Hi there Reader, The headlines don’t tell the full story—but the data and experts do. This week, we dive into political risks facing your campus narrative, why predictive AI may be your secret weapon, and what enrollment shifts by race mean for your institutional future. Candid Conversation with Nick Anderson (ACE)Higher Ed's Trust Crisis Isn’t a Marketing Problem. It's a Local ROI Problem. Nick Anderson, senior leader at the American Council on Education and longtime Washington Post...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Hi there Reader, This week’s newsletter is a bit of a special edition... More AI volatility, new market signals for campus real estate, and the latest Harvard vs. Trump legal drama. As always: fast takes, second-order insights, and resources to help you navigate Higher Ed’s next moves. 👇 Onward: AI in Flux: New Video Tools, GPT-5 Timeline, Meta’s Talent Wars The AI arms race keeps accelerating: Midjourney launched its first AI video model (V1), turning images into 5-sec clips—extensible to 21...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader, This Week’s Big Ideas: Why Small Wins > Big Visions, Türkiye’s EdTech Pivot, and the Senate’s Higher Ed Shakeup 1. Want to Thrive in the Age of AI? Think Small. Based on: Derek Sivers’ “Round” Philosophy + Kevin Kelly’s “1000 True Fans” The future won’t reward scale for scale’s sake. “To surf above the tsunami, I suggest one human-scale win at a time.” In a higher ed world that obsesses over growth, rankings, and transformation, we might need to go the other way: Build resonance...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Hi there Reader, Here are few updates on the insides, and periphery, of the Academy.... 7 Campuses. One System. A Cautionary Tale. Penn State just approved plans to close 7 of its 24 campuses. While framed as “restructuring,” the real signal here is existential: Low enrollment, mounting deficits, and diminishing local pipelines have pushed even a land-grant flagship into retreat mode. 📉 Translation?This isn’t just a rural problem or a small-school story. The ground is shifting under everyone....
2 months ago • 1 min read
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...
2 months 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...
3 months 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...
3 months 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...
3 months 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...
3 months ago • 2 min read