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Future U Podcast - The Pulse of Higher Ed

Future U Podcast - The Pulse of Higher Ed

By: Jeff Selingo Michael Horn
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Jeff Selingo and Michael Horn discuss what’s next for higher education and talk with the newsmakers you want to hear from most. Find the latest news and insights into the current trends in higher ed on the Future U. Podcast.2024 Future U Podcast Economics Politics & Government
Episodes
  • Higher Ed 101: Inside the Process of Closing a College

    Higher Ed 101: Inside the Process of Closing a College
    May 19 2026
    Closing down a college turns out to be a big job. For this episode, Jeff and Michael talk with a specialist on the complex and emotional process, Doug Moore. He shares all the things that college presidents and trustees should know—as well as surprising moments as he has helped colleges navigate finances, lawsuits, community impact, teach-outs, and more. And he explains why he sees signs of hundreds of college closures on the horizon. Relevant Links “The Looming College-Enrollment Death Spiral,” by Jeff Selingo in The Atlantic. “History auctioned as Iowa Wesleyan closes its doors,” in Homegrown Iowan. Chapters 0:00 - Intro 1:04 - The Surprising Complexity of Closing a College 3:00 - How a ‘College Closure’ Found that Profession 5:17 - How Do Colleges Find a Closer? 9:00 - Walking Through the Early Phases of Closing a Campus 14:53 - What Happens After the Final Graduation Ceremony? 18:55 - ‘Community Freebie Days’ 22:33 - What’s The Most Surprising Thing a Closing Campus Had to Auction Off? 26:12 - Warning Signs That a College Might Fail 28:19 - Why College Sports Can Shutter Colleges 30:26 - 400 Colleges Could Fail in the Next 10 Years 32:11 - 20 or 30 Colleges Could Close This Year 33:18 - Why Don’t More Colleges Merge? 35:00 - Is Anyone Buying Closed Colleges? 38:33 - The Emotional Toll of Closing a College 42:06 - Sponsor Break 42:35 - Did Higher Ed Build Too Many Colleges? 49:28 - What Is Emotionally Lost When Colleges Disappear? 51:43 - What Will Happen to All These Closed Campus Facilities? 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.
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    59 mins
  • The College Where Funding Follows Students’ Earnings, Not Enrollment

    The College Where Funding Follows Students’ Earnings, Not Enrollment
    May 5 2026

    Most public colleges get state funding based on “seat time,” — how many students are sitting through classes. Over a decade ago, leaders at Texas State Technical College bet on an experimental funding model that ties state support to the employment outcomes of their graduates. For this episode, we hear from the architect of the unusual approach, Michael Bettersworth, the college’s vice chancellor and chief marketing officer. And Jeff and Michael explore the lessons that all types of colleges can take from rethinking funding models to better match their missions. This episode is made with support from Ascendium Education Group.

    Chapters

    0:00 - Introduction

    3:49 - A College That Only Gets Paid When Students Get Jobs

    6:42 - How the Unusual Funding Model Started

    9:49 - How Has the Funding Model Gone?

    12:05 - Voters Approve Endowment for a Technical College

    13:20 - A Quest to Better Map Skills Colleges Teach to Jobs

    18:52 - The Importance of ‘Occupational Identity’

    21:17 - Should Other Types of Colleges Try This Funding Model?

    23:40 - How Much Should Colleges Be Responsible For Student Employment Outcomes?

    25:43 - How Is AI Changing the Conversation About Skills?

    29:01 - Creating Incentives to Map Teaching to Jobs

    31:20 - How Can We Know What Skills Are Actually Needed in Certain Jobs?

    34:41 - Funding Models Should Match College Missions

    39:58 - Lightning Round with Michael Bettersworth

    Relevant Links

    “If—” by Rudyard Kipling

    “Inventing a Job-Skills Machine,” by Rebecca Koenig in EdSurge

    “Taxonomies of Human Performance,” by Edwin A. Fleishman.

    “Marc Andreessen says AI layoffs are a farce: Companies are 75% overstaffed, and AI is the ‘silver bullet excuse’ to clean house,” in Fortune.
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    42 mins
  • Cutting Degrees That Don’t Add Value

    Cutting Degrees That Don’t Add Value
    Apr 21 2026
    There’s a growing movement to make sure colleges offer ‘degrees of value,’ meaning that offerings lead to higher-paying jobs for graduates than if they hadn’t gone to college. Jeff and Michael talk to a key proponent of the idea, Harrison Keller, the president of the University of North Texas and former Commissioner of Higher Education in Texas. He talks about his experiments to redesign colleges to better match their offerings to the needs of the labor market. This episode is made with support from Ascendium Education Group. Relevant Links “Building a Talent Strong Texas,” strategic plan from Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. “University launches regional partnership for Texas Talent Accelerator to meet industry demands,” in the North Texas Daily. “University of North Texas to cut more than 70 programs and minors to trim $45 million deficit,” in the Texas Tribune.“ Syracuse Drops 84 Majors Including Classics, Ceramics and Italian,” in The New York Times (gift link). Chapters 0:00 - Introduction 1:30 - A President Trying to Align Degrees to the Labor Market 3:43 - The Elevator Pitch for Ensuring ‘Credentials of Value’ 5:50 - Creating a ‘Hub’ to Analyze Fast-Changing Employment Landscape 9:04 - Is There a Danger of Training Students for Dying Jobs? 12:11 - What Programs at UNT Aren’t Working? 14:14 - What About Majors With Social Value That Don’t Pay Much? 17:21 - How Do State Funding Formulas Need to Change? 20:06 - How Do Universities Need to Change Their Structures? 23:32 - What Should Universities Do to Respond to AI? 28:07 - Sponsor Break 28:46 - Colleges Need to Do More to Connect Liberal Arts to Job Skills 33:14 - The Case for a More-Detailed Mapping of Liberal Arts Skills to Work 41:56 - A Move to Shorter Degree Offerings in Some Fields 45:33 - Eliminating Programs With Low Demand 50:40 - Lightning Round with Harrison Keller 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.
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    55 mins
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