Published Articles
Universities Need to Do More to Protect Free Speech. Here's How We're Succeeding
Free speech on college campus has emerged as a new front in the culture wars. But despite what you may have heard, most university students and faculty are supportive of free speech and the robust exchange of ideas on university campuses. Accordi...
If Colleges Want To Help Build The Talent Pipeline, They Must Have More Skin In The Game
Colleges need to rethink how we prepare students for successful careers. The current approach is to provide some minimal support to students towards the end of their undergraduate years. Once students graduate, colleges and universities tradition...
When Wealthy Colleges Shun Low-Income Students
Higher education is an expensive proposition in the United States, particularly for low- and moderate-income students and their families. We could argue about the cause of the affordability problem and cast blame in various directions, but let'...
Focusing on the Right Fit Makes the College Search Easier - and More Fun
It's that time of year when young people are consumed with stress about getting into college. High school seniors are ready to make final decisions, and juniors are getting started. As students and their parents decide where to apply and, ultim...
The Micro-Credentials Movement Has Arrived
When companies as widely recognized and well established as Boeing, Walmart, and IBM start moving in a similar direction on something, it's safe to say the idea has legs.
In this case, companies are looking towards skills-based hiri...
Colleges Can Change the Dynamics Plunging Young Men Into Crisis
There are too many men across the country struggling in college, dropping out of the workforce, and failing in their personal lives, particularly when compared to their female counterparts. This is pointed out quite clearly by author and scholar...
Utilizing Higher Ed's Economics, Business Depts in Troubled Times
The economics and business departments inside colleges and universities have an opportunity to do what America's resource-starved newsrooms cannot. They can give middle- and working-class families objective, useful, easy-to-understand informati...
College Presidents: Take a Public Stand on U.S. News Rankings Scandal
The U.S. News & World Report college rankings scandal stinks to high heaven, which creates a huge opportunity - and need - for college presidents to speak out publicly about the sham the ratings have become.
And, critically,...
Debt gets a bad rap. As a college president, I've seen how loans have helped lower-income students the most
Many commentators have applauded President Biden's recent move to cancel up to $20,000 of student debt for low- to middle-income borrowers.
One unintended side effect, however, has been a souring of public sentiment on student loans...
Why we need a different national conversation about mental health on college campuses
There has been a significant increase in anxiety and depression among college students. Recent data from the CDC suggests a disproportionate risk for mental health problems in college-age people; one study reported that nine out of 10 college stu...
Biden's Pell Grant Increase a Good Start to Help Marginalized College Students-but It's Only a Start
In a crisis, any help is better than none. That's why the Biden administration's proposal to boost the cornerstone federal funding program for low-income college students is a very welcome step.
The increase in the Pell Grant woul...
Liberal Arts Colleges: A Missing Piece In The Search for Talent
However unintentionally, the pandemic has unearthed an opportunity that benefits both employers and liberal arts colleges.
A recent report by Bain & Company starts with a well-known observation -employers are struggling to fill...
Want to Work at Meta? How Budding Entrepreneurs Can Build a Tech CV in College
Facebook's rebranding to Meta and the prospect of a new chapter of tech development around the metaverse concept is the latest reminder of why the tech sector is among the most exciting, best-paid and highest-growth destinations for college gra...
Did Your New College Student Hit Their First Tough Patch?
The kind of phone calls parents get from their first-year students midway through a semester are often very different from the calls they receive at the start of the school year.
The calls often change from the exuberant "Everything...
Time to Rethink How Students Experience College and Successfully Launch Their Careers
Colleges need to do a better job of onboarding students. Students, most of whom are 18 years old and have never lived away from home, typically arrive for a 2-to-3-day orientation, have a ton of information thrown at them, and are largely expecte...
Colleges need to engage in a financial aid 'arms race.' Here's how that could happen
Two of the most persistent challenges facing the U.S. are a lack of meaningful jobs and growing income inequality. And these problems are only getting worse.
Sure, there are jobs out there, at fast-food restaurants or fulfillment ware...
Working in Higher Ed Sucks. Here's Why I Left.
Lately, I've been hearing an increasing number of "I quit" anecdotes from friends working as administrative staff at universities. I worked in this space until recently, so I feel little surprise. But I do feel sympathy because most of them...
3 Creative Ways To Tackle The Yawning IT Skills Gap
It's a great time to be a software developer, data analyst or cybersecurity professional. Not so much if you're one of the many employers in the tech sector and beyond facing intense competition in a growing struggle to attract and retain IT...
Why Growing Companies Need to Both Buy and Build Their Talent to Meet the Post-Pandemic Moment
Ask CEOs what keeps them up at night and skills shortages will be at the very top of the list.
That was true even before the pandemic arrived, changing the way we work and consume almost overnight and accelerating the already rapid di...
5 higher education trends the pandemic is accelerating
Over the last several weeks, it has become clearer what the post-COVID-19 higher education landscape will look like. The trends that will shape the sector's future are not new. But the pandemic has accelerated them.
Trends are like w...