This series of Voices of Student Success focuses on the use of generative artificial intelligence in higher education and how technology can support student success goals.  A 2025 Inside Higher Ed survey of college provosts found that nearly 30 percent of respondents have reviewed curriculum to ensure that it will prepare students for AI in the workplace, and an additional 63 percent say they have plans to review curriculum for this purpose.   Touro University in New York was an early adopter of AI-powered tools for experiential learning, encouraging faculty to integrate AI simulations into academic programs to advance students’ career success.    In the latest episode of Voices of Student Success, Shlomo Argamon, associate provost for artificial intelligence at Touro, discusses the university policy for AI in the classroom, the need for faculty and staff development around AI and the risks of gamification of education.   Hosted by Inside Higher Ed Student Success reporter Ashley Mowreader, this episode is sponsored by TimelyCare.  Read a transcript of the podcast here. 

Public scholarship is about more than just getting published. It’s about joining the public conversation at a time when expertise matters more than ever. In this episode of The Key, Philip Gray, Op-Ed Editor at The Los Angeles Times, and Susan D'Agostino, mathematician-turned-writer and columnist behind The Public Scholar at Inside Higher Ed join IHE’s editor in chief Sara Custer to pull back the current on what editors really want in submissions, what scholars get wrong and how to turn your expertise into compelling public writing.   Read Susan's conversation with Phillip in The Public Scholar. 

This series of Voices of Student Success focuses on the use of generative artificial intelligence in higher education and how technology can support student success goals.   While AI tools have proliferated in education and workplace settings, not all tools are free or accessible to students and staff, which can create equity gaps regarding who is able to participate and learn new skills. To address this gap, San Diego State University leaders created an equitable AI alliance in partnership with the University of California San Diego and the San Diego Community College District. Together, the institutions work to address affordability and accessibility concerns for AI solutions, as well as share best practices, resources and expertise.  In the latest episode of Voices of Student Success, James Frazee, San Diego State University’s chief information officer, discusses the alliance and SDSU’s approach to teaching AI skills to students.  Hosted by Inside Higher Ed Student Success reporter Ashley Mowreader, this episode is sponsored by TimelyCare.  Read a transcript of the podcast here. 

In this episode of The Key, we're diving deep into what’s happening on Capitol Hill and inside the White House—and how it’s all affecting higher ed. Joining Sara Custer, IHE's editor in chief, is news editor Katherine Knott to unpack everything: the funding cuts hitting Minority Serving Institutions, restrictive policies upending life for international students and scholars, the latest twists in negotiated rule making around student borrowing, and yes—that Compact for Excellence in Higher Education everyone's talking about. Thank you to the Gates Foundation for sponsoring this episode. 

This series of Voices of Student Success focuses on the use of generative artificial intelligence in higher education and how technology can support student success goals.   Upward transfer is viewed as a mechanism to provide college students with an accessible and affordable onramp to higher education through two-year colleges, but breakdowns in the credit transfer process can hinder progress toward a student’s degree.   A recent survey by Sova and the Beyond Transfer Policy Advisory Board found the average college student loses credits transferring between institutions and has to repeat courses they’ve already completed. Some students stop out of higher education altogether because transfer is too challenging.  CourseWise is a new tool that seeks to mitigate some of these challenges by deploying AI to identify and predict transfer equivalencies using existing articulation agreements between institutions. So far, the tool has been adopted at over 120 colleges and universities, helping to provide a centralized database for credit transfer processes and automate course matching.   In the most recent episode of Voices of Student Success, Joshua Pardos, an associate professor at the University of California, Berkeley, discusses how CourseWise works, the human elements of credit transfer and the need for reliable data in transfer.   Hosted by Inside Higher Ed Student Success reporter Ashley Mowreader, this episode is sponsored by Strada Education Foundation.   Read a transcript of the podcast here.

Beverly Daniel Tatum—two-time college president, New York Times bestselling author, and one of the country’s most influential voices on race and education – joins Inside Higher Ed’s editor in chief Sara Custer to discuss her latest book, College Leadership in Turbulent Times: Peril and Promise. Tatum shares lessons from her own leadership journey serving as president at Spelman College and serving as interim president at Mount Holyoke and dives into some of the biggest issues facing colleges today, from diversity equity and inclusion to politics and finances.   Thanks to the Gates Foundation for sponsoring this episode. 

This series of Voices of Student Success focuses on uses of generative artificial intelligence in higher education and how technology can support student success goals.   As generative AI tools become more common, a growing number of young people turn first to chatbots when they have questions. A survey by the Associated Press found that among AI users, 70 percent of young Americans use the tools to search for information.   For colleges and universities, this presents a new opportunity to reach students with curated, institution-specific resources via chatbots.   In the most recent episode of Voices of Student Success, Jeanette Powers, executive director of the student hub at Western New England University, discusses the university’s chatbot, Spirit, powered by EdSights, and how the technology helps staff intervene when students are in distress.   Hosted by Inside Higher Ed Student Success reporter Ashley Mowreader, this episode is sponsored by Strada Education Foundation.   Read a transcript of the podcast here. 

For more than 20 years, StoryCorps has been documenting conversations between Americans and broadcasting them on public radio. In 2017, StoryCorps launched One Small Step, a new project that pairs strangers on opposing sides of the political divide for one-on-one conversations. The organization is now bringing its initiative to college campuses. Dave Isay, the founder of StoryCorps, speaks with Sara Custer, Inside Higher Ed’s editor in chief, about the power of conversation and how seeing the common humanity in everyone can help foster understanding and belonging among students.   Thanks to our partners The Gates Foundation for sponsoring this episode. 

This series of Voices of Student Success focuses on adult learners in higher education, the various challenges they face as well as the successful support mechanisms employed to aid their retention and completion.   Approximately 65 percent of the 1.2 million active duty service members of the U.S. Armed Forces have less than an associate degree-level of education, according to 2023 data; many of them hold some college credits but no degree. Federal aid programs make it accessible for military-affiliated students to enroll in college and earn a degree, but not every student is aware of academic interventions that can help them complete a credential sooner, including credit for prior learning.   In the most recent episode of Voices of Student Success, three experts from the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education—senior fellows Matt Bergman and Dallas Kratzer, and Tracy Teater, associate director of adult learner attainment—discuss the state’s adult education attainment goals, challenges in CPL rollout and other models of success across the country.   Hosted by Inside Higher Ed Student Success Reporter Ashley Mowreader, this episode is sponsored by Strada Education Foundation.   Read a transcript of the podcast here. 

In this episode of The Key, Jenny Billings, the program chair of Associate in Arts and division chair of English and study skills at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College in North Carolina tells IHE editor in chief Sara Custer about going through the stages of AI grief –from freaking out, to begrudging acceptance, to working with colleagues to figure out how to respond to eventually creating an institution-wide framework that teaches students how to use AI to enhance their learning. She’s seen improvements in retention and confidence among students in the developmental English program at Rowan-Cabarrus after they started using AI and the new model of telling all students how they can use approved AI tools has helped them have more open conversations with their professors.   One of those AI tools is Grammarly and also joining us today is Jenny Maxwell, the head of higher education at Grammarly. She tells us how they’re developing tools that flip AI detection products on their heads and encourage students to engage more with their writing before they turn it in.

This series of Voices of Student Success focuses on adult learners in higher education, the various challenges they face as well as the successful support mechanisms employed to aid their retention and completion.   Continuing education programs are one way for colleges and universities to provide targeted offerings and credentialing opportunities for alumni, adults in the region lacking postsecondary education and the local workforce. They also provide flexible support offerings, recognizing the competing identities and responsibilities adult learners hold.   The School of Continuing and Professional Studies (CAPS) at Washington University in St. Louis houses certificate programs, undergraduate and graduate degrees, prison education initiatives and lifelong learning courses for adults in retirement.  In the most recent episode of Voices of Student Success, Sean Armstrong, dean of the school of continuing and professional education, talks about the program’s goals and ways the school uplifts adult learners of all types. Hosted by Inside Higher Ed Student Success Reporter Ashley Mowreader, this episode is sponsored by Grammarly.  Read a transcript of the podcast here.

The ongoing uncertainty in the economy, the government demanding enormous sums from Ivy League institutions, research funding freezes and changes to the endowment tax mean that everyone has their mind on higher ed’s money and higher ed’s money on their mind. Kara Freeman, president and CEO of the National Association of College and University Business Officers joins Inside Higher Ed's editor in chief Sara Custer to share how NACUBO members are adapting their budgeting practices to respond to heightened unpredictability. Kara also explains how some colleges are diversifying revenue streams to meet the moment and discusses what she’s most concerned about when she looks at the federal policy landscape. Later in the episode, Dee Goines, the higher education lead at KI, joins Sara to discuss a new study that surveys the strategic and master plans of institutions in Texas, Arizona, New York and Florida.  Thanks to KI for sponsoring this episode. 

This series of Voices of Student Success focuses on adult learners in higher education, the various challenges they face and successful support mechanisms to aid their retention and completion.   Credit for prior learning (CPL) is one strategy colleges and states can employ to expedite adult learners’ progress toward degree and promote student success. Past research also shows that students’ who take advantage of f CPL opportunities have higher employment rates and increased earnings after graduation.  But administering CPL can be a challenge in part because of different departmental and academic disciplines’ understandings of and evaluation of prior experience.   In the most recent episode of Voices of Student Success, Colleen Sorensen, Utah Valley University’s director of CPL and student assessment services, discusses how her university is encouraging faculty and department heads to offer and promote CPL pathways.   Hosted by Inside Higher Ed Student Success Reporter Ashley Mowreader, this episode is sponsored by KI.   Read a transcript of the podcast here. 

In this episode, we’re bringing you a conversation between Inside Higher Ed’s senior editor for special content Colleen Flaherty and Stephanie Moore, an associate professor in organization, information and learning sciences, at the University of New Mexico, from the Digital Universities event in Salt Lake City earlier this year. A leading researcher in online learning, Moore addresses what she sees is a false binary between in-person learning and online learning, arguing that more modalities meets more diverse student needs and keeps colleges nimble. She also talks about where belonging fits into to online learning and what strategies educators can use to promote it. And drawing on Seneca and Quintilian she tells Flaherty why she thinks AI will be no more disruptive than any other communication technology that’s come before it.

This series of Voices of Student Success focuses on adult learners in higher education, the various challenges they face and successful support mechanisms to aid their retention and completion. An estimated one in five college students has dependents, and research shows that parenting students are more likely to experience basic needs insecurity in their pursuit of a degree. A 2024 survey by Trellis Strategies found that 6 percent of student parents self-identified as unhoused and 17 percent indicated some level of housing insecurity since they started college, or during the 12 months leading up to the survey. A recent brief from New America and Princeton Eviction Lab  tied the threat of eviction to negative student outcomes; student parents who face eviction are 23 percent less likely to complete a bachelor’s degree compared to their housing secure peers, and more likely to have lower quality of life, including higher mortality rates and lower earnings years later. In the most recent episode of Voices of Student Success, Edward Conroy, senior policy manager at New America, and Nick Graetz, assistant professor at the University of Minnesota, discuss their research and how universities can better support parenting students experiencing housing insecurity. Hosted by Inside Higher Ed Student Success Reporter Ashley Mowreader, this episode is sponsored by KI. Read a transcript of the podcast here.

The second Trump administration will mark its six-month birthday on Sunday July 20, so in this episode of The Key, we’re checking in on the federal policy beat. IHE news editor Katherine Knott joins editor in chief Sara Custer to discuss the big changes in store for the sector now that congress has passed the Big Beautiful Bill and when the new policies will start to take effect–a potentially difficult task with the paltry staff left at the education department. They also check in on Trump’s dealings with Harvard, Penn and Columbia, run through the Department of Justice’s intervention at the University of Virginia, and look at what the next six months will hold. Teaser: it could be another reconciliation bill.   Become an Insider to receive federal policy updates in IHE's After the First 100 Days newsletter.    Follow us on  Apple Podcasts   Google Podcasts   Spotify

This series of Voices of Student Success focuses on adult learners in higher education, the various challenges they face and successful support mechanisms to aid their retention and completion.   Research shows that adults often enter college with a goal in mind, such as a career pivot, further education in their current industry or completion of a degree they previously started,. But returning to the classroom can be challenging, particularly for first-generation students or those who haven’t been in school for a while.  In 2024, Wichita State University launched a college bridge program, the Adult Learner Community and Connections Program, to ease the transition for adult and online learners. The program, part of the university’s “Shocker Pre-Season” series, offers them eight modules of self-paced, online content designed to assist them in their first term at the university.   In the most recent episode of Voices of Student Success, Brett Bruner, assistant vice president for student success and persistence at Wichita State, discusses adult learner pedagogy and the lessons learned in the program’s first year.   Hosted by Inside Higher Ed Student Success Reporter Ashley Mowreader, this episode is sponsored by KI.   Read a transcript of the podcast here. 

“Innovation” is one of those buzzwords that means everything and nothing. “Culture” is even harder to pin down. But in this episode of The Key, Inside Higher Ed’s news and analysis podcast, senior editor for special content Colleen Flaherty speaks with two people working hard to foster both on their campuses. In a panel discussion at the recent Digital Universities US event in Salt Lake City, Colleen spoke with Maricel Lawrence the innovation catalyst at Purdue Global and Kevin Yee special assistant to the provost for AI and director of the Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning at the University of Central Florida about how bottom up leadership, empowering people to try new things and universal design thinking are helping to create a culture where innovation thrives.

This series of Voices of Student Success focuses on adult learners in higher education, the various challenges they face and successful support mechanisms to aid their retention and completion.   Over 820,000 undergraduates are connected to the U.S. military, including those who are actively serving or enlisted in the National Guard,  former service members and spouses or dependents of military servicemembers.  The University of Texas at San Antonio, located in Military City USA, serves over 5,000 military-affiliated students, including veterans, service members and their families, in a region that has the largest concentration of military bases in the country.  In this episode, Michael Logan, UTSA’s senior director for veteran and military affairs and U.S. Marine Corps veteran, discusses how his institution supports military-affiliated students through their transition into higher ed and the role of community in student veteran retention.   Hosted by Inside Higher Ed Student Success Reporter Ashley Mowreader, this episode is sponsored by Grammarly.   Read a transcript of the podcast here. 

Throughout the first half of the year several colleges have announced hiring freezes and budget cuts in response to the Trump administration’s slashing of federal researching funding and general financial instability across the sector.  And these cuts come after years of stagnating pay for faculty and staff. A recent CUPA HR analysis of salary data shows that across higher ed, employees are still being paid less in inflation-adjusted dollars than were before the pandemic. To help us understand what this environment means for the future of the higher ed workforce, Sara Custer, Inside Higher Ed's editor in chief, recently spoke with Kevin McClure professor of higher education and chair of the Department of Educational Leadership at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. He says there’s no doubt the workforce is struggling and hasn’t totally recovered from the great resignation spurred on by Covid. McClure is also seeing what he calls “ripple effects” on    working conditions. Can colleges hire students for summer jobs? Can faculty travel to conferences? Are there enough people on staff for colleges to keep doing what they’re doing? And one big question – will the sector be able to attract the next generation of faculty and staff? McClure also talks about shared governance as a practice that people need to be trained to participate in and how one solution to some of the current workforce struggles could be right under our noses. Find out more about Kevin and his work here.  Thanks to Grammarly for sponsoring this episode.