Hi there Reader, Higher education is navigating stormy waters: declining enrollments, stagnant faculty salaries, and looming endowment tax hikes are squeezing budgets. Yet, amidst the turbulence, strategic leaders are finding opportunities—leveraging alumni networks for revenue, rethinking strategy with data, and learning from EdTech’s missteps. This week, we unpack insights to help you steer your institution forward. Spotlight: What Founders Get Wrong About Higher Ed This week, I’m sharing a...
9 days ago • 2 min read
Hi there Reader, Hope your week is going as well as can be... We've got a lot to talk about this week, so let's dive in... The FAFSA Mess, Transparency Gaps, and a Smarter Model for Student Aid Guest: Chris Abkarians, Co-CEO of Juno Last week, I sat down with Chris Abkarians to unpack the FAFSA failure, the crumbling trust in federal aid systems, and the quiet emergence of more equitable models for student borrowing and pricing. A few takeaways: FAFSA Fallout Isn’t Just Tech: Chris makes it...
16 days ago • 2 min read
Hi there Reader, This Week’s Guest: Dave Sherwood, Co-Founder & CEO of BibliU What if your course content was as intelligent as your CRM? In this week’s episode, I sat down with Dave Sherwood, the Oxford-trained Rhodes Scholar turned edtech CEO behind BibliU — a platform rethinking textbook access, affordability, and alignment with student outcomes. Affordability = Access + Integration. BibliU eliminates publisher markups and embeds course materials directly into LMS platforms — cutting both...
23 days ago • 2 min read
Hi there Reader, Higher education leaders are staring down some of the biggest systemic shifts we've seen in decades... Politically, financially, and operationally. This week’s edition spotlights strategies to lead through the uncertainty... and unlock new opportunities. The Metrics of Belonging: A Fresh Lens with Meacie Fairfax We brought Meacie Fairfax (Strategy Director at Complete College America) back this week — but with a twist. Rather than just focusing on gateway courses or credit...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Hi there Reader, Higher ed is under scrutiny— but is it under siege? In the past two weeks, we’ve seen elite institutions challenge direct federal overreach, new alliances emerge across sectors, and fresh innovations redefine how we think about student success and fiscal sustainability. This week’s newsletter surfaces: System-level redesign insights from Meacie Fairfax (Complete College America). A rallying cry from 200+ presidents against government interference. And a wildly underrated data...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Hi there Reader, Welcome back. This week, we're digging into the intersection of institutional strategy, federal overreach, and student loan reform. From campus data labs to billion-dollar showdowns with the federal government, the higher ed playbook is being rewritten in real time. Let's get into it. Rethinking the College Business Model with Matt Hendricks Founder, Perspective Data Sciences What if you could scan every college’s contracts, staffing levels, and pricing models—and flag costly...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Hi there Reader, The past two few weeks have ushered in significant changes for higher education institutions, with federal actions impacting operations, international students, and diversity initiatives. Here's a high-level overview of. Massive Layoffs at the Department of Education... To Continue? The Trump administration continues to make substantial cuts within the U.S. Department of Education, aiming to reduce its workforce by nearly half. Education Secretary Linda McMahon stated that...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Hi there Reader, Higher ed is at a crossroads—and the data we rely on to navigate it is disappearing fast. Meanwhile, student debt is exploding, AI is accelerating, and the ground beneath colleges and universities is rapidly shifting. Student Debt & the Fight for Economic Mobility In my recent conversation with Kristin McGuire, Executive Director of Young Invincibles, we tackled higher ed’s most urgent and overlooked crisis... The cost of attendance vs. what today’s students actually need....
2 months ago • 1 min read
Hi there Reader, Higher Ed’s Financial Model Is Cracking—Fast. From rising tuition thresholds to deep federal cuts, higher education’s financial landscape is shifting beneath our feet. Institutions that don’t adapt will struggle to survive. 🚨 What’s Inside This Week: Harvard raises its tuition-free threshold: What it signals for the sector. Ben Kennedy’s latest insights: The hard truths about financial sustainability. Federal layoffs gut the Education Department—what it means for data and...
2 months ago • 2 min read