Higher Ed Now

The COVID-19 pandemic is forcing professors and instructors to move toward delivering their courses online -- almost overnight. How are faculty, institutions, and students reckoning with this sudden shift? Lee Bessette, PhD, Learning Design Specialist at Georgetown University, offers insights into "pedagogical triage," effective online instruction, and the sweep of urgent issues confronting studen...

One of the nation's leading researchers in the field of drug and alcohol abuse, Dr. Amelia Arria is respected by higher ed leaders and policy makers alike. A key driver of the influential Maryland Collaborative, she helps trustees and administrators forge strategies and intervention policies to help students stay healthy and successful on their academic journey. 

Higher Ed Now welcomes Robert L. DuPont, one of the nation's leading authorities on drug and alcohol abuse, prevention and treatment. With 50+ years experience helping countless individuals get into recovery and overcome addiction, DuPont has been a major player shaping federal policy and guiding institutions to forge strategies that safeguard student success and save lives.

Do colleges treat anti-Semitism differently from sexism and racism? Evan Gerstmann, professor of political science at Loyola Marymount University, phoned in to talk with ACTA president Michael Poliakoff about his recent Forbes articles that explore this topic.

In this conversation recorded on Veteran's Day, Michael Poliakoff explores the modern influence of the liberal arts tradition with two of its most dedicated proponents, John Hillen and Ryan Pemberton from Hampden-Sydney College -- an institution with roots linked to the founding of our nation.

Professor George LaNoue brings a lifetime of teaching college students about the First Amendment, educational policy, Constitutional law, civil rights, and more. He visited ACTA to spotlight his new book, Silenced Stages: The Loss of Academic Freedom and Campus Policy Debates, which probes into how often colleges expose their students to civil debate on important, and often controversial, public p...

"What can educators, philanthropists, entrepreneurs, and activists do to create a higher ed ecosystem that's as rich and diverse and intellectually curious as we want our nation to be?" Frederick M. Hess, resident scholar and Director of Education Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute, takes a deep dive into the state of civic education with ACTA's President Michael Poliakoff.

The loving partnership of Abigail and John Adams played a profound role in shaping America's founding and history. ACTA joins the Grateful American Foundation and the Supreme Court Historical Society to celebrate the release of a new children's book exploring the narrative of our nation's most influential early couple. 

Funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies, the innovative CollegePoint program is giving thousands of high-achieving, low- and moderate-income high school students the individualized support they need to navigate the college application and financial aid process. We sat down with Jenny Sharfstein Kane of Bloomberg Philanthropies to explore how it works.

ACTA's Erik Gross serves up a conversation with Jason Brennan and Phillip Magness, the authors of "Cracks In the Ivory Tower: The Moral Mess of Higher Education." Their microeconomic approach to analyzing the adversities plaguing today's colleges and universities lays out a gripping narrative that is sure to challenge orthodoxies in the Academy.

ACTA's Erik Gross serves up a conversation with Jason Brennan and Phillip Magness, the authors of "Cracks In the Ivory Tower: The Moral Mess of Higher Education." Their microeconomic approach to analyzing the adversities plaguing today's colleges and universities lays out a gripping narrative that is sure to challenge orthodoxies in the Academy.

Kyler Gray, a rising senior at the University of Central Florida, is an emerging higher education leader. On top of full time studies, he serves as the president of the UCF student body, CEO of the Student Government Association, *and* as the sole student member of the university's Board of Trustees -- representing 68,000 students in the UCF community. We sat down with Kyler to explore his passion...

April Lawson is a guiding light and director of debates at Better Angels, a remarkable national organization that has surged into the spotlight by effectively teaching citizens to combat polarization and restore civil dialogue across America. April's leadership informs Better Angels' partnership with ACTA -- and our shared vision to help students build a culture of respectful dialogue and viewpoin...

Is there really a disjunct between the world of the practical and the world of the liberal arts? Dr. Fred Beuttler, guiding light of the Graham School of Continuing Liberal and Professional Studies of the University of Chicago, certainly doesn't think so. In this episode he returns to ACTA for an illuminating conversation with Michael Poliakoff.

Back in 2011, Wallace Hall was sounding alarms about admissions wrongdoings at the University of Texas System, where he served as Regent. His activism drew blistering criticism and brought him to the brink of impeachment -- until 2015, when an investigation fully validated his claims. In light of global headlines about the college admissions scandal, Hall's stance is regarded as heroic. In a conve...

David Corey, Professor of Political Science at Baylor University, drives a dialogue with ACTA's Michael Poliakoff and Erik Gross about the vital qualities of liberal education, the lessons offered by the classics, and how to teach and model rational discourse for students.

Manu Meel, a rising senior at the University of California Berkeley who serves as the CEO for Bridges USA, discusses how students can reform our political culture by bringing constructive discourse back to our college campuses. 

Even after more than a year of weathering intense criticism and professional censure for airing her controversial views in public, University of Pennsylvania Law School Professor Amy Wax remains as engaging, outspoken, and unapologetic as ever. Whether you agree or disagree with her viewpoints, her wit and sharp intellect fuel a provocative dialogue on academic freedom that will endure for years t...

Kai Fox, a rising junior at American University who serves as CEO for Students for Free Expression, outlines his group's mission to build a student-led community to drive a culture of free speech and viewpoint diversity on college campuses across the U.S.

When Professor Samuel Abrams of Sarah Lawrence College wrote an opinion piece for The New York Times in October 2018, he didn't expect a stunning  backlash from students, faculty and administrators. The episode has become one of the hottest touchpoints in the national conversation on academic freedom and viewpoint diversity. In this podcast, Abrams joins former University of Pennsylvania trustee P...

Sean Decatur, President of Kenyon College, sat down for a skype interview with ACTA's Erik Gross (a Kenyon alumnus) to talk about the virtues and benefits of a liberal arts education, and how his experience as a scientist influences his leadership of a liberal arts institution.

Seton Hall University Professor Robert Kelchen explores higher ed accountability, and explains how accreditation practices, private-sector interests, and internal requirements have become so important to institutional success and survival.

Jonathan Zimmerman, professor of History of Education at the University of Pennsylvania and author of The Case for Contention: Teaching Controversial Issues in American Schools, joins ACTA’s Erik Gross to discuss the decline of civic education, the history and purpose of higher education, college costs, and more.

Bruce Cole, who passed away in January 2018, is most often remembered for his outstanding leadership of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Beyond that, he was a visionary national scholar and educator who brought light into the humanities and arts. Our podcast shares highlights of a conversation between three higher education leaders who knew Bruce Cole personally and were profoundly affec...

Now in its 10th year, What Will They Learn is one of ACTA’s most courageous and groundbreaking initiatives. It takes a penetrating look at more than 1,100 colleges and universities, grading how effective they are in delivering a comprehensive liberal arts education that equips students to succeed in the global marketplace and civic life. Listen in as Elliott Cole engages program leaders Megan Riet...