The Key with Inside Higher Ed

Ep. 151: Voices of Student Success: Navigating Students’ Digital Addictions

This season of Voices of Student Success, “Preparing Gen Z for Unknown Futures,” addresses challenges in readying young people for the next chapter of their lives in the face of large-scale global changes. The latest episode addresses how digitalization has made it easier for young people to engage in unhealthy habits, including substance abuse, pathological gambling or social media addiction, compared to past generations.  

Amaura Kemmerer, director of clinical affairs for Uwill, discusses the role of preventive health measures and how existing research can provide a roadmap for addressing new challenges.  

Hosted by Inside Higher Ed Student Success Reporter Ashley Mowreader.

Read a transcript of the podcast here.

Ep. 150: Can civil engagement work be measured?

Many college leaders turned to civil discourse and dialogue programs in response to students protests that roiled campuses after the start of the Israel Hamas war. It’s work that they have been doing for decades, but a big question around these programs is: how do we know they’re working?

 

That question led to Raj Vinnakota, president of the Institute for Citizens and Scholars, an 80-year old non-profit that works with leaders in higher education, business and philanthropy to equip young people with the skills they need to be engaged citizens. 

 

In 2023, the institute launched its College Presidents for Civic Preparedness initiative and its membership has grown to over 120 leaders from 2 and 4-year institutions in 35 states. Part of its mission is to develop ways to assess and measure the level of civil discourse and critical thinking on campuses. 

 

In this interview, Raj talks with Sara Custer, editor in chief at Inside Higher Ed, about the grassroots beginnings of the program and how creating language around the concepts of free speech and open inquiry is important for engaging with stakeholders on both sides of the political divide. 

 

This episode is sponsored by Grammarly.

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Ep. 149: Voices of Student Success: Helping Gen Z Navigate Future Careers

This season of Voices of Student Success, “Preparing Gen Z for Unknown Futures,” addresses challenges in readying young people for the next chapter of their lives in the face of large-scale global changes. This episode focuses on the world of work and how experiential learning can provide students with a glimpse into professional careers and what they don’t know about work.  

Jane Swift, president of Education at Work, describes how private partners can help higher education meet workforce needs through intentional internship experiences. 

Later, Jocelyn Frelier, associate director of the Brown in Washington program, discusses how the program uses internship experiences in Washington, D.C. to connect curricular and co-curricular learning.  

Hosted by Inside Higher Ed Student Success Reporter Ashley Mowreader. 

Read a transcript of the podcast here. 

Ep. 148: Cuts to the Education Department, an Ultimatum for Columbia and ICE Arrests

We’ve turned the page on the third month of the Trump administration and the White House has shown no signs of slowing down when it comes to actions that have direct impacts on higher education in this country.

Linda McMahon was confirmed as education secretary and has made quick work of shrinking the size and influence of her department. At the same time the agency opened investigations into reports of antisemitism on dozens of college campuses and has threatened to withhold $400 million in federal funding from Columbia University unless it agrees to demands from the government. Also this month, president Trump signed the long-awaited executive order to dismantle the department of education and international students and scholars are on edge after a series of arrests and deportations. 

In this episode of The Key, Sara Custer, Inside Higher Ed's editor in chief, check in on the latest developments in Washington with federal policy reporter Jessica Blake and news editor Katherine Knott. 

Ep. 147: Voices of Student Success: Connecting Academics and Support Resources for Success

There are a few elements of the student lifecycle in higher education that are unavoidable, one being general education courses. While a majority of college students are unaware of support resources or unlikely to engage with all of them, each student must fulfill common core curriculum.  

For over a decade, the University of Louisville has offered an Oral Communication Success Guide for students in the public speaking general education course. Now a digital resource embedded in learning software, the guide helps connect students’ learning to institutional services and supports.  

In this episode of Voices of Student Success, oral communications faculty member Elyssa Smith and Katherine Taylor, director of the oral communication basic course, outline the process of digitalizing the guide, the benefits for student access and how it breaks down barriers across the institution.  

Hosted by Inside Higher Ed Student Success Reporter Ashley Mowreader. This episode is sponsored by KI.

Read a transcript of the podcast here.

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Ep. 146: Trust and the College Presidency

People across higher education are calling on college presidents to speak out against the onslaught of threats and funding caught imposed by the Trump administration. But that is just one kind of leadership.

Jorge Burmicky, assistant professor in education leadership and policy studies in the school of education at Howard University, joins Sara Custer, editor in chief at Inside Higher Ed, for this episode of The Key. 

Burmicky's research focuses on the core competencies for the modern presidency and at the very top is trust building. He stresses that the list is ever changing and discusses what competencies would best serve presidents now at such a pivotal moment for higher education.

Read more about Burmicky's work: "The 7 Competencies Presidents Need"

Ep. 145: Voices of Student Success: Putting Mental Health Counselors Where Students Are

Mental health is one of the greatest threats to student persistence and retention in higher education, but providing large-scale preventative and responsive mental health care is a looming challenge for colleges and universities.  

In addition to having sufficient clinicians and trained professionals to support students in need, finding ways to deliver wellness support to students before they’re in crisis is critical. 

One strategy is embedding mental health counselors into student spaces or academic departments. By integrating services into a physical location, such as a student center, clinicians can connect with students in informal and intentional ways, gaining their trust and supporting specific pockets of the campus community.  

In this episode of Voices of Student Success, Estevan Garcia, chief wellness officer at Dartmouth College, talks about the root of the youth mental health crisis and some of Dartmouth’s embedded services for student athletes.

Later, hear from Casey Fox, associate director of integrated services from the University of South Carolina, who leads the university’s integrated mental health program, about the benefits of these services for students and community members.  

Hosted by Inside Higher Ed Student Success Reporter Ashley Mowreader. This episode is sponsored by KI.

Read a transcript of the podcast here.

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Ep. 144: The Policies, People and Surprises of Trump's First 30 Days

In this episode of The Key, Inside Higher Ed’s news and analysis podcast, editor in chief Sara Custer speaks with IHE’s news editor Katherine Knott about the policies, people and surprises from the first 30 days of the second Trump administration.

They discuss the executive orders and actions that could have the most impact on higher ed and what pushback they’ve seen from the sector, as well as the people who Trump has tapped to lead the department. Katherine shares what has surprised her the most in the last month and what she and the IHE reporters will be watching in the next 30 days.

Stay on top of the key developments in federal policy and funding by subscribing to The First 100 Days, IHE’s pop-up newsletter explaining the week’s news out of Washington. Learn more.

Ep. 143: Voices of Student Success: A Day Without Classes, Packed with Career

Having successful career outcomes is important for colleges and also for students, but getting students to engage in career services can feel like an uphill battle.

Lebanon Valley College in Pennsylvania leaders decided to bring careers to students with an event called LVC Success Expo. During this day, LVC cancels classes so students can engage in an all-day career fair or meet with academic support staff to ensure their success in and after college. 

In this episode of Voices of Student Success, Tomomi “T” Horning, vice president of college partnerships and strategic initiatives, and Jasmine Bucher, senior director of the Breen Center for Career and Professional Development, discuss the event, campus partnerships and how it contributes to a larger institutional mission.  

Hosted by Inside Higher Ed Student Success Reporter Ashley Mowreader.  

Read a transcript of the podcast here.

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Ep. 142: An L.A. Community College Begins to Heal

At the beginning of February, the deadly L.A. wildfires were fully contained after burning for nearly a month. A few weeks ago we spoke with colleges in the city whose communities were upturned by the fires. Hundreds of students and staff had lost their homes and thousands more were displaced from evacuation zones. Now that the embers have died out, we wanted to check back in with one college to see how it is managing to rebuild.

In this episode of The Key we speak with Ryan Cornner president of Glendale Community College which serves 24,000 students on a campus about five miles from where the Eaton wildfire burned. Dozens of GCC students and employees lost their homes and many more were displaced for more than a week. The college has expanded its efforts to provide access to basic needs for its students and has recognized that its part-time adjunct faculty need the most support.

 

Hosted by Sara Custer, editor in chief of Inside Higher Ed