Higher Ed Now
141 episodes - English - Latest episode: 28 days ago - ★★★★ - 14 ratingsHigher Ed Now is a production of the American Council of Trustees and Alumni. It is a podcast concerning issues and policy in America's higher education system.
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Episodes
Robert McCrum: Shakespeare, Ever Present
October 26, 2021 17:04 - 38 minutes - 71.1 MBACTA's president Michael Poliakoff joins author and editor Robert McCrum to explore his latest book, Shakespearean, an inspiring portrait of one of the most influential writers in history. McCrum elaborates on how Shakespeare's works resonate today as vividly as they did centuries ago, and why it is paramount to keep his works alive and strong in the modern college curriculum.
George Harne: Liberal Education and "The Symphony of Knowing"
September 24, 2021 12:22 - 39 minutes - 71.7 MBACTA's Jonathan Pidluzny and Nathaniel Urban interview George Harne, Executive Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at the University of St. Thomas in Texas. "Liberal education is almost like becoming a conductor in training," Dr. Harne says. "The goal is to be able to get a vision of an integrated whole, to know the natures of things, the essences of things, and then to know their objective relations with one another. . . Being liberally educated also means as you continue to learn, bein...
Jonathan Rauch: Unpacking "The Constitution of Knowledge"
August 09, 2021 21:28 - 52 minutes - 96.6 MBThe acclaimed author, journalist, and activist Jonathan Rauch sat down with ACTA's Doug Sprei to explore the social and political vectors that led him to write his remarkable new book, "The Constitution of Knowledge." Rauch is a research fellow at the Brookings Institution and a contributing editor at The Atlantic; he's also a champion of civil discourse, and a longtime friend of ACTA who sparked our flourishing College Debates partnership with Braver Angels and BridgeUSA.
Abraham Unger: A Conservatory Model for Liberal Arts
July 12, 2021 15:31 - 45 minutes - 83.1 MBProfessor Abraham Unger has a unique vision for liberal arts education. Long before before spending a decade as Director of Urban Programs at Wagner College in New York, he was an undergraduate student concentrating on classical guitar at the prestigious Manhattan School of Music. In this episode of Higher Ed Now, he sits down with ACTA's Michael Poliakoff and Doug Sprei to reflect on the precarious condition of colleges and universities today, and explores the concept he is shaping for libe...
John Altman: Keys to a Consequential Governing Board
June 22, 2021 18:01 - 35 minutes - 65.1 MBACTA's Armand Alacbay sits down with John W. Altman -- distinguished entrepreneur, business leader, educator, and veteran trustee at several colleges and universities -- to explore the distinct strengths that trustees should bring to any institutional governing board. Having recently stepped up as ACTA's board chairman, Altman brings a lifetime of experience and insight into helping higher education institutions stay on course and fulfill their mission.
Pano Kanelos: "Liberal Education Is Conversation"
May 26, 2021 16:55 - 49 minutes - 91.4 MBPano Kanelos, the noted educator, Shakesperean scholar, and champion of campus discourse, goes one on one with with ACTA's Michael Poliakoff to reflect on his tenure as the 24th president of St. John's College in Annapolis. Kanelos unpacks a pedagogical tradition where all students are immersed in conversation and the study of 200 great books.
The Pandemic and Student Substance Abuse
May 15, 2021 11:17 - 1 hour - 122 MBAs campuses reopen, how can college leaders help students who struggled with alcohol and drug use and mental health issues during the pandemic? In ACTA's webinar, The Pandemic and Campus Substance Use: What Colleges Need to Know Now, four distinguished health experts explored this topic, from research to practical solutions on the ground. Panelists included Robert L. DuPont, M.D. of the Institute for Behavior and Health; Amelia M. Arria, Ph.D. of the University of Maryland School of Public H...
The Pandemic and Campus Substance Use
May 15, 2021 11:17 - 1 hour - 122 MBAs campuses reopen, how can college leaders help students who have struggled with alcohol and drug use and mental health issues during the pandemic? In ACTA's webinar, The Pandemic and Campus Substance Use: What Colleges Need to Know Now, four distinguished health experts explored this topic in all of its dimensions, from research to practical solutions on the ground. Panelists included Robert L. DuPont, M.D. of the Institute for Behavior and Health; Amelia M. Arria, Ph.D. of the University ...
Jodi Shaw: Standing Against Regressive Orthodoxy at Smith College
April 19, 2021 16:35 - 43 minutes - 79.2 MBACTA president Michael Poliakoff sits down with Jodi Shaw, an alumna and former employee of Smith College who took a courageous stand against critical race orthodoxy at Smith. Her story, reported in The New York Times and major news venues, prompted ACTA to award her with a Hero of Intellectual Freedom Award, to be presented later this year. In our podcast, Shaw outlines the events and reasons leading to her resignation from Smith College, and elaborates on why she believes that what passes ...
Wade Eyerly: Ensuring That Students Get What They Paid For
March 26, 2021 14:29 - 41 minutes - 76.2 MBFor most students, a college education is one of the biggest investments they’ll ever make in their lifetime. What if colleges and universities could take the risk out of that monumental investment by insuring future income for graduates? ACTA's Armand Alacbay explores this model with Wade Eyerly, the co-founder and CEO of Degree Insurance, which guarantees a student’s earnings in the five years after receiving a college degree.
Wade Eyerly: Insurance for Your College Degree
March 26, 2021 14:29 - 41 minutes - 76.2 MBFor most students, a college education is one of the biggest investments they’ll ever make in their lifetime. What if colleges and universities could take the risk out of that monumental investment by insuring future income for graduates? ACTA's Armand Alacbay explores this model with Wade Eyerly, the co-founder and CEO of Degree Insurance, which guarantees a student’s earnings in the five years after receiving a college degree.
Margarita Mooney: The Enduring Value of Liberal Arts Education
February 16, 2021 22:36 - 47 minutes - 87.1 MBMargarita Mooney, Associate Professor at Princeton Theological Seminary and founder and executive director of Scala Foundation, explores the value and vitality of liberal arts learning in conversation with ACTA's Nathaniel Urban and President Michael Poliakoff.
The Transformative Power of Braver Angels College Debates
January 15, 2021 15:22 - 37 minutes - 67.8 MBSince 2018 Braver Angels has teamed with ACTA to launch civil debates for students across the nation. College leaders applaud the program's depolarizing, transformative effects on students as they learn to engage respectfully around divisive social and political issues. Program leader Doug Sprei unpacks the magic with college instructors David Dagan of The George Washington University; Mark Urista of Linn-Benton Community College; Manu Meel, CEO of BridgeUSA; Texas intern David Amaya; and Ap...
Michael Moritz and OSU: A Cautionary Tale for College Donors
December 08, 2020 21:44 - 28 minutes - 52.9 MBEmily Koons Jae, who leads ACTA’s Fund for Academic Renewal (FAR) initiative, has been keeping close tabs on the controversy around a $30 million gift to Ohio State University by the late Michael Moritz. In this episode, Emily explores this provocative story with Mr. Moritz’s wife, Lou Ann Ransom, and his son, Jeffrey Moritz.
Baylor Panel Highlights "Civic Engagement for All"
November 03, 2020 18:47 - 43 minutes - 79.6 MBOn Constitution Day, ACTA co-sponsored Civic Engagement for All – a virtual event with the Office of Engaged Learning at Baylor University. Moderated by Professor David Corey, the director of Baylor in Washington, a panel of prominent Baylor alumni and senior leaders discussed how students can envision a more robust approach to civic engagement, and why doing so is essential to the health of our communities and our country. Higher Ed Now is pleased to share excerpts of the panel discussion.
Jeremy Wayne Tate: Unpacking the Classical Learning Test
September 18, 2020 18:30 - 30 minutes - 55.2 MBJeremy Wayne Tate founded Classic Learning Initiatives in 2015 to provide high school students with alternative standardized tests that are rooted in tradition while taking advantage of modern technologies. Featuring passages from great works across a variety of disciplines, the Classical Learning Test (CLT) suite of assessments provides an accurate and rigorous measure of reasoning, aptitude, and academic formation for students from diverse educational backgrounds. Mr. Tate explores the und...
Abigail Thompson: The University's New "Loyalty Oath"
September 01, 2020 14:55 - 31 minutes - 57.6 MBAbigail Thompson, Distinguished Professor of Mathematics at the University of California-Davis, drew national attention in December 2019 with her Wall Street Journal op-ed titled “The University’s New Loyalty Oath.” Her bold challenge to the University of California’s use of diversity statements in faculty hiring inspired ACTA to honor her with a Hero of Intellectual Freedom Award. Professor Thompson argued that the rubric for assessing applicants’ diversity statements was not ideologically ...
Sally Jenkins: College Sports Pushed to the Brink
August 17, 2020 17:57 - 28 minutes - 52.2 MBFor acclaimed sports journalist Sally Jenkins of The Washington Post, the Covid-19 pandemic has blown the lid off excessive spending in college athletics and brought higher education to a reckoning point. She sat down with ACTA's Doug Sprei and Armand Alacbay for a probing conversation a few days after publication of her scathing article, College sports embraced reckless greed. With the Coronavirus crisis, the bill has come due.
Joanne Florino: Honoring Donor Intent in Higher Ed
August 07, 2020 21:52 - 30 minutes - 55.6 MBDrawing on over thirty years of experience in philanthropy, Joanne Florino has authored the new the guidebook, Protecting Your Legacy: A Wise Giver’s Guide to Honoring and Preserving Donor Intent. She sits down with Emily Koons Jae, the director of ACTA’s Fund for Academic Renewal, to explore what donors to colleges and universities can learn from this new guide; and they cover important trends in higher education philanthropy as well.
John Katzman: Innovation and Effective Learning in the Age of COVID-19
July 30, 2020 17:11 - 39 minutes - 72.3 MBJohn Katzman's trajectory as a groundbreaking educational entrepreneur has included founding The Princeton Review, the online learning company 2U and, most recently, The Noodle Companies, where he serves as CEO. For many years he has been dedicated to making the tools of education ever more innovative, connective, accessible, and effective. He joined ACTA's president, Michael Poliakoff, for a wide-ranging conversation on Zoom.
John Katzman: Innovative Learning in the Age of COVID-19
July 30, 2020 17:11 - 39 minutes - 72.3 MBJohn Katzman's trajectory as a groundbreaking educational entrepreneur has included founding The Princeton Review, the online learning company 2U and, most recently, The Noodle Companies, where he serves as CEO. For many years he has been dedicated to making the tools of education ever more innovative, connective, accessible, and effective. He joined ACTA's president, Michael Poliakoff, for a wide-ranging conversation on Zoom.
Christopher Loss: A Deep Dive into In Loco Parentis
July 20, 2020 15:39 - 31 minutes - 57.3 MBIn loco parentis is the theory that colleges can, and ought to, act “in the place of a parent” with regard to their students. How has this philosophy guided the formation of the modern university, and how has the concept changed since its inception in the early 20th century? Christopher P. Loss, professor of history, public policy, and higher education at Vanderbilt University, joins ACTA’s Erik Gross for a deep dive into one of the pivotal guiding philosophies in American higher education.
Peter Alcock: Rewriting the Future for Pine Manor College
July 08, 2020 15:26 - 29 minutes - 54 MBPine Manor College, a small liberal arts school in Massachusetts, has responded to the intense financial and operational pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic in a unique way: by partnering with nearby Boston College to become the Pine Manor Institute for Student Success. Peter Alcock, a Pine Manor trustee who has been a key driver of positioning PMC for this initiative, sat down with ACTA’s Armand Alacbay to share lessons learned that could prove instructive for many other institutions around...
Policing and Race: What College Leaders Can Do
July 02, 2020 15:51 - 30 minutes - 55.9 MBStephen Joel Trachtenberg, President Emeritus of The George Washington University, rejoins the podcast to explore higher education's response to the current national crisis around instances of police brutality and the protests against systemic racism. ACTA's president, Michael Poliakoff, kicks off the conversation.
Stephen Trachtenberg on Policing and Race, and What College Leaders Can Do
July 02, 2020 15:51 - 30 minutes - 55.9 MBStephen Joel Trachtenberg, President Emeritus of The George Washington University, rejoins the podcast to explore higher education's response to the current national crisis around instances of police brutality and the protests against systemic racism. ACTA's president, Michael Poliakoff, kicks off the conversation.
Hank Brown: College Leadership at a Turning Point
June 25, 2020 17:11 - 28 minutes - 51.9 MBMichael Poliakoff speaks with former U.S. Senator, Representative, and college president emeritus Hank Brown about immediate steps that colleges and universities must take in meeting the financial and operational crisis they are facing from the COVID 19 pandemic.
Stephen Trachtenberg: Institutional Shifts After the Pandemic
June 18, 2020 19:42 - 35 minutes - 65.8 MBACTA's Michael Poliakoff talks with Stephen Joel Trachtenberg, President Emeritus of the George Washington University about the urgent financial ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic on colleges and universities, their prospects for re-opening, challenges imposed by declining enrollment, and the hard operational decisions that institutions will have to make in coming years.
Students Persevering Through the Pandemic: Part Two
June 05, 2020 22:06 - 45 minutes - 82.6 MBToday we continue the conversation with college students impacted by the wide-ranging effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. We discuss how they are adapting to the loss of their university environment, maintaining academic discipline and motivation as they deal with the shift to online learning, and much more. Joining the podcast are Emily Garcia and Justin Heywood of Arizona State University, and Isaac Huang of the University of California-Berkeley. All three guests are leaders of the influenti...
College Students Persevering Through the Pandemic: Part One
May 28, 2020 17:11 - 30 minutes - 55.7 MBACTA is pleased to launch a series of conversations with college students experiencing the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic. Our first episode features Daniel Acosta-Rivas, rising senior at American University, and Erez Binyamin, who has just graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology.
Students Persevering Through the Pandemic: Part One
May 28, 2020 17:11 - 30 minutes - 55.7 MBHow are college students coping with the wide-ranging effects of the Coronavirus pandemic? Our first episode features Daniel Acosta-Rivas, rising senior at American University, and Erez Binyamin, a recent graduate from Rochester Institute of Technology.
John Ellis: The Breakdown of Higher Education
May 07, 2020 16:43 - 43 minutes - 80.1 MBACTA's Michael Poliakoff explores the erosion of academic freedom in the academy with John M. Ellis, professor emeritus at University of California-Santa Cruz, and the author of The Breakdown of Higher Education: How It Happened, the Damage It Does, and What Can Be Done.
Jonathan Zimmerman: Historical Perspectives on COVID-19
April 14, 2020 14:00 - 29 minutes - 53.7 MBHow do the challenges that COVID-19 presents compare to other times of crisis in higher education? What forces have been brewing under the surface of the academy to make this such a difficult time for college campuses to cope with the pandemic? ACTA's Erik Gross tapped Jonathan Zimmerman, professor of history of education at the University of Pennsylvania, for perspectives.
Brandon Busteed: Crucial Conversations Amidst the Pandemic Crisis
April 07, 2020 20:54 - 41 minutes - 75.5 MBAs the COVID-19 pandemic expands, higher ed leaders, faculty and students are being forced to adapt in real time and rethink the future. Kaplan University Partners president Brandon Busteed joins ACTA's Michael Poliakoff for a wide-ranging discussion about the crucial challenges confronting institutions this fall and for many years to come.
Lee Bessette: Online Learning and "Pandemic Pedagogy" Amidst the COVID-19 Crisis
March 23, 2020 23:47 - 43 minutes - 80.2 MBThe COVID-19 pandemic is forcing professors and instructors to move toward delivering their courses online -- almost overnight. How are faculty, institutions, and students reckoning with this sudden shift? Lee Bessette, PhD, Learning Design Specialist at Georgetown University, offers insights into "pedagogical triage," effective online instruction, and the sweep of urgent issues confronting students during this crisis.
Lee Bessette: "Pandemic Pedagogy" and Online Learning Amidst the COVID-19 Crisis
March 23, 2020 23:47 - 43 minutes - 80.2 MBThe COVID-19 pandemic is forcing professors and instructors to move toward delivering courses online -- almost overnight. How are faculty, institutions, and students reckoning with this sudden shift? Lee Skallerup Bessette, Ph.D., Learning Design Specialist at Georgetown University, explores what goes into maintaining great pedagogical values in online instruction, and the sweep of urgent issues confronting students during this crisis.
Amelia Arria: A Researcher's Lens on College Drinking and Drug Use
February 02, 2020 16:50 - 44 minutes - 80.6 MBOne of the nation's leading researchers in the field of drug and alcohol abuse, Dr. Amelia Arria is respected by higher ed leaders and policy makers alike. A key driver of the influential Maryland Collaborative, she helps trustees and administrators forge strategies and intervention policies to help students stay healthy and successful on their academic journey.
Robert DuPont: "Denormalizing" drug and alcohol use on campus
January 14, 2020 17:53 - 55 minutes - 102 MBRobert L. DuPont, MD, one of the nation's leading voices on drug and alcohol use, joins our podcast for a passionate discussion on recovery, prevention, and what college leaders need to know to save students' lives and help them succeed. Over the past 51 years, Dr. DuPont has been a major player shaping federal policy, guiding institutions, and helping countless individuals move from addiction into recovery.
Robert DuPont: "Denormalizing" Drug and Alcohol Use on Campus
January 14, 2020 17:53 - 55 minutes - 102 MBRobert L. DuPont, MD, one of the nation's leading voices on drug and alcohol use, joins our podcast for a passionate discussion on recovery, prevention, and what college leaders need to know to save students' lives and help them succeed. Over the past 51 years, Dr. DuPont has been a major player shaping federal policy, guiding institutions, and helping countless individuals move from addiction into recovery.
Robert DuPont: Combating drug and alcohol use on the American college campus
January 14, 2020 17:53 - 55 minutes - 102 MBRobert L. DuPont, MD, one of the nation's leading voices on drug and alcohol use, joins our podcast for a passionate discussion on recovery, prevention, and what college leaders need to know to save students' lives and help them succeed. Over the past 51 years, Dr. DuPont has been a major player shaping federal policy, guiding institutions, and helping countless individuals move from addiction into recovery.
Evan Gerstmann: Unpacking the President's Executive Order on Campus Anti-Semitism
January 02, 2020 15:49 - 19 minutes - 35.8 MBDo colleges treat anti-Semitism differently from sexism and racism? Evan Gerstmann, professor of political science at Loyola Marymount University, phoned in to talk with ACTA president Michael Poliakoff about his recent Forbes articles that explore this topic.
John Hillen & Ryan Pemberton: Engaged Citizenship and the Liberal Arts Tradition
December 13, 2019 12:41 - 54 minutes - 125 MBIn this conversation recorded on Veteran's Day, Michael Poliakoff explores the modern influence of the liberal arts tradition with two of its most dedicated proponents, John Hillen and Ryan Pemberton from Hampden-Sydney College -- an institution with roots linked to the founding of our nation.
George LaNoue: Silenced Stages on the American Campus
December 05, 2019 15:02 - 46 minutes - 84.7 MBProfessor George LaNoue brings a lifetime of teaching college students about the First Amendment, educational policy, Constitutional law, civil rights, and more. He visited ACTA to spotlight his new book, Silenced Stages: The Loss of Academic Freedom and Campus Policy Debates, which probes into how often colleges expose their students to civil debate on important, and often controversial, public policy questions.
Rick Hess: The National Challenge of Civic Education
November 14, 2019 17:04 - 45 minutes - 83.3 MB"What can educators, philanthropists, entrepreneurs, and activists do to create a higher ed ecosystem that's as rich and diverse and intellectually curious as we want our nation to be?" Frederick M. Hess, resident scholar and Director of Education Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute, takes a deep dive into the state of civic education with ACTA's President Michael Poliakoff.
Abigail & John: American History Profoundly Portrayed in a Children's Book
October 08, 2019 16:23 - 27 minutes - 38.1 MBThe loving partnership of Abigail and John Adams played a remarkable role in shaping America's founding and history. ACTA joins the Grateful American Foundation and the Supreme Court Historical Society to celebrate the release of a new children's book exploring the narrative of our nation's most influential early couple.
CollegePoint: A Launchpad for Student Success
September 22, 2019 18:54 - 30 minutes - 42.2 MBFunded by Bloomberg Philanthropies, the innovative CollegePoint program is giving thousands of high-achieving, low- and moderate-income high school students the individualized support they need to navigate the college application and financial aid process. We sat down with Jenny Sharfstein Kane of Bloomberg Philanthropies to explore how it works.
Phil Magness and Jason Brennan: Cracks in Higher Ed's Ivory Tower
September 03, 2019 21:20 - 42 minutes - 77.5 MBACTA's Erik Gross serves up a conversation with Jason Brennan and Phillip Magness, the authors of "Cracks In the Ivory Tower: The Moral Mess of Higher Education." Their microeconomic approach to analyzing the adversities plaguing today's colleges and universities lays out a gripping narrative that is sure to challenge orthodoxies in the Academy.
Kyler Gray: A Student's Impact on Higher Ed Governance
August 22, 2019 19:09 - 38 minutes - 69.8 MBKyler Gray, a rising senior at the University of Central Florida, is an emerging higher education leader. On top of full time studies, he serves as the president of the UCF student body, CEO of the Student Government Association, *and* as the sole student member of the university's Board of Trustees -- representing 68,000 students in the UCF community. We sat down with Kyler to explore his passion, vision, and experiences in governance on the ground at a major public institution.
April Lawson: Leading Better Angels Debates to Depolarize America
August 08, 2019 14:36 - 23 minutes - 42.5 MBApril Lawson is a guiding light and director of debates at Better Angels, a remarkable national organization that has surged into the spotlight by effectively teaching citizens to combat polarization and restore civil dialogue across America. April's leadership informs Better Angels' partnership with ACTA -- and our shared vision to help students build a culture of respectful dialogue and viewpoint diversity on college campuses.
Meaningful Professions, Meaningful Lives: Dr. Fred Beuttler and the Liberal Arts
August 02, 2019 19:12 - 38 minutes - 70.8 MBIs there really a disjunct between the world of the practical and the world of the liberal arts? Dr. Fred Beuttler, guiding light of the Graham School of Continuing Liberal and Professional Studies of the University of Chicago, certainly doesn't think so. In this episode he returns to ACTA for an illuminating conversation with Michael Poliakoff.
Wallace Hall: College Admissions Scandal Whistleblower
July 26, 2019 04:36 - 40 minutes - 74.5 MBBack in 2011, Wallace Hall was sounding alarms about admissions wrongdoings at the University of Texas System, where he served as Regent. His activism drew blistering criticism and brought him to the brink of impeachment -- until 2015, when an investigation fully validated his claims. In light of global headlines about the college admissions scandal, Hall's stance is now regarded as heroic. In a conversation at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, he shared an inside view with ACTA's Michael ...