College Matters from The Chronicle

Ken Burns, who has helped to tell the story of the nation's history through celebrated documentaries, attributes much of his success to the education he received at Hampshire College. Faced with the recent news that his financially struggling alma mater will soon close its doors, Burns is reflecting on the larger forces that helped to seal the college’s fate. Hampshire bills itself as a learning laboratory in which students are encouraged to follow their passions, driving toward a goal of personal transformation rather than the pursuit of any single vocation. If that’s not a marketable idea, Burns says, something is truly amiss in higher education and the American psyche. The nation’s “reprehensible culture wars,” Burns says, are only making matters worse. Related Reading Hampshire Announced Its Closing. Will Other Small Colleges Follow? (The Chronicle)  Nearly One-Third of Faculty in Red States Say They’ve Censored Their Research (The Chronicle)  A War on ‘Woke’ Classes (College Matters)  Guest Ken Burns, filmmaker For more on today’s episode, visit chronicle.com/collegematters. We aim to make transcripts available within a day of an episode’s publication.

Andy Thomason, assistant managing editor at The Chronicle of Higher Education, breaks down how politicians are reshaping university boards. He discusses rapid board overhauls in Virginia, bipartisan weaponizing of governance, crackdowns on campus research and curriculum, and whether reforms can protect campus autonomy. Short, sharp takes on power, politics, and higher-education control.

Frank Bruni’s classroom has gotten a bit bleak lately. As a professor of the practice of journalism and public policy at Duke University, the longtime New York Times writer often finds himself talking about grim trends: the decline of local news, threats against a free press, and the corrosive nature of political polarization. But Bruni says he’s trying to strike a delicate balance with his students, who need reasons for hope as much as they need a clear-eyed regard for the challenges ahead. Related Reading Teaching in an American University Is Very Strange Right Now (The New York Times)  Frank Bruni’s newsletter (The New York Times)  Higher Ed Has a Trust Problem. Yale Thinks It Has Solutions. (The Chronicle) Guest Frank Bruni, a contributing opinion writer at The New York Times and a professor of the practice of journalism and public policy at Duke University For more on today’s episode, visit chronicle.com/collegematters. We aim to make transcripts available within a day of an episode’s publication.

Judith Butler, a leading scholar in gender and queer theory known for Gender Trouble, reflects on backlash to gender studies. She discusses what 'gender performative' meant for feminism. She addresses sex versus gender, bathroom and sports controversies, campus censorship, and the need for informed public debate.

Ian Bogost, professor and media commentator, reflects on teaching Gen Z and higher-education culture. He tackles who to blame for student behavior and how economic and technological changes reshape expectations. He discusses students' aversion to ambiguity, the effects of constant grade dashboards, and how online life and institutional pressures change identity and risk-taking.

Eric Kelderman, a reporter who covers university leadership, and Nell Gluckman, a senior higher-education analyst, discuss why some college presidents are publicly criticizing higher education. They explore which leaders are self-critical, the politics of institutional neutrality, campus free-speech tensions, affordability debates, and how branding and congressional scrutiny shape presidential rhetoric.

Andy Thomason, assistant managing editor at The Chronicle with deep chops in higher‑ed reporting. He and Jack probe the growing sense of crisis in colleges. They trace waning public trust, economic pressures on degrees, AI’s disruptive potential, and political threats to university autonomy. The conversation maps where higher education might fracture and how its role could be recast.

Dacher Keltner, UC Berkeley psychology professor who studies power and behavior. Sarah Brown, senior editor covering higher-education leadership and politics. Nell Gluckman, senior reporter on higher-education policy and institutional news. They unpack the Ohio State president’s resignation, conflicts of interest and optics, how power shapes conduct, and what boards should demand of university leaders.

Martin Peterson, philosophy professor and Academic Freedom Council chair who challenged a ban on Plato. Jasper Smith, Chronicle reporter who uncovered Texas A&M’s sweeping course reviews. They discuss how course reviews began, regents’ political influence, the viral classroom incident that sparked the crackdown, behind-the-scenes emails, removed courses and program cuts, and the wider risk of self-censorship in academia.

Scott Galloway, NYU marketing professor and entrepreneur known for blunt takes, rails against elite universities and their self‑made scarcity. He tackles constrained enrollments, donor influence, credentialing’s power, admissions inequities, and the push for expanded access in concise, fiery conversation.