Higher Ed Spotlight

The Biden administration recently urged 16 governors to rectify their state’s chronic underfunding of Historically Black Colleges and Universities - HBCUs. That underfunding reached hundreds of millions to, in some cases, billions of dollars. Darrick Hamilton is an Economics Professor and founding director of The New School’s Institute on Race, Power and Political Economy. He argues for the proper funding of HBCUs, especially in light of the Supreme Court’s decision to ban affirmative action in college admissions. In fact, he contends that HBCUs have done so much with so little, that a debt is owed to them.

Higher Ed Spotlight is sponsored by Chegg’s Center for Digital Learning and aims to explore the future of higher education. It is produced by Antica Productions.

Millions of students worldwide go abroad for higher education every year, and U.S. colleges have long been their top choice – but that may be under threat. International education expert Rajika Bhandari says the country’s immigration policies often ignore what these students bring to the table: bolstering college bottom lines, diversifying classrooms, and building the economy. Rajika spoke to Ben about her memoir, “America Calling,” and how she’d like to improve the “troubled tango” between the United States and the international students who call it home.

Higher Ed Spotlight is a podcast, sponsored by Chegg’s Center for Digital Learning, that aims to explore the future of higher education today.

Charles Isbell, Dean of the College of Computing at the Georgia Institute of Technology, talks to Ben about how the modern experience of the university is changing for students and faculty alike. He explains how race affects students’ experiences in higher education, how technology is reinventing student services, and why computer science needs diversity if it wants to solve the problems of tomorrow.

Higher Ed Spotlight is a new podcast, sponsored by Chegg, that aims to explore the future of higher education today.

The troubled launch of what was supposed to be a new and improved Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, has created frustration for students and parents. The widespread delays have left students uncertain about the future of their education and sparked headlines nationwide.

In this episode, Ben sits down with Harvard professor and financial aid expert Susan Dynarski to unpack the FAFSA rollout and the turmoil it caused across higher education. The setback led to a significant drop in applications, especially among first-time college students.

Susan explores why financial aid is essential to college access and examines what went wrong with the ambitious redesign. She also discusses potential solutions, from using tax data to simplify applications for students to the possibility of eliminating the FAFSA altogether. This conversation sheds light on what’s at stake for students nationwide and what changes are needed to make financial aid more accessible and equitable.

Higher Ed Spotlight is sponsored by Chegg’s Center for Digital Learning and aims to explore the future of higher education. It is produced by Antica Productions.

“Universities on Fire: Higher Education in the Climate Crisis” is a provocative new book by author and futurist Bryan Alexander. He believes academia is uniquely poised to be a key player in the climate change debate and that the time has come for academics to step outside of the ivory tower and influence the public conversation.

Higher Ed Spotlight is sponsored by Chegg’s Center for Digital Learning and aims to explore the future of higher education. It is produced by Antica Productions.