Higher Ed Now

American Council of Trustees and Alumni
  • 3.9 (16)
  • EDUCATION
  • UPDATED SEMIMONTHLY

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.

  1. 11/13/2025

    David Eubanks: How Accreditation Does (And Does Not) Work

    ACTA's Kyle Beltramini welcomes David Eubanks, assistant vice president of the Office of Institutional Assessment and Research at Furman University. Professor Eubanks is an expert on the philosophy and practice of leadership in higher education, particularly learning outcomes assessments, strategic planning, and institutional effectiveness. His work emphasizes using data-driven processes to inform decision-making. He recently completed a term on the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI). Professor Eubanks and Mr. Beltramini discuss accreditation's essential role in assuring academic quality, how the system has degraded over time, and how it can be effectively reformed.

    45 min

  2. 10/09/2025

    Thad Westbrook: Leading Higher Education Reform at the University of South Carolina

    ACTA's Nick Down interviews Thad Westbrook, chairman of the University of South Carolina's (USC) Board of Trustees. Mr. Westbrook earned his bachelor's degree in political science from USC and his J.D. from the USC School of Law. A member of the USC Board since 2010, he spearheaded the creation of USC's Center for American Civic Leadership and Public Discourse and has helped lead the movement to break up the higher education accreditation monopoly.

    46 min

  3. 09/08/2025

    Lee Strang: Revitalizing Civics Education in the Buckeye State

    ACTA president Michael Poliakoff speaks with Lee Strang, the inaugural director of the new Salmon P. Chase Center for Civics, Culture and Society at the Ohio State University. He is also a professor at OSU's Moritz College of Law, the author of numerous books on Constitutional law, and the founder of Northwest Ohio Classical Academy. Professor Strang has devoted his life to the study and teaching of America's civic tradition, and he goes in-depth about his experience leading the Chase Center, from designing curriculum to managing relations with the broader university. He and Michael also discuss how Ohio has emerged as the frontrunner state in the ongoing revival of American civic education.

    41 min

  4. 08/15/2025

    Building Bridges for Higher Ed Accreditation Reform

    Description: In this episode of Higher Ed Now, ACTA Policy Research Fellow Kyle Beltramini and Third Way Education Policy Advisor Emily Rounds discuss how accreditation became a mainstream political issue overnight. They also examine the urgent need for modernization of the current system, as well as how both Democrats and Republicans can advance reform. For more, please see their recent white paper, "Five Bipartisan Principles for Accreditation Reform."

    33 min

  5. 07/16/2025

    Douglas Ginsburg & Deecy Gray: Teaching Civics Amid Academia's Pushback

    In this episode, ACTA President Michael Poliakoff discusses solutions to our nation's civic education crisis with distinguished jurist Douglas Ginsburg and his wife, Dorothy "Deecy" Gray. Judge Ginsburg previously served as chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and is currently a professor at George Mason University's (GMU) Antonin Scalia Law School. A former member of the GMU Board of Visitors, Deecy Gray is a strong advocate for civic education. Together, they created Civics Fundamentals, a free online civics course for those studying to take the U.S. Citizenship Test and for the many students who have never been exposed to these basic, foundational lessons.

    48 min

  6. 06/24/2025

    Richard Haass: Guarding Democracy by Teaching Civics

    ACTA president Michael Poliakoff speaks with Richard Haass, distinguished diplomat and president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations. Dr. Haass has served four U.S. Presidents over 25 years, including two years leading the Irish peace process as the U.S. Special Envoy for Northern Ireland. He is the author or editor of fourteen books on American foreign policy, one book on management, and one on American democracy. His most recent book, The Bill of Obligations: The Ten Habits of Good Citizens, was published by Penguin Press in January 2023 and became a New York Times bestseller. Dr. Haass serves on ACTA's National Commission on American History and Civic Education, where he will work alongside dozens of distinguished historians, political scientists, and education leaders to help remedy the long-standing failure of American colleges and universities to require a foundational course in U.S. history and government. For more of Dr. Haass's work, read his analyses on his substack Home And Away.

    39 min

  7. 05/20/2025

    Free Speech Soars at GMU Law School

    Dubbed "Washington's School for Civil Discourse," George Mason University's (GMU) Antonin Scalia Law School exposes students to all legal and political viewpoints and leads them in civil, respectful debate. In this episode of Higher Ed Now, ACTA's Bryan Paul interviews JoAnn Koob, assistant professor of law and director of the Antonin Scalia Law School's Liberty & Law Center, an academic forum dedicated to protecting individual liberty and free expression, and Debi Ghate, director of the Voices for Liberty initiative, which examines how free speech protects underrepresented voices.

    24 min

  8. 05/07/2025

    Reinvigorating Civil Discourse at M.I.T.

    MIT Concourse is a program for first-year students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology that "brings science into conversation with the humanities." It also hosts the Civil Discourse Project, which seeks to "reinvigorate the open exchange of ideas at MIT." In this episode of Higher Ed Now, ACTA's Bryan Paul interviews Senior Lecturer Linda Rabieh to learn how the Civil Discourse Project has used the Braver Angels debate format championed by the College Debates and Discourse Alliance — a joint program of the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, Braver Angels, and BridgeUSA — to prepare our nation's future STEM leaders for thoughtful, engaged citizenship. He also speaks with Mariam Abdelbarr, Isaac Lock, and Siddhu Pachipala, three students who have helped plan and conduct debates at MIT.

    29 min
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Ratings & Reviews

3.9
out of 5
16 Ratings

About

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.

Information

  • Creator
    American Council of Trustees and Alumni
  • Years Active
    2016 - 2025
  • Episodes
    100
  • Rating
    Clean