Future U Podcast - The Pulse of Higher Ed

Mark Hicks, NCAA enforcement lead on betting integrity, and Clint Huckenbrough, NCAA risk manager focused on sports betting and student welfare. They unpack the surge in campus sports wagering, the rise of prop bets and scandals, threats to athlete safety and privacy, and how colleges and operators are trying to detect and deter betting-related harms.

Matthew Pittinsky, ed-tech entrepreneur who helped create Blackboard and led Parchment and Instructure, returns to steer Blackboard into the AI era. He discusses why AI could upend the LMS, imagines AI study companions that personalize learning, and explores whether LMSs can evolve or be replaced. The conversation covers integrity risks, faculty roles, and lessons from past tech shifts.

Tenure is a defining feature of U.S. higher education, but these days the practice is in decline and under attack by critics. On this episode, Jeff and Michael talk with Jacques Berlinerblau, a Georgetown University professor who has written extensively about the tenure system, for an explainer on its colorful origins as well as a look at the dramatic changes that seem to be coming. This episode is made with support from Ascendium Education Group. Chapters 0:00 - Intro 2:50 - The Colorful History of Tenure 8:14 - A Distinctly American System 9:14 - How Tenure Works 13:26 - What Is the Legal Nature of Tenure? 14:46 - Which Types of Colleges Use Tenure? 16:19 - Is Tenure Different in Different Disciplines? 18:52 - How Difficult Is It For Colleges to Dismiss a Tenured Faculty Member? 20:40 - Can Tenured Departments Be Eliminated for Lack of Student Demand? 22:57 - Complaints Against the Tenure System 24:43 - A Turning Point in the 1990s 31:43 - A Renewed Campaign to Erode Tenure 34:31 - How Professors Are Partly to Blame for Tenure’s Woes 37:33 - Will Only Elite Universities Keep Tenure? 38:49 - Are Younger Faculty As Excited About Tenure? 41:48 - What Can Professors Do in the Face of Tenure’s Erosion? Relevant Links: “1915 Declaration of Principles on Academic Freedom and Academic Tenure,” and a history of the American Association of University Professors. “1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure,” from the American Association of University Professors. "Professors Lay Dying: Selecting a College Amidst an Educational Crisis," by Jacques Berlinerblau “They’ve Been Scheming to Cut Tenure for Years. It’s Happening,” by Jacques Berlinerblau in The Chronicle of Higher Education. “Laboratories of Autocracy: A Wake-Up Call from Behind the Lines,” by David Pepper. “The War on Tenure,” by Deepa Das Acevedo Connect with Michael Horn: Sign Up for the The Future of Education Newsletter Website LinkedIn X (Twitter) Threads   Connect with Jeff Selingo: Dream School: Finding the College That's Right for You Sign Up for the Next Newsletter Website X (Twitter) Threads LinkedIn Connect with Future U: Twitter YouTube Threads Instagram Facebook LinkedIn   Submit a question and if we answer it on air we'll send you Future U. swag! Sign up for Future U. emails to get special updates and behind-the-scenes content.

Colleges and other providers have flooded the market with non-degree credentials in the past decade. But a recent analysis shows that only one in three credentials bring meaningful returns for graduates. Jeff and Michael talk with Matt Sigelman, president of the Burning Glass Institute, who is working to provide data to consumers and policymakers about the ROI of non-degree credentials. Given many of the returns of credentials come to those with traditional degrees already, the future of the degree and credentials are inextricably tied together. This episode is supported exclusively by Ascendium Education Group.Chapters0:00 - Intro1:21 - Creating a Way to Measure Real-Time Labor Market Data3:15 - Charting an Explosion of Non-Degree Credentials7:14 - Helping Consumers Find Which Credentials Have Value11:36 - What is the ROI of Non-Degree Credentials?12:51 - How Could the Data on These Credentials Be Improved?14:20 - The Challenge of Getting Data to Consumers18:38 - Will Better Data Push Providers to Improve Degree Offerings?20:52 - How Will Non-Degree Credentials Impact the Four-Year Degree?24:25 - Sponsor Break25:38 - Why Creating Measurement Tools Takes So Long27:49 - New Credentials Could Increase the Value of the Four-Year Degree30:02 - Providing Data Doesn’t Mean Students Will Use It35:06 - Addressing the ‘AI Paralysis' in Hiring39:53 - Lightning Round With Matt SigelmanRelevant Links“Counting Credentials 2025 Report,” by the nonprofit Credential Engine.Credential Value Index Navigator by The Burning Glass Institute.Education Quality Outcome Standards (EQOS), a collaboration of Jobs for the Future and The Burning Glass Institute.Connect with Michael Horn:Sign Up for the The Future of Education NewsletterWebsiteLinkedInX (Twitter)Threads  Connect with Jeff Selingo:Dream School: Finding the College That's Right for YouSign Up for the Next NewsletterWebsiteX (Twitter)ThreadsLinkedInConnect with Future U:TwitterYouTubeThreadsInstagramFacebookLinkedIn  Submit a question and if we answer it on air we'll send you Future U. swag!Sign up for Future U. emails to get special updates and behind-the-scenes content.

College trustees consider more than just the monetary policies of universities. And former Brown University trustee Lauren Zalaznick is out with a new book that aims to humanize these often secretive roles with letters of reflection by Brown board members going back more than 100 years, some of them during other turbulent times in U.S. history. She brings the sensibility from her career as a television executive, when she led the Bravo network as it created The Real Housewives franchise and hits like Project Runway and Top Chef. Jeff and Michael talk to Zalaznick about her new book and her views on how colleges need to reassert their broader social value to meet this moment of crisis for higher ed. This episode is made with support from Ascendium Education Group.Chapters0:00 - Intro4:05 - What Led to the Book of Trustee Letters?6:40 - The Value of Sharing Once-Secret Letters9:01 - A Reality TV Pioneer’s Interest in University History11:34 - What Is the Role of University Trustees?15:40 - The Case for Large University Boards20:14 - Hearing From a Diversity of Voices23:52 - From Rabble-Rousers to Trustees26:42 - How Do College Boards Navigate All Those Diverse Voices?31:24 - Reflecting on Brown University’s Deal with the Trump Administration36:58 - Should Every College Adopt the Tradition of Sharing Reflections From Board Members?41:55 - Sponsor Break42:43 - How Important Is It That College Board Members Be Alums?46:45 - Making the Board Feel Like a Team49:54 - More on Trustees Who As Students Criticized Leadership52:37 - Getting the Right Mix on a Board54:03 - How Large Should a Board Be?Relevant Links“Letters from the Corporation of Brown University,” edited by Lauren Zalaznick.“The Affluencer,” profile of Lauren Zalaznick in The New York Times. “Navigating a Merger as a College Trustee,” past Future U episode.Connect with Michael Horn:Sign Up for the The Future of Education NewsletterWebsiteLinkedInX (Twitter)Threads  Connect with Jeff Selingo:Dream School: Finding the College That's Right for YouSign Up for the Next NewsletterWebsiteX (Twitter)ThreadsLinkedInConnect with Future U:TwitterYouTubeThreadsInstagramFacebookLinkedIn  Submit a question and if we answer it on air we'll send you Future U. swag!Sign up for Future U. emails to get special updates and behind-the-scenes content.

To kick off 2026, Jeff and Michael weigh in on some key higher ed issues making headlines these days, starting with a deep dive into grade inflation at the nation’s colleges. A range of sources show that more students are getting A’s even as they are spending less time on schoolwork and deep reading. Meanwhile, AI is raising questions about the validity of college assessments when students can offload their work to chatbots. How can colleges respond? Other issues discussed include whether colleges should change what they teach as employers embrace AI, what types of colleges employers recruit from these days, and recent data on where online learning is most prevalent. This episode is made with support from Ascendium Education Group.Chapters0:00 - Introduction1:34 - Are Those 2026 Coming True?2:26 - Why Grade Inflation Is a Big Story Now4:55 - How the Grade Inflation Issue Has Changed Since Al Franken Joked About It in 20026:43 - Why Professors Shouldn’t Grade the Students They Teach8:38 - What If Mastery-Based Learning Upends Grading?10:43 - Encouraging Students to Focus More on Feedback Than on Grades12:16 - Has We Become an ‘Accomodations Nation’?13:09 - Colleges Are Returning to Admissions Tests15:01 - AI Could Help Admissions Officers Analyze Transcripts19:17 - Are Elite Colleges Back at the Top of the List for Company Recruiters?26:28 - Entry Into the Job Market Is Not Linear27:55 - Sponsor Break28:36 - What If AI Changes Nothing About What Students Need to Learn?35:23 - New Data On Who Offers Online-Only EducationRelevant Links:“Education Secretary Says She Wants to Shift Away From Higher Ed,” by Ryan Quinn in Inside Higher Ed.“UC San Diego Sees Students’ Math Skills Plummet,” by Emma Whitford in Inside Higher Ed.“High Grades are Presumably the Goal. So Why is Everyone Freaking Out?” by Michael Horn on Substack.“Colleges Have Struggled To Curb Grade Inflation. Can Harvard Beat the Odds?” in the Harvard Crimson.Sen. Al Franken’s 2002 Class Day speech at Harvard, from CSPAN.“Accommodation Nation,” by Rose Horowitch in The Atlantic."Elite Colleges Are Back at the Top of the List for Company Recruiters.” by Lindsay Ellis in The Wall Street Journal. “AI Changes Nothing About What Students Need to Learn,” by Rick Hess in Education Next.“Fall 2024 IPEDS Data: Profile of US Higher Ed Online Education,” by Phil Hill In OnEdtech.Connect with Michael Horn:Sign Up for the The Future of Education NewsletterWebsiteLinkedInX (Twitter)Threads  Connect with Jeff Selingo:Dream School: Finding the College That's Right for YouSign Up for the Next NewsletterWebsiteX (Twitter)ThreadsLinkedInConnect with Future U:TwitterYouTubeThreadsInstagramFacebookLinkedIn  Submit a question and if we answer it on air we'll send you Future U. swag!Sign up for Future U. emails to get special updates and behind-the-scenes content.

Co-op programs are trending these days, with many colleges looking to offer students on-the-job experiences while taking classes. Jeff and Michael talk with Robert McMahan, president of Kettering University, which has a long-running co-op program for all students. He argues that more colleges could incorporate and scale the approach. But there are obstacles, both cultural and logistical. This episode is made with support from Ascendium Education Group.Chapters0:00 - Intro1:44 - An Unusual History of a Co-op Model3:28 - Kettering Presidents’ Path to University Leadership6:17 - Why Colleges Should Think of Employers as Their Customers11:23 - Why Colleges Can’t Learn Everything They Need On Campuses17:17 - How Kettering University’s Co-op Model Differs Than Others20:44 - Why Isn’t Kettering More Popular?24:44 - What Is Keeping More Universities From Doing Co-op Programs?29:30 - Sponsor Break31:05 - How More Colleges Can Move to a Co-op Model35:36 - Companies Don’t Have Enough Internships to Meet Demand39:08 - Could There Be ‘31 Flavors’ of Experiential Learning?41:50 - Will We See a Return of the Corporate University?45:52 - Lightning Round With Robert McMahanLinks“Colleges Teach Learning, but They’re Not Learning How to Survive,” by Robert McMahan in Fortune.“Former Governor Dishes on Connecting Work and College,” past Future U episode.Connect with Michael Horn:Sign Up for the The Future of Education NewsletterWebsiteLinkedInX (Twitter)Threads  Connect with Jeff Selingo:Dream School: Finding the College That's Right for YouSign Up for the Next NewsletterWebsiteX (Twitter)ThreadsLinkedInConnect with Future U:TwitterYouTubeThreadsInstagramFacebookLinkedIn  Submit a question and if we answer it on air we'll send you Future U. swag!Sign up for Future U. emails to get special updates and behind-the-scenes content.

Daniel Diermeier, Chancellor of Vanderbilt University and expert in trust and institutional reputation, discusses the challenging landscape of higher education. He emphasizes the need for institutions to engage with the Trump administration rather than resist outright, arguing that complacency in academia must be addressed. Diermeier shares Vanderbilt's vision to compete with elite institutions and discusses the growing interest among Jewish students, highlighting Vanderbilt's commitment to civil discourse. He also warns that resisting government support could jeopardize federal funding.

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-Known Colleges Are Near Financial Trouble,” Michael Horn and Steven Shulman"The Financially Sustainable University,"Jeff Denneen and Tom DretlerChapters0:00 - Introduction4:22 - A Case for Massive Experimentation6:30 - Making Shared Governance an Asset10:00 - Building Innovation Into Campus Culture11:41 - Lessons From Silicon Valley13:17 - What Parents Are Asking About AI at Colleges14:54 - Importance of Experiential Learning18:40 - How Liberal Arts Can Be Taught Differently in the AI Age21:11 - Being Creative v. Being a Creator22:20 - Time for Colleges to Step Back and Strategize About AI28:00 - New Research Reveals Mid-Size Colleges Could At Financial Risk33:43 - Understanding the Details of New Student Loan Caps37:37 - Breaking Down the Latest Enrollment Numbers40:07 - Michael’s Predictions for 202641:56 - Jeff’s Predictions for 2026Connect with Michael Horn:Sign Up for the The Future of Education NewsletterWebsiteLinkedInX (Twitter)Threads  Connect with Jeff Selingo:Dream School: Finding the College That's Right for YouSign Up for the Next NewsletterWebsiteX (Twitter)ThreadsLinkedInConnect with Future U:TwitterYouTubeThreadsInstagramFacebookLinkedIn  Submit a question and if we answer it on air we'll send you Future U. swag!Sign up for Future U. emails to get special updates and behind-the-scenes content.

On the latest stop of Future U.'s campus tour, hosts Michael Horn and Jeff Selingo visit Bowie State University to speak with President Aminta Breaux, as well as faculty and administrators at the Maryland institution about increased enrollment at HBCUs, partnerships with employers, and student engagement. With support from Salesforce.org.