Future U.

Future U. Jeff Selingo and Michael Horn discuss what’s next for higher ed and talk with the newsmakers you want to hear from most.

12/12/2025

Michael Horn challenges the common assumption that liberal arts skills like critical thinking automatically transfer from classroom to workplace. He argues that these skills are domain-specific and explains why universities need structural changes—not just AI adoption—to make liberal arts education more relevant for career success.

Key insights:
• Critical thinking learned in history class doesn't automatically work in business contexts
• Liberal arts skills are actually "baskets of skills" that need intentional design for transferability
• Universities need cross-functional teams to redesign courses, majors, and credit requirements
• Structural innovation matters more than just asking faculty about AI usage

🎙️ NEW Future U Episode: The Road Trip DebriefJeff Selingo & Michael Horn unpack game-changing insights from Butler Univ...
09/12/2025

🎙️ NEW Future U Episode: The Road Trip Debrief

Jeff Selingo & Michael Horn unpack game-changing insights from Butler University and Adobe's higher ed summit:

✨ How Butler created a culture of innovation (spoiler: it's about process, not just ideas)
🤖 Why 60-70% of faculty aren't using AI while students race ahead
💼 The disappearing entry-level job market—and what colleges must do now
📊 Eye-opening data: dozens of well-known colleges face serious financial trouble

Plus their boldest 2026 predictions 🔮

Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

Wishing our Future U community a warm and restful Thanksgiving! 🍂We’re grateful for your support. Stay tuned — we have t...
27/11/2025

Wishing our Future U community a warm and restful Thanksgiving! 🍂

We’re grateful for your support. Stay tuned — we have two more episodes coming your way before the year wraps up!

21/11/2025

Abby Fiorella, a board member at Marymount Manhattan College and alumna of the institution, shares the emotional journey of leading her college through a merger with Northeastern University. She reveals how trustees must "leave space for emotion" while ensuring that feelings don't drive strategic decisions.

Abby's perspective offers rare insight into the trustee experience during one of higher education's most challenging decisions. Her approach of acknowledging emotion while maintaining strategic focus provides a roadmap for other institutions facing similar crossroads.

Episode is made with support from

When Marymount Manhattan College’s board of trustees decided last year to merge with Northeastern University, becoming a...
20/11/2025

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 perspective on how mergers can be strategic wins for smaller institutions, as well as key to protecting their core missions.

This episode is made with support from .

14/11/2025

From Future U's live recording at Adobe EduMax 2025, education expert Allison Salisbury shares her perspective on how AI is fundamentally reshaping the role of higher education. She draws a compelling parallel between AI's impact on human agency and creativity to what the printing press did for knowledge access - arguing that this represents an incredible opportunity for educational transformation.

Salisbury emphasizes that the primary goal of higher education should be cultivating human agency among learners, helping students graduate with the self-belief and confidence to create and build collaboratively with both humans and AI. This isn't just about teaching students to use AI tools, but about fundamentally shifting their mindset from passive consumers to active creators who see the world as editable and themselves as builders.

Join hosts Jeff Selingo and Michael Horn as they explore the future of education in an AI-driven world. Don't forget to subscribe for more insights on higher education trends and innovations.

🎙️ What does it mean to be "AI-ready" in 2025?We sat down with three powerhouse voices at EduMax to tackle the questio...
14/11/2025

🎙️ What does it mean to be "AI-ready" in 2025?

We sat down with three powerhouse voices at EduMax to tackle the question reshaping higher education and the workforce.

From NYU's Jennifer Sparrow championing "failure fluency" to 's bold take on the experience gap ("22-year-olds are now expected to perform like 27-year-olds"), to Simon Kho's reality check on why relationships still trump algorithms in business—this conversation cuts through the AI hype to what really matters.

Key takeaways from our live Future U recording:
📚 Liberal arts skills aren't outdated—they're essential
🔄 The shift from consuming AI to creating WITH it changes everything
🎓 Universities need to provide 50% applied learning experiences NOW
💡 Your college brand matters less; your ability to build and communicate matters more
🤝 Human creativity + AI capabilities = the future workforce

The bottom line? In an AI world, our most human skills—creativity, relationship-building, and ethical judgment—become our superpowers.

Swipe through for insights that will change how you think about preparing for an AI-powered future →

🎧 Full episode available wherever you get your podcasts.

When federal policy feels uncertain, states have an unprecedented opportunity to lead. 🎓In our latest episode, we sit do...
05/11/2025

When federal policy feels uncertain, states have an unprecedented opportunity to lead. 🎓

In our latest episode, we sit down with Ruth Watkins from to explore their groundbreaking State Opportunity Index—a framework measuring how well states connect education to employment across five critical areas:

✨ Clear outcomes
✨ Quality coaching
✨ Affordability
✨ Work-based learning
✨ Employer alignment

The numbers tell a compelling story: States invest $129 billion annually in higher ed, yet 30% of college graduates aren't seeing positive ROI within 10 years of graduation. Meanwhile, employers can't find the talent they need.

Our favorite insight? Ruth's reframing of "soft skills" as higher-order skills—because the ability to think critically, solve problems, and work across differences isn't soft at all. In an AI-driven economy, these human capabilities are more valuable than ever.

Jeff and Michael dig into why this moment demands state leadership, how work-based learning is succeeding in unexpected places (looking at you, Iowa and Pennsylvania 👀), and why we need to focus as much on the "I" in ROI as we do the "R."

Link in bio to listen. What role do you think states should play in shaping higher ed's future?

What does sustainable innovation look like at a university? We took the Future U Campus Tour to to find out.President J...
30/10/2025

What does sustainable innovation look like at a university?

We took the Future U Campus Tour to to find out.

President Jim Danko has led Butler for 14 years—building an innovation culture that survived changes in leadership, shifts in strategy, and the skepticism that comes with trying something new in higher ed.

The results: 35+ new programs launched in 4 years, a Transformation Lab that serves as the university’s innovation engine, and new models like Founders College and Butler Overseas.

Key takeaway? Innovation needs more than a bold vision—it requires the right structures, patient leadership, and a willingness to adapt when things don’t work.

Hear from Butler’s president, trustees, and faculty about how they made it happen.

Latest episode out now—link in bio.

We're featuring an important conversation from Learning Curve (hosted by our producer Jeff Young) in the Future U feed t...
22/10/2025

We're featuring an important conversation from Learning Curve (hosted by our producer Jeff Young) in the Future U feed this week.

The topic? Whether AI will bring MORE student disengagement—or help solve it.

Rebecca Winthrop from the Brookings Institution (co-author of "The Disengaged Teen") breaks down why this matters: For decades, about two-thirds of students have been disengaged from school. But today, the cost of disengagement is much higher. Students who coast through school won't develop the problem-solving, interpersonal, and critical thinking skills they'll need in an AI-driven world.

The big question: Will AI push students further into "Passenger Mode," where they let technology do the work? Or can it help unlock "Explorer Mode," where curiosity drives real learning?

Plus, hear from a high school student experiencing these changes firsthand.

🎧 Listen to Learning Curve wherever you get your podcasts or at learningcurve.fm

14/10/2025

In this crucial segment from Future U, hosts Jeff Selingo and Michael Horn discuss the reality facing college towns across America: mergers and acquisitions may be the only way to preserve higher education institutions in their communities. As demographic challenges and financial pressures mount, many colleges face an uncertain future - either merge with stronger institutions or risk closing entirely.

13/10/2025

In this clip from Future U, co-host Jeff Selingo explains why higher education has a fundamentally different perspective on mergers and acquisitions compared to the business world. While business sees M&A as a tool for growth, survival, and going "further faster," higher ed views any institutional disappearance as inherently negative.

This mindset shift is crucial as more colleges face enrollment cliffs and financial challenges. Rather than seeing mergers as institutional failure, we should view them as strategic moves that can strengthen colleges and preserve educational opportunities for students.

From an episode featuring Walter Iwanenko, President of Gannon University, discussing his proactive approach to finding merger partners - a strategy that could become increasingly important for mid-sized institutions looking to thrive rather than just survive.

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