The Key with Inside Higher Ed

Ep. 202: How to Think About our Shared History When the Facts are Contested with the AHA’s Sarah Weicksel

As we approach the 250^th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, an old historical narrative of American exceptionalism is taking hold. Meanwhile, evidence-based historical research is disappearing. The federal government has shuttered museum exhibits, politicized federal funding and removed any monuments seen to disparage Americans past or present. 

In this episode of The Key, Inside Higher Ed's editor in chief Sara Custer speaks with Sarah Weicksel, the executive director of the American Historical Association, about the organization’s efforts to double down on research integrity and its new approach to advocacy. She also explains how material objects can help reveal hidden stories and gives some advice on how to think about our shared history during politically divided times.

Ep. 201: New Rules for Accreditors, a Plan to Fund Pell and Grant Funding Shuffle

An update on the higher ed headlines from Inside Higher Ed's newsroom. 

Inside Higher Ed’s editor in chief Sara Custer and news editor Katherine Knott discuss the latest higher ed headlines: the proposals to change accreditation, the latest from the Office for Civil Rights, the GOP’s plan to plug the hole in Pell grant funding and how the administration is redirecting grants that support low-income students.

Ep 200: Voices of Student Success: Can Colleges Actually Build Student Wellbeing?

In this episode of Voices of Student Success, Inside Higher Ed’s podcast series exploring what really shapes students’ experiences, Zoe Ragouzeos, vice president for student mental health and wellbeing at New York University, joins IHE’s student success reporter, Joshua Bay.

As institutions face growing demand for mental health support, rising rates of loneliness and new questions about where students are turning for help, many campus leaders are being forced to rethink what student success actually requires. They explore where institutional responsibility begins and ends, how campuses can move beyond reactive approaches to mental health and what it would take to build environments where students don’t just persist—but truly thrive.

Ep 199: Voices of Student Success: Why Are Students Opening Up to AI Instead of People?

In this episode of Voices of Student Success, Inside Higher Ed’s podcast series exploring what really shapes students’ experiences, Alison Lee, chief research and development officer of The Rithm Project, joins IHE’s student success reporter, Joshua Bay.

As colleges struggle to meet growing mental health needs, they explore how more young people are opening up to chatbots and conversational AI tools for comfort, advice and connection. They also examine where AI may genuinely help students, where the ethical and emotional risks emerge, and what institutions may still not fully understand about why students are turning to these tools in the first place.

Ep. 198: The Hidden Challenges Rural Students Face with Mara Tieken

Policy makers and higher ed institutions have worked to provide better opportunities and resources for underserved communities, but access to affordable education and supports for rural students remains challenging. Meanwhile, threats to federal funding for TRIO programs could make it even harder for rural students to get into college and when they get on campus, few institutions understand their specific needs.

Mara Tieken, a professor of education at Bates College whose research centers on racial and educational equity in rural schools and communities, speaks with Inside Higher Ed’s editor in chief Sara Custer about the rural students she followed into an elite institution for her most recent book, how their challenges represent the experiences of many rural students in the country and what support for rural students on campus looks like.

Thanks to the University of Georgia for sponsoring this episode. 

Ep. 197: Voices of Student Success: Is College Supposed to Feel This Lonely?

In this episode of Voices of Student Success, Inside Higher Ed’s podcast series exploring what really shapes students’ experiences, Carson Domey, a fourth-year student at the University of Texas at Austin, and Adaora Lee, a graduate student at Meharry Medical College, joins IHE’s student success reporter, Joshua Bay.

They discuss student loneliness and what social isolation looks like in a post-pandemic, always-online world. From fewer close friendships and more device-mediated relationships, to the role platforms like Instagram and TikTok play in shaping how students understand their mental health, they explore how connection is changing on campus. They also look at how experiences differ for commuter and online students, how campus design and housing shape opportunities for connection, and what’s actually working when it comes to addressing student isolation.

Ep. 196: College Presidents on Finances, M&A and AI

In this episode of The Key, we’re digging into the minds of college presidents and how they’re dealing with the chaos of the current moment. Colleen Flaherty, Inside Higher Ed’s special content editor joins editor in chief Sara Custer to share some key findings from IHE’s 2026 survey of college and university presidents on what leaders see are the immediate and long-term risks to their institutions and how they’re managing to handle the mounting pressure on the college presidency.

Later, Marjorie Hass, president of the Council of Independent Colleges, explains why discussions about mergers and acquisitions are more common among private, non-profit institutions.

Thanks to Baylor University for sponsoring this episode. Join our conversation on human flourishing on May 4th in a webcast brought to you in partnership with Baylor University. 

Ep. 195: Voices of Student Success: What’s Driving the Student Mental Health Crisis?

In this episode of Voices of Student Success, Inside Higher Ed’s podcast series exploring what really shapes students’ experiences, Dr. Katie Hurley, vice president of community initiatives at The Jed Foundation (JED), joins IHE's student success reporter Joshua Bay.

They discuss the state of student mental health on college campuses, including what's driving increased demand for support, how counseling centers are adapting under strain and why student experiences vary so widely across different contexts and identities. The conversation also examines where institutions are still falling short—and what a more comprehensive approach to campus mental health could look like. 

Thank you to our partners at Strada for sponsoring this episode.

Ep. 194: In Defense of a Core Education With Andrew Delbanco

Sara Custer, editor in chief at Inside Higher Ed, speaks with Andrew Delbanco, the Alexander Hamilton Professor of American Studies at Columbia University and the president of the Teagle Foundation, about how humanities-based general education courses can provide short and long-term benefits to students – from ethical questions on the job to deeper self-reflection throughout life. He also argues that a core education is one of the rare ideas that could find advocates across the political spectrum.

Thank you to our partners at Strada for sponsoring this episode. 

Ep. 193: Three Big Trends in Student Success

In this episode of The Key, Inside Higher Ed’s news and analysis podcast, IHE’s student success reporter Joshua Bay joins editor in chief Sara Custer. They discuss the trends in student success that have caught Joshua’s eye including libraries and AI literacy, workforce readiness and tackling loneliness. He shares case studies from programs that are making a difference for students in and outside of the classroom. He also gives a sneak peak of his new project.

Thanks to our partners at Strada for sponsoring this episode.