Higher Ed Now
Higher Ed Now is a production of the American Council of Trustees and Alumni. It is a podcast concerning issues and policy in America's higher education system.
- Update frequency
- every 18 days
- Average duration
- 44 minutes
- Episodes
- 103
- Years Active
- 2020 - 2025
Emma Camp: "Speech Activists Can Certainly Make Waves"
In March 2022, the New York Times published a piece by Emma Camp, titled "I Came to College Eager to Debate. I Found Self-Censorship Instead." The story quickly went viral, and Emma was thrust into t…
Pano Kanelos: Reinventing the University
Pano Kanelos, president of the University of Austin, returns to Higher Ed Now to explore the genesis of his institution with ACTA president Michael Poliakoff. This past summer, the University of Aust…
Justin Dyer: The Value of "Questions We Can't Answer"
In this episode, Steve McGuire, ACTA’s Paul & Karen Levy Fellow in Campus Freedom, interviews Justin Dyer, executive director of the Civitas Institute, which was recently established at the Universit…
Lindsey Burke: "If I Could Wave a Magic Wand"
ACTA’s chief of staff, Armand Alacbay, interviews Dr. Lindsey Burke, Ph.D., the director of the Center for Education Policy at The Heritage Foundation.
Dr. Burke is well known for her role overseeing…
Greg Jackson: "History That Doesn't Suck"
Higher Ed Now producer Doug Sprei teamed up with Jack Golden, an ACTA summer intern and rising senior at Hillsdale College, to explore one of the nation's most compelling history podcasts. History T…
Erec Smith: Anti-Racism and Free Black Thought
ACTA's Steven McGuire sits down in a far reaching conversation with Erec Smith, co-founder and co-editor of Free Black Thought, a small group of citizens, scholars, technologists and parents determin…
Roosevelt Montas: How the Great Books Speak to Everyone
ACTA's Michael Poliakoff delves into life-changing aspects of liberal arts education and study of the great books in conversation with Roosevelt Montas, the author of Rescuing Socrates: How the Great…
Colin Diver: Breaking Ranks With the College Ranking System
Author and educator Colin Diver joins ACTA's president, Michael Poliakoff, to deconstruct the conventional model of college rankings (exemplified by U.S. News & World Report). During his distinguishe…
Jacob Mchangama: "A global free speech recession"
Jacob Mchangama is human rights lawyer in Denmark. He is the founder and executive director of Justitia, a think tank which aims to promote the rule of law and fundamental human rights and freedom ri…
John Chisholm: Exploring Holistic Diversity
ACTA's VP of Academic Affairs, Jonathan Pidluzny, interviews entrepreneur and business leader John Dana Chisholm about the concept of holistic diversity and its potential to influence higher educatio…
Deondra Rose: Galvanizing Political Education and Discourse for Democracy
Just an hour before they teamed up to launch a Braver Angels student debate on campus, ACTA's Doug Sprei interviewed Deondra Rose, Associate Professor of Public Policy, Political Science, and History…
Mark Bauerlein: "The Dumbest Generation Grows Up"
Author and Emory University professor emeritus Mark Bauerlein sat down with ACTA's Michael Poliakoff to talk about his new book, "The Dumbest Generation Grows Up: From Stupefied Youth to Dangerous Ad…
Dorian Abbot: Merit, Fairness, and Equality
Higher Ed Now delves into issues of merit, fairness and equality, academic freedom, and more with Dorian Abbot, associate professor in the department of Geophysical Sciences at the University of Chic…
Nadine Strossen: Free Speech in the Crosshairs
Paul Carrese: Shaping Students into Citizens and Leaders
ACTA's Doug Sprei interviews Paul Carrese, Founding Director of the School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership at Arizona State University. Professor Carrese shares the underpinnings of this…
Gordon Wood: 1776: Out of Many, One
For six decades, Dr. Gordon S. Wood’s scholarship has advanced the understanding of the formative years of our nation. His work on the American Revolution and the creation of the American Republic is…
Ed Yingling - Pioneering the Alumni Free Speech Alliance
ACTA’s president Michael Poliakoff has a bracing conversation with Ed Yingling, a co-founder of the Alumni Free Speech Alliance (AFSA)—a new consortium of alumni groups dedicated to preserving free s…
Robert McCrum: Shakespeare, Ever Present
ACTA's president Michael Poliakoff joins author and editor Robert McCrum to explore his latest book, Shakespearean, an inspiring portrait of one of the most influential writers in history. McCrum ela…
George Harne: Liberal Education and "The Symphony of Knowing"
ACTA's Jonathan Pidluzny and Nathaniel Urban interview George Harne, Executive Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at the University of St. Thomas in Texas. "Liberal education is almost like beco…
Jonathan Rauch: Unpacking "The Constitution of Knowledge"
The acclaimed author, journalist, and activist Jonathan Rauch sat down with ACTA's Doug Sprei to explore the social and political vectors that led him to write his remarkable new book, "The Constitut…