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 AidGuest: 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:
Clip; Full convo→ New York’s Free Community College for Adults (Higher Ed Dive)New York just passed legislation offering tuition-free community college to adult learners—no income cap. This move could reshape nontraditional enrollment pipelines, especially for institutions willing to embrace short-cycle, career-aligned programs. 👀 Watch: Expect other states to follow, but beware of the “build it and they will come” fallacy... This will require back-end investment in advising, childcare, and stackable pathways—not just tuition waivers. Left & Right Agree: Higher Ed Needs to Change (Chronicle Opinion)Professor Michael Clune makes a compelling case that a new bipartisan coalition is emerging - not to destroy higher ed, but to reform it. And the enemy? Administrative bloat, partisan monocultures, and pricing opacity.
Second-Order Takeaway: Campus leaders must walk the tightrope—defending core values while signaling reform, not just resistance. Full piece. Wisdom from the Edge: John Perry Barlow's Rules for Students (and Adults)John Perry Barlow was a founding member of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a lyricist for the Grateful Dead, and one of the early architects of digital freedom. He wrote this list as advice for students—but it reads like a blueprint for living a principled, interesting life. “Avoid dumb people. Learn to write. Be quick to point out bullshit. Don’t be too cool to care. Read books.” It's raw, smart, and refreshingly unpolished—like a beat poet wandered into a commencement address and just started spitting truth. BONUS INSIGHT: What Higher Ed Leaders Can Learn from Retail's Shift (Statista+ Whitepaper)The New Consumer Reality breaks down how buyers think now—and why your pricing, branding, and digital strategy might already be outdated. Takeaways:
Strategy Playbook for Institutions:
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With 17 years of insider experience, I specialize in enhancing university operations and strategic planning through innovative, data-driven solutions. Receive succinct, powerful insights on using analytics and artificial intelligence to streamline operations, increase ROI, and make informed strategic decisions. Ideal for C-suite aiming to do more with less and navigate the complexities of modern higher education.
Hi there Reader, This week’s theme? Downstream consequences. Whether it’s federal Medicaid cuts, a Supreme Court case, or the nervous system of your leadership team.... this week’s stories all point to one thing: If you’re not proactively shaping your narrative and strategy, someone else will. Rural Health Crisis = Higher Ed Crisis? Key Takeaways from the Chronicle Article: $1 Trillion in Medicaid Cuts = A Budget Time Bomb.The One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) is more than a federal health care...
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...
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...