Future U Podcast - The Pulse of Higher Ed

Should colleges actively resist the Trump administration or find ways to engage and compromise? Vanderbilt University’s chancellor, Daniel Diermeier, has emerged as a leading example of engagement — facing a mix of cheers and jeers in the academy. Jeff and Michael talked with Diermeier about why he thinks higher education needs to change, and his ambitions to grow his institution’s prestige and research impact. This episode is made...

As the year comes to a close, Jeff and Michael step back to review some themes from recent episodes. They home in on how to build innovative campus cultures, and how colleges can respond to AI. And they look ahead, offering predictions for higher ed for 2026. This episode is made with support from Ascendium Education Group, Adobe, and Butler University.

Relevant Links

“A Looming Crisis: New Analysis Shows Dozens of Well-Know...

When Marymount Manhattan College’s board of trustees decided last year to merge with Northeastern University, becoming a part of that Boston-based university’s global system, the vote was unanimous. As Jeff and Michael continue their ongoing exploration (some might say obsession) with mergers and acquisitions in higher ed, they talk to one of Marymount Manhattan’s trustees, Abby Fiorella, on this episode to get a board member’s per...

In this special episode recorded live at Adobe’s EduMAX conference, Jeff and Michael explore practical ways to harness AI in higher education to prepare students to be more effective creators. They were joined by a panel of industry and academic experts including Jennifer Sparrow, New York University’s chief academic technology officer; Simon Koh, who has led early career recruiting at Raymond James and KPMG, among other organizati...

In this time of uncertainty and pullback of federal support for higher education, is it time for states to step up and play a greater leadership role in helping colleges better serve students? And if so, how? Jeff and Michael debate those questions on this episode. To set the stage, they talk with Ruth Watkins, president of postsecondary education for Strada Education Foundation and a former college president, about Strada’s new St...

On the latest stop of Future U.'s campus tour, Michael and Jeff visit Butler University to talk with Butler president Jim Danko and other campus leaders. They explore how, out of a mix of excitement about serving students and fear of potential competitive threats on the horizon, the university built a culture and infrastructure to encourage innovation.

Relevant Links

Butler University’s Transformation Lab website.

Chapter...

How can AI be adopted in a way that turns more students into “explorers” rather than “passengers” in their learning? This week we bring you a conversation with the co-author of a book on student disengagement in school, Rebecca Winthrop, who is also researching the impact of AI on education. The episode is by one of Future U’s producers, Jeff Young, from his new podcast, Learning Curve.

Chapters

0:00 - Intro 

4:19 - When the ...

Parents and prospective students want to know how colleges are responding to the rise of generative AI — and to other recent developments like federal budget cuts to research. On this episode, Jeff and Michael share what they’re both hearing as they visit campuses around the country this fall. And they offer their analysis of what AI could mean for higher education, and whether the time is ripe for new entrants to enter the college...

Mergers and acquisitions are usually seen as bad things in higher ed. But there’s a growing sense that many colleges could benefit by teaming up, especially as the fiscal cliff means fewer potential students. Jeff and Michael continue to dive into their fascination with M&A by talking to Walter Iwanenko Jr, the president of Gannon University in Erie, Pa., about how and why the institution sought a merger with Ursuline College near ...

We’re bringing back a favorite format to go behind the headlines with top beat reporters covering colleges. Our latest roundtable focuses on how the Trump administration’s many executive orders, research grant cancellations, and crackdowns on international students are changing the higher ed landscape in the U.S. and globally. Jeff and Michael are joined by reporters from The Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe, and The Chronicle...

In this era of uncertainty, many parents view highly-selective colleges as the best bet for their student’s futures. In his new book just out this month, Future U co-host Jeff Selingo challenges that assumption. For this episode, Jeff moves from the host chair to being a guest to share highlights from the book, ‘Dream School.’ He talks about going beyond which college’s name looks most impressive as a bumper sticker on the family c...

This summer brought no rest for college leaders. With the Trump Administration’s continuing push to reshape the college world, plus lots of announcements in Artificial Intelligence, there are many higher ed headlines to recap. So Jeff and Michael kick off season 9 with their take on the most important developments of the past couple of months. That includes Columbia University’s unprecedented settlement with the federal government,...

Jeff and Michael are joined by Mushtaq Gunja, Executive Director of the Carnegie Classification Systems and Senior Vice President at ACE, to unpack the sweeping changes to the Carnegie Classifications. They explore how the new system aims to better group institutions, highlight student access and earnings, and shift incentives across funding, accountability, and rankings. The conversation dives into the implications for colleges ch...

The U.S. has a lot to learn when it comes to systematizing apprenticeship. Thankfully, there are successful international models, like Switzerland’s, that we can study. Katie Caves, the Director at Switzerland’s Center on the Economics and Management of Education and Training Systems, joins the podcast to discuss the Swiss model and what can be gleaned from it. They discuss its permeability between academic and vocational tracks, p...

What does a community college in Idaho have to do with mounting economic tensions between the U.S. and China? A lot, actually. 

On this episode of Future U., Michael and Jeff dive into what the CHIPS and Science Act—the federal spending package designed to reduce the United States’ reliance on foreign manufacturers for microchips and other advanced technologies—means for a segment of American postsecondary institutions that’s often ...

In this special bonus episode of Future U, Michael Horn moderates a panel discussion on the future of work and learning in the age of AI. Recorded at a Western Governors University event in Boston, the conversation features insights from industry leaders across technology, consulting, and higher education.

Panelists Paul Bingham (WGU), Will Bass (formerly of Comcast), Kara Kara Wieckowski (Accenture), and Wayne Duso (former VP at AW...

While college-going rates have increased over recent decades, completion rates have hardly budged. On this episode, Michael and Jeff sit down with one entrepreneur working to change that. Mike Larsson is the co-founder and CEO of Duet, an organization collaborating with an online university to provide on-the-ground coaching and physical space for students. They discuss the role wraparound supports play in supporting more students t...

As colleges navigate increasing financial pressure, many struggle to balance mission with sustainability. In this episode, Jeff and Michael welcome Rick Staisloff, founder of rpk GROUP, for a crash course in how college budgets really work. From centralized vs. decentralized models to the challenges of tuition discounting, Rick breaks down the major drivers of revenue and expense in higher ed. He also highlights why better business...