The Key with Inside Higher Ed

Inside Higher Ed’s editor in chief, Sara Custer, speaks with IHE’s news editor Katherine Knott and reporters Liam Knox and Johanna Alonso about the executive orders, funding cuts and visa revocations of the last three months that have sent shockwaves through the higher education sector.

 

Read more of Inside Higher Ed's coverage of Trump's first 100 days. 

 

This episode is sponsored by Strada Education Foundation. 

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, featuring Handshake’s chief educational officer Christine Cruzvergara, discusses the current job market, graduating seniors’ perceptions of launching their careers and the role higher education can play in supporting students.  

Hosted by Inside Higher Ed Student Success Reporter Ashley Mowreader. 

Read a transcript of the podcast here.

In this episode of The Key, we turn the tables on host Sara Custer, editor in chief at Inside Higher Ed as she joins David Hummels, professor of economics and dean emeritus at Purdue University, and Jay Akridge, trustee chair in teaching and learning excellence, professor of agricultural economics and former provost at Purdue, in conversation with host Colleen Flaherty, senior editor, special content at Inside Higher Ed. They discuss the findings from the Inside Higher Ed/Hanover Research 2025 Survey of College and University Presidents  which show that two in three presidents doubt the value of tenure, half think that higher ed has a real affordability problem and a mere 3 percent say that higher ed has been highly effective at responding to the growing education divide in the electorate.

 

Hummels and Akridge are also co-authors of a Stubstack newsletter called Finding Equilibrium, which seeks to provide data-driven, research-informed takes on where higher education is and where it’s going. They’ve done recent deep dives into tenure, the college value debate and more. 

 

The conversation doesn’t suggest that there’s any silver lining to what’s happening to higher education at the moment. But it does highlight opportunities for action, including local engagement, pricing transparency, career readiness and targeted sharing of the tangible benefits of higher education to counteract declining public confidence. 

 

This episode is sponsored by Strada Education Foundation. 

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.

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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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. 

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. 

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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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"

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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