Reporters Roundtable: Colleges Must Face Hard Truths

For this season’s roundtable with leading higher ed reporters, Jeff and Michael focused around a key question: What are insiders at colleges missing about the changing public perception of the sector? Our guests — Hilary Burns of The Boston Globe and Jay Caspian Kang of The New Yorker — both offered a sobering critique that might surprise some college leaders. The reporters also wondered whether the traditional business model could hold up to mounting financial pressures. This episode is made with support from Ascendium Education Group. Chapters 0:00 - Introduction 2:19 - What Insiders Miss About the Moment in Higher Ed 5:25 - Higher Ed Stories That Spark the Most Feedback 11:18 - Will College Continue to Be Worth It? 14:20 - Are Co-ops a Fad or a Lasting Trend? 17:53 - A ‘Flashing Red Light’ for Higher Ed 21:04 - ‘These Towns Would Be Really Boring’ 22:12 - The State of Higher Ed in New England 24:06 - The Continuing Lure of College 38.12 - What’s Coming for Higher Ed? 31:00 - A Looming Reckoning for Boston Colleges? 32:56 - What’s Happening With International Students? 34:09 - How Research Cuts Will Impact Colleges 34:53 - Is the Era of Colleges for Exploration and Ideas Over? Relevant Links: College Town newsletter, from The Boston Globe. “The Reason Dozens of Mass. Colleges Could Close (Hint: It's Not Trump),” by Hilary Burns, in The Boston Globe. “The Despair of the Professor in the Age of AI,” by Jay Caspian Kang in The New Yorker. “Higher Ed Leaders Fear International Students Will Stop Coming Amid Research Cuts,” by Hilary Burns, in The Boston Globe. “Will A.I. Make College Obsolete? / Eight Predictions,” by Jay Caspian Kang, in The New Yorker