Ed in a Pandemic →