How Colleges Should Respond to Polarization

In this episode, Sophie Nguyen, Senior Policy Manager in the Education Policy Program at New America, joins Diverse (soon to become The EDU Ledger) to unpack the findings of Varying Degrees 2025 – the latest national survey exploring how Americans view higher education.

From her start as an intern to her current role leading research on affordability, accountability, and public opinion, Nguyen shares her personal journey into higher education policy and why she believes access to transformative education must be protected. She explains the survey's biggest takeaways: cost as the persistent driver of dissatisfaction, the partisan and demographic divides shaping perceptions, and the surprising common ground between Republicans and Democrats on making college more affordable.

In conversation with host Ralph Newell, she digs into the growing polarization, the challenges facing institutions, and the urgent need for colleges to reclaim the narrative, rebuild trust, and demonstrate real value to students and society.

If you've wondered where Americans agree, and where they sharply differ, on the future of higher ed, this discussion sheds light on the trends shaping tomorrow's colleges and universities. Tune in and explore what the data tells us, and why it matters for the future of students, families, and the nation.

KEY POINTS:

- Nguyen's journey from college student to Senior Policy Manager at New America

- Why transformative college experiences should be accessible to more students

- Overview of the Varying Degrees 2025 survey and its role in shaping public debate

- Key long-term trends: Americans value higher ed's ROI but remain dissatisfied with cost

- Bipartisan concerns about affordability, accountability, and transparency in outcomes

- Where Democrats and Republicans converge [and sharply diverge] on solutions

- The outsized influence of elite institutions in shaping higher ed's public image

- Why local colleges often enjoy more trust than "higher ed in general"

- The role of policy, institutional narrative, and support services in rebuilding public confidence

- The call for colleges: to be more transparent, proactive, and student-focused to rebuild trust

Quotes:

"New America is a think tank, a space in Washington, D.C. We work on a variety of issues, providing policy analysis, also advocacy on a variety of issues, such as domestic policy related to children, family, part of the education program."

"I think what I'm most proud of is... not in terms of any particular work, but I realized that higher ed is actually a very nimble... even though there has been criticism that it's very slow to change and adapt, but I think during my time learning about the sector, I have seen institutions that prove that they can adapt, they can grow, they can deal with the challenges that they face with and still support the students in the meantime."

"Colleges and universities now need to be more active in telling those stories—what they actually do, how they actually help students, how they actually help and support students... to be more transparent, to be able to regain public trust and public confidence."

Resources:

New America | Sophie Nguyen

The EDU Ledger | Linktree

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Closed captioning and live show transcription are available in the video for this episode.

In The Margins is produced by The EDU Ledger and edited by EPYC Media Network (visit at https://www.epyc.co/).