The World of Higher Education

In this episode of the World of Higher Education podcast, Alex Usher discusses the financial challenges facing higher education in the UK, focusing on England, with Nick Hillman, Director of the Higher Education Policy Institute in London. They explore the impact of the Conservative Party's 14-year rule, the policy directions of the new Labour government under Keir Starmer, and what this means for universities and students. The conversation highlights funding issues, strategies universities are employing to cope, and the potential future scenarios for the sector. Tune in to hear an in-depth analysis of higher education policy developments and the prospects for UK universities.

Join host Alex Usher and guest Simon Marginson, Emeritus Professor of Higher Education at Oxford University, as they discuss the current state of global higher education in this inaugural episode of Season 3 of the World of Higher Education podcast. They explore which countries are thriving, the implications of geopolitical tensions, the evolving missions of universities worldwide, and the challenges faced by the higher education sector amidst growing populist attacks and state control. Discover Simon's views on the roles and influence of big American universities, China's educational advancements, and the critical balance between employability and academic freedom.

In this discussion, William C. Kirby, a Harvard professor and author, delves into the evolution of universities in Germany, the U.S., and China. He shares insights from his experiences teaching in all three nations, highlighting the historic rise and fall of Humboldt University. Kirby argues that money is essential but not enough for excellence, emphasizing talent and resource management. He explores the rapid improvement of Chinese universities, noting their competitive advantages. Lastly, Kirby contemplates the future of higher education, urging collaboration over competition.

Our guests this week are Andrea Petö from the Central European University in Vienna and Jo-Anne Dillabough of Cambridge University in the UK. These two are collaborators on the UK ESRC project Higher Education, States of Precarity and Conflict in the 'Global North' and 'Global South': UK, Hungary, South Africa, and Turkey and the Horizon Europe project Rising nationalisms, shifting geopolitics and the future of European higher education and research openness. In early May, they jointly penned an article for University World News entitled New Deceptions: How Illiberalism is hijacking the university. Today’s discussion ranges over the history of higher education (haven’t universities been illiberal for most of their history), institutional ownership (are private universities necessarily illiberal?) and the role of federalism in moderating illiberalism. 

In this discussion, Dr. Gero Federkeil, head of international projects at the Centrum für Hochschulentwicklung in Germany, dives into the evolving landscape of university enrollment trends in Germany. He highlights the rise of universities of applied sciences and shifts towards fields like health professions and computer science. Gero also delves into U-Multirank, describing its unique multidimensional approach to higher education rankings and the challenges faced in attracting students amid simpler league tables. Exciting developments in benchmarking tools and future data releases are on the horizon!

Today's guest today is Dr. Jisun Jung of the University of Hong Kong. She is an expert in Korean higher education and the discussion today ranges from the post-war history of higher education to the very real and immanent challenges that institutions are facing with respect to declining enrolment. 

Today's guest is Thomas Jorgensen, the Director for Policy Coordination and Foresight at the European University Association. He walk us through the way policy is made in Brussels and how European Commission has gradually acquired competencies in areas relevant to higher education.

This week's guest is Dr. Gerard Postiglione, Professor Emeritus and Honorary Professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Hong Kong. In this episode, Gerry takes us through changes in higher education in China, from the initial opening under Deng Xiaoping, through the rapid system expansion under Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao, to the present system under Xi Jinping. 

To help sort out all the complexities of the US system, our guest today is Brendan Cantwell, professor at Michigan State University who specializes in the political economy of higher education. He takes us through some of the more notable state-level battles going on right now in America, the difference in how Republicans attack public vs private institutions, and most interestingly of all, the question of whether there is some actual governance objectives behind all of the culture wars, or whether it is just performative theatre.

Today my guest is Phil Hill, an ed tech consultant and Lead at Phill Hill and Associates. Today he joins us to talk about the last twenty years and how they have shaped the sector. The conversation ranges pretty widely across a number of topics here, one of the most interesting has to do with the historic role of MOOCs. Alex and Phil agree that they are a historic failure judged by the claims made about their impact at the time, but Phil argues – pretty persuasively, that they might just possibly have been a key turning point in the history of the delivery higher education.Links:Phil Hill and AssociatesHESA's 2024 Canadian Federal Budget Commentary