College Matters from The Chronicle The Quarter-Century Project
Dec 10, 2025
Sarah Brown, Senior Editor at The Chronicle of Higher Education, and Edward L. Ayers, Historian and former president of the University of Richmond, dive into the last 25 years of higher education. They explore rising tuition costs, the increasing reliance on adjunct faculty, and the impact of DEI initiatives on faculty diversity. Ayers emphasizes the importance of viewing historical trends versus short events, while both guests reflect on the implications of political pressures and technological changes shaping today's campus landscapes.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Cost Shapes Higher-Ed Politics
- Rising tuition has shaped nearly every political and policy debate about higher education in the last 25 years.
- Andy Thomason shows median in-state public tuition rose ~60% (2000–2023) driving debates on value and affordability.
The Rise Of Contingent Faculty
- About 70% of faculty now lack tenure, reshaping academic labor and shared governance.
- Sarah Brown links this adjunctification to weakened academic freedom and institutional decision-making.
DEI Has Limited Faculty Impact
- DEI efforts changed campus demographics little among tenure-track faculty despite decades of initiatives.
- Sarah Brown notes Black tenure-track faculty rose only from 4.5% to 5.6% (1999–2023), showing limited progress.