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

12/06/2025

What College Professors Really Want from Students 🎓

Michael and Jeff discuss a common complaint among college faculty - student disengagement. Michael shares what professors truly want from their students: engagement, real dialogue, and a willingness to improve over time. He emphasizes the importance of treating the learning process as a collaborative journey, with drafts, feedback, and coaching rather than just judging the final product. This candid insight offers a refreshing perspective on fostering a productive learning environment in higher education.

10/06/2025

Embracing AI in Higher Ed: Reshaping Assignments & Syllabi for the ChatGPT Era

Jeff and Michael discuss the impact of AI, particularly ChatGPT, on student learning and academic integrity. They highlight the need to rethink assignments and syllabi to leverage AI effectively, fostering critical thinking and real-world application. The conversation explores responsible AI use, redefining cheating in the AI age, and implementing institutional initiatives to guide students and faculty in navigating this transformative technology.

09/06/2025

The Surprising Truth About College Majors

Jeff Selingo and Michael Horn discuss the surprising truth about college majors - it's not just about theory and practice. They emphasize the importance of hands-on learning, real-life experience, and developing skills like working under pressure and meeting deadlines. Drawing from their own experiences as a history major at Yale and a journalism major at Ithaca, they advocate for a well-rounded approach combining classroom knowledge, practical application, and performance-based learning across all disciplines, much like how musicians are trained.

27/05/2025

Join Jeff and Michael on the latest episode of Future U Podcast as they sit down with former Massachusetts Governor Jane Swift, now the leader of . Jane is on a mission to transform the college-to-career pipeline, and this episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in the future of education and workforce development.

🔑 Key Discussions:

Bridging Education & Employment: Jane Swift talks about the importance of integrating real-world job experiences into higher education. Discover how her nonprofit collaborates with universities like Arizona State and UT El Paso to equip students with practical skills and meaningful opportunities.

Policy Challenges: Jane critiques the current policy environment, highlighting a lack of legislative action in higher education. She calls for innovative solutions and funding to support work-based learning, pushing for more proactive engagement from the legislative branch.

Bipartisan Solutions: Jane advocates for a focus on workforce development as a unifying issue. She argues that bipartisan efforts should prioritize institutions serving the majority and move beyond the focus on elite universities.

Don't miss out on this eye-opening discussion that tackles the challenges and opportunities in reshaping higher education for student success! 🎓

👉 Listen now wherever you get your podcasts.

This episode is made with support from and the .

20/05/2025

The Price of Congressional Inaction

In our latest episode of Future U, and .b.horn examine why Congress hasn't reauthorized the Higher Education Act in 17 years - and what this means for students, institutions, and our education system.

Our expert guests James Kvaal (former Under Secretary of Education) and Preston Cooper (AEI) provide bipartisan insights on:

- How outdated policies fail today's students
- The impact of executive actions filling the vacuum
- What's at stake with Department of Education staffing cuts
- Critical bills stuck in Congress (College Transparency Act, Workforce Pell Act)

As James Kvaal notes, "When you have a bill that hasn't been redone in seventeen years, we think about things quite differently than we did seventeen years ago."

Don't miss this important conversation on the future of higher education policy!

Listen now wherever you get your p

13/05/2025

Future U Podcast live from the Milken Institute!

Host Jeff Selingo sits down with investor and Harvard critic Bill Ackman for a candid conversation about the state of elite higher education in America.

In this thought-provoking discussion, Ackman questions whether taxpayers should fund private universities that he believes demonstrate "administrative bloat" and other issues.

Ackman challenges Harvard's sustainability: "Harvard, in terms of meeting its mission of educating the future leaders of our country, is failing just arithmetically" as it maintains the same class size despite population growth and charges $82,000 annually.

Where does higher education go from here? This episode explores what's broken and how competition might reshape the landscape.

Whether you're a university administrator, faculty member, or interested in the future of higher education, this episode offers valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities ahead.

29/04/2025

📚 Making Sense of Trump's First 100 Days in Higher Ed

Jeff and Michael look at how the rapid-fire policy changes from the Trump administration are reshaping higher education's landscape.

In this thought-provoking episode, they tackle three major developments:

Education Department Transformation - With staff reduced by nearly half, critical functions like student loan administration and data collection face uncertain futures. What happens when services like FAFSA and federal loans face disruption?

International Student Concerns - As visa revocations make headlines abroad, universities dependent on global talent and tuition face potential enrollment cliffs.
Research Funding Threats - From capping NIH overhead rates to withholding billions from institutions accused of antisemitism, these moves could fundamentally change how research universities operate.

What makes this episode particularly valuable is the balanced perspective. As Michael notes, there's truth "lying in the middle of these polls" - acknowledging both legitimate criticisms of higher ed institutions while questioning the administration's approach and lack of transparent process.

Most fascinating is their discussion of campus culture change and what board members are saying behind closed doors. Many institutions have been "deficit spending with structural deficits they don't know how to get out of," while thinking "their problem is marketing."

This episode offers critical context for anyone working in or alongside higher education during these turbulent times.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts. This episode is made with support from and .

22/04/2025

📚 HIGHER ED'S GREATEST CONTROVERSIES 📚

The latest episode brings you Jack Stripling from the to break down their "March Madness bracket" of college scandals over the past 25 years.

From "drown the bunnies" to presidential spending scandals, these controversies reveal fascinating insights about:

✅ What makes campus leadership so challenging today
✅ How financial pressures influence decision-making
✅ Why athletic scandals feature so prominently
✅ The tensions between campus factions

This episode offers both laughs and serious analysis about what these controversies tell us about higher education's values and future.

As Jack notes, successful college leadership today means knowing your values: "That's what makes the presidency impossible, not knowing what your values are."

Listen now - link in bio!

10/04/2025

NEW EPISODE 🎙️ Indiana's bold approach to apprenticeships

When it comes to preparing students for careers, Switzerland is considered the gold standard. But can their model work in the US?

Indiana is proving it can. In our latest episode, talks with Claire Fiddian-Green about how Indiana has:

✅ Created new high school graduation pathways
✅ Put employers in leadership roles
✅ Ensured students can still pursue college later
✅ Built a system that can work at scale

As Claire says, "We don't want to create a dead-end system if you're making a choice in 10th or 11th grade."

Listen now wherever you get your podcast.

01/04/2025

For five decades, the Carnegie classifications have shaped how colleges position themselves and chase prestige. But that's changing now.

The latest Future U conversation with Mushtaq Gunja explores what happens when we measure colleges not just by their degrees but by student outcomes. The new classifications introduce a revolutionary focus on access and earnings - with geographical adjustments that recognize context matters.

As Michael Horn and Jeff Selingo probe: Will this end the "arms race" where every institution aims to be Harvard? Or will it just create new hierarchies?

Listen to understand the future of college classifications and why they matter. Find the episode wherever you listen to podcasts.

11/03/2025

The Swiss Apprenticeship Model & Lessons for the US

In this eye-opening episode of Future U, and .b.horn talk with Katie Caves from about Switzerland's remarkable apprenticeship system.

Did you know that 70% of Swiss teenagers complete apprenticeships during high school? And that these pathways can lead all the way to professional PhDs?

The Swiss system succeeds through "permeability" - students can easily move between vocational and academic tracks, with those taking mixed paths often achieving the best career outcomes.

What's even more fascinating is how employers benefit too, earning an average 8% ROI on their investment in apprentices!

As one host remarked, "This makes me want to move to Switzerland!"
Listen to learn how Indiana is adapting elements of this system for American education and join the conversation about reimagining career pathways in the US.

Link in bio to listen now! 📱🎧

05/03/2025

🤖 How will AI transform college campuses? 🎓

In our latest Future U episode, and host a powerful conversation with higher education experts about AI's impact on universities.

Key insights:
- Universities need comprehensive AI strategies
- Faculty must be upskilled as students adopt AI faster
- Liberal arts education remains crucial but needs to connect to workforce needs
- The "form factor" of higher education may need complete transformation

"We have a sluggish, sleepy, tired, beleaguered sector. But it's time to wake up."
- Ann Kirschner.

Listen to the full episode to hear how universities can thrive in the AI era!

This episode is made with support from .

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