Future U Podcast - The Pulse of Higher Ed

As Chat GPT and other AI tools have garnered immense interest in the last few months, people have begun to wonder how these tools will impact higher ed: Will it represent the end of writing? Will we see a rampant rise in cheating? Or maybe these tools herald a new age of an improved quality of student work? Jeff and Michael pose these questions and more to computer science experts Charles Isbell of Georgia Institute of Technology College of Computing and Michael Littman of Brown University. This episode is made possible with sponsorship from Course Hero.

The role of Online Program Managers (OPMs) in the recruitment of students for online university programs has been a controversial issue, and one that is still up for debate. Michael and Jeff delve into OPMs, as well the federal government’s guidance on third party services, like OPMs, over the last few administrations.Relevant LinksWhat's the OPM Episode?The Credential Cluster

The digital economy has been driving job growth across the country for much of the last decade-plus. But nearly all of those jobs, no matter the industry, were created in major metropolitan areas. Michael and Jeff look at how one town and one university in Ohio can serve as a national blueprint for growing the rural economy. This episode made possible with support from Ascendium Education Group.Listen to more episode on our website at www.futureupodcast.com.Relevant LinksEconomic Impact of Hospitals and Higher Education Institutions Revealed in New Tool from the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia

As the Supreme Court prepares to rule on affirmative action yet again, the president of James Madison University, who played a key role as a lawyer in the University of Michigan's Supreme Court cases 20 years earlier, joins the show to offer historical perspective and an explanation of how the Court's decision could impact far more than just higher education admissions. This episode is made possible with support from Ascendium Education Group, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Course Hero.

New CDC data show that more than half of teenaged girls in the U.S. felt persistently sad or hopeless in 2021, but it's not just girls who are struggling. Lisa Damour, author of The Emotional Lives of Teenagers, breaks down the struggles of teenagers and the implications for colleges and universities from admissions to graduation and beyond. This episode is made possible with support from Ascendium Education Group, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Course Hero.Relevant LinksThe CDC report on increased sadness and exposure to violence among teen girls and LGBQ+ youthLisa Damour’s latest book, The Emotional Lives of TeenagersLisa’s podcast on the psychology of parenting

The pandemic didn’t bring the wave of mergers and acquisitions that many in higher ed expected. Michael and Jeff talk with the head of Northeastern U’s M&A committee and an expert on M&A in health care and education about what’s next. This episode is made possible with support from Ascendium Education Group, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Course Hero.Listen to the March 2022 Future U episode on college consolidations at https://www.futureupodcast.com/episodes/is-consolidation-coming/Higher Ed Dive is tracking closings, mergers, acquisitions and other consolidation among public and private nonprofit institutions from 2016 to the present: https://www.highereddive.com/news/how-many-colleges-and-universities-have-closed-since-2016/539379/Fitch Ratings anticipates a deteriorating credit environment for U.S. Public Finance Higher Education in 2023 relative to 2022. A new study from researchers at Harvard University and the National Bureau of Economic Research finds that health system mergers only marginally improve the quality of care, but at significantly higher cost.In the late 1990s, several members of Congress made a push for cost controls in higher education. To learn more, listen to Episode 119 of Future U for our interview with Bill Troutt, former chair of the National Commission on the Cost of Higher Education who's also President Emeritus of Rhodes College in Tennessee, and Harvard economist Susan Dynarski.

Historically, rapid technological change sidelines unskilled or under-skilled workers.  Michael and Jeff talk to the leaders of Merit America and the Marcy Lab School, two institutions providing an on-ramp to working adults who either never enrolled or dropped out of college. This episode is made possible with support from Ascendium Education Group.View More episodes on our website: www.FutureUPodcast.com

Back by popular demand: Reporters' Roundtable. Pam Kelley on how a motivational speaker and businessman turned around High Point University; Emma Pettit on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis's efforts to overhaul higher ed; and Paul Fain on the future of the bachelor degree. This episode made possible with sponsorship from Ascendium Education Group, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Course Hero. Relevant LinksA Harbinger for 2023? Presentation College, a small private institution in South Dakota, has announced its plans to close due to "slumping enrollment and rising costs."How to Sell a University -- An examination of High Point University President Nido Qubein turned HIgh Point University around "wow" amenities, flag-waving patriotism and a focus on life skills. High Point's Controversial New Law Dean Speaks Out (Sort Of) -- Critics of former North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark Martin say he needs to take responsibilty for his role in fighting the 2020 election outcomes. DeSantis's Higher-Ed Push Just Got Bigger. Fresh Resistance is Starting to Bubble Up -- DeSantis announced a wide-ranging plan that includes greater authority for boards and college presidents to hire and fire, including tenured faculty membersWhat is Happening in Florida? -- Demands for diversity data, a governing-board overhaul, and a pledge to strip "trendy ideology" from higher ed. Is Ron DeSantis just getting started?DeSantis Asked Florida Universities to Detail their Their University Spending. Here's How They Answered -- The amounts the state’s public universities reported spending on diversity and critical race theory came out to 1 percent or less of their overall budgets.Pennsylvania is axing its college degree requirement for 65,000 state jobs, calling it an "arbitrary requirement" Measuring the returns on college -- Paul Fain examines several studies on the value of college credentials.A 'Divorce' Creates Florida's 11th University -- Jeff's 2001 article on the creation of New College of Florida.The Rich-Poor Gap Widens for College Students -- Jeff's 2006 article on the growing divide between students.

A record 50.5 million Americans quit their jobs in 2022. Most left for offers of higher pay or the ability to work remotely. Higher Ed isn’t immune. Michael and Jeff talk with a former university human resource officer and a professor who studies how colleges manage their talent. This episode is made possible with sponsorship from Course Hero and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.Relevant LinksJeff's article in The Atlantic on higher ed staff during the pandemic."Right Now, Your Best Employees Are Eyeing the Exits," The Chronicle of Higher Education.Book: Involving Colleges: Successful Approaches to Fostering Student Learning and Development Outside the Classroom.

Three years after the start of the pandemic, professors still report a disconcerting level of disconnection among students even as campuses return to “normal.” Michael and Jeff talk with MIT's former head of digital learning initiatives about what the science tells us on how to reach and teach students. This episode made possible with sponsorship from Course Hero.Relevant Linkshttps://openlearning.mit.edu/ideas-designing-affordable-new-educational-institution