EdUp Insights

In Greek mythology Cassandra was a Trojan princess who was bestowed the gift of prophecy by Apollo.  But after the two had a falling out, Apollo punished her with the curse that her prophecies would not be believed. In this episode I'll look at several visionary innovations in higher education that were ignored, resisted and reviled for decades but eventually became widespread throughout the higher ed ecosystem. EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast network.

Higher education has intentionally plunged into the choppy cultural waters that currently engulf American society and finds that it can't swim.  Traditional funding mechanisms are becoming uncertain as social and political swells are creating a relentless undertow that higher ed must avoid.  Calls for curricular and infrastructure reforms have institutions scrambling to stay afloat or, in some cases, attempting to struggle against the currents of what increasingly appears to be an inevitable and imminent new era.  In this episode I'll look for potential life preservers that might help keep higher ed buoyant as it looks for a way to survive rough seas.EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast network.

Research finds that associate and bachelor's degree holders have similar growth in earnings right after graduation, but that the differences widen over time.  Accordingly, it has been posited that the longer out you look at growth in earnings, the better the impact of a degree can be determined. Raw numbers would appear to support the premise that the higher the degree, the greater the growth in earnings over time. But is this correlation or causation? That is, are there other factors, academic or otherwise, that affect longitudinal growth in earnings?  In fact, is it possible that the longer out you look at the earnings, the less a specific degree might be an impacting factor?  Tune in and check it out.EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast network.

There is growing concern that students do not come to higher education prepared to engage in constructive, civil discourse, nor is this proficiency sufficiently fostered in the higher education community. Politics and social issues have become personal matters in America, and higher education has allowed itself to be unduly influenced by polarizing external factors. The result is that bias is impeding the pursuit of knowledge.  In this episode I'll ponder whether higher education is relinquishing its role as an impartial arbiter and how it can regain that prominence.EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast network.

In an effort to recover from the blowback of having taken public positions on political and social issues, institutions of higher education are seeking refuge in the shelter of institutional neutrality.  By wading into the contentious fray of current events, institutions have learned the difference between being an impartial facilitator dedicated to fostering open discourse and an active advocate of specific political, social and moral issues.  Many have found the latter posture to be both uncomfortable and injurious. In this episode I'll examine how institutional neutrality is faring and what the future may hold. EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast network.

There is considerable angst being expressed about the impact that the new administration will have on higher education.  There is worry that the sector is being targeted in the executive orders that are flowing from Washington, as well as by state governments.  In this episode I'll try to sort out some of the rhetoric from reality.  I'll look at the evolving relationship of government to higher education and how higher ed might fare going forward.  And why none of it should come as a surprise. EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast network

Authority in higher education is a dicey issue. It has traditionally been assumed that faculty own the curriculum, protected by the principles of academic freedom that allow them the license to pursue controversial topics in teaching and research. This stands apart from the First Amendment right of free speech enjoyed by all American citizens. Recent actions by state boards of trustees and legislatures, most notably in Florida, have impacted the content and structure of general education curricula. Faculty have characterized this as an infringement of academic freedom. In this episode I'll examine how ownership of the curriculum has become a political hotbed that blurs the line between academic freedom and freedom of speech. EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast network.

There is considerable disagreement these days over what constitutes general education and who determines what the curriculum should be.  One point of view characterizes the core of general education as a body of content that provides students with a common, unifying body of knowledge that all educated Americans can build upon.  Another view sees the core as including a survey of culturally relevant current topics that provide students with an understanding of contemporary issues. Central to managing the tension between these positions is the question of who makes the decision about what constitutes the core and whether the two points of view can be accommodated in a single curriculum. In this episode I'll look at this struggle and how forces both internal and external to higher education are dealing with the academics and politics of the situation. EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast network.

Recently, the higher education sector has been attempting to redefine its role in both the education ecosystem and society. This episode looks at how the function, but not the form, of higher education has evolved from serving an agrarian society to today's knowledge-based economy. Specifically, I'll maintain that the struggles of higher education to re-establish a self-identity come from higher ed remaining monolithic as society has become diversified and specialized. The democratization of education has occurred as higher education watched.  Now it needs to engage and compete. EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast network.

The ongoing debate about how students figure into the higher education business model has a new entry.  They should be treated as “clients.” In this episode I'll contrast this view with the traditional view of students as empty vessels to be filled and the student-as-customer view. In all cases, I'll reveal that the models are not really about serving students; they are about faculty, institutions, and control. In the end, higher ed needs to more clearly understand the roles involved in the education process, and what the process is. EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast network.

Higher education is facing a perilous metaphor.  It is approaching a demographic cliff, a precipitous decline in student population that could have devastating consequences for the higher ed ecosystem. Recent studies chide higher education for not responding to a change that has been projected for some time, and that apparently comes as a shock to many institutions. In this episode I'll explain how simple math could have mitigated the effects of this phenomenon and ask what higher ed has done, or not done, to avoid what is coming.  EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast network.

Noam Chomsky once said, “Nobody is going to pour truth into your brain. It's something you have to find out for yourself.” As I reflect on some of the turmoil in higher education—and society in general—it occurs to me that Chomsky's counsel is falling on deaf ears.  Increasingly, the public is relying on the media as a proxy for direct access to information and the truth. This has resulted in the epidemic of misinformation and disinformation that is infecting and influencing the higher education ecosystem.  In this episode I'll assess the necessity of maintaining skepticism and critical thinking as we consume information filtered through the media and poured into our brains. EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network

A recent study by the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association outlines trends in the relative contributions made by states, the federal government, and students to the cost of higher education. The study also makes several policy recommendations that might ease the burden on students. That sounds promising, except that the recommendations all involve increasing state and federal allocations. Since funds for these allocations come from tax dollars, the real recommendations involve robbing Peter to pay Paul. In this episode I'll take a look at the smoke and mirrors involved in determining the allocation of costs. I'll then go way off the rails and suggest how a rational budget process for the higher education sector could enable it to become sustainable and integrated into the fabric of the American economy. EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network.

There is considerable speculation about what a new administration in Washington will mean for higher education in America, and in particular for the Department of Education. It is likely that issues like DEI, rising costs, campus unrest, and federal policy missteps could lead to increased scrutiny of the education sector and possible policy changes.  But would this be a bad thing? In this episode I'll assess the chances of a second Trump administration making substantial changes to a department that has weathered persistent attacks since its creation some 45 years ago. EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network.

There's a lot of conflict in higher ed these days. Students battle with institutions. Faculty battle with students. Everybody battles with state and federal government. But there is relatively little compromise or resolution. And that is because the fine art of negotiation has been abandoned. Combatants in higher education, as well as in broader society, have rejected compromise in favor of chaotic, winner-take-all skirmishes that lose sight of the end game, in case there is one. Without an effort to achieve collaborative negotiation on the part of all parties, the war cannot be won because there is no war, just disjointed battles. Tune in and I'll explain. EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network.

Research and teaching have always been considered fundamental elements of the higher education faculty experience. Graduate curricula regularly include courses in research methods and strategies, and degree completion is usually based in large part upon students' ability to demonstrate proficiency in research. Once in the faculty ranks, research will be a major component in determining overall achievement in the higher ed community. But what about teaching? Although faculty are assessed on pedagogical acumen, graduate education places relatively little emphasis on teaching preparation.  In this episode I'll ask why this is and what can be done about it. EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network.

Amid the current turmoil in higher education, there are those who remind us about and lament the demise of the good old days.  In this episode I'll look at two hallmarks of the higher ed ecosystem that are fading into the forgotten annals of history—the graduate student experience and tenure. I'll look at both of these milestones in the higher ed process and how they are part of the redefinition of the higher education experience. More to the point, I'll assess what these changes portend for the future of higher education. EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast network.

Sometimes we miss the forest for the trees.  And we tend to forget that the forest changes as new trees are planted and grow. By the same token, sometimes we miss the big picture of higher education by not connecting the dots that reveal the whole ecosystem. And sometimes we rely on old dots that give us an outdated and inaccurate account of what the sector looks like. In this episode I'll consider an array of dots, both old and new, that need to be connected to give us an accurate picture of where higher ed stands today.   EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast network

Higher ed is very concerned, if not obsessed, with the effects of Artificial Intelligence on the education experience.  Worries abound about how it will reshape the student-faculty interface. Will it make it easier for students to cheat?  Will it usurp faculty roles? A recent article asked “Will AI Make Things Better or Worse?” But couching the question in these terms makes it seem like AI is a living, active force. It is not. AI is transactional. It does not act on its own. Humans are transformational. They take action to impact their own destiny.  AI is a tool that only “does” what humans program it to do. Humans are not the victims of AI, they are its master.  In this episode I'll look at recent research that describes how a proactive approach to AI in higher education can show AI to be a valuable tool—and little more.  EdUp Insights is part of the EdUp Experience network

A recent study revisits the now decades-old struggle of higher education to keep up with the march of technology.  This analysis updates the print vs. digital resources debate, with predictable conclusions. In this episode I'll discuss what progress is being made or impeded, where faculty stand on the issue, and why the current state of affairs is both heartening and disappointing. EdUp Insights is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast network

Higher education has traditionally sought to homogenize the student experience, from intake to outcomes.  The assumption is that students should be uniformly prepared to achieve a uniform set of outcomes in order to be prepared for a post education world experience.  The problem with this is that students are diverse coming in, and the real world on the other side of education is also diverse. This often leads to a complex, frustrating experience that is tied to enforcing artificial norms and leveling cultural deficiencies.  In this episode I'll discuss how simplifying the education experience without homogenization celebrates how cultural diversity contributes to the workforce and society.  EdUp Insights is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network

In a bold and insightful move, The University of Dayton is taking preemptive action to safeguard its future.   In this episode I'll discuss the wisdom of taking a reasoned, proactive approach to dealing with the future, as opposed to the conventional, reactive posture that characterizes much of higher education. Dayton is in no imminent peril. And it wants to stay that way. Change is both inevitable and necessary. Dayton is taking the initiative to specify and implement change now, rather than reacting later to external pressures that will force change. Tune in and listen to how it has determined the way forward. EdUp Insights is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network

In this inaugural episode for the academic year, I'll reveal my prophecies for the coming year.  I'll predict the effect of the Presidential election on the state of higher education and foretell the fates of FAFSA, and loan forgiveness.  I'll also look at the future of entrance exams and remediation (again) as they deal with DEI. What will happen with the flight of university presidents, and how will the business model impact this exodus?  Tune in to find out.  And you won't want to miss my prediction for the future of the EdUp Experience. EdUp Insights is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network

As I head off for summer vacation, this episode will leave you with a short list of things I hope we won't have to revisit again (and again) during the fall semester. There are two parts to the list.  The first contains issues that are rehashed on a regular basis with lots of words and comparatively little action, things like competency-based education, reducing time to degree, workforce demands, and the ever-deliberated need to serve working adults.  The second part of the list contains the more recent set of concerns that has distracted higher education from its primary academic purpose. And more to the point, how venturing beyond the ivy-covered walls has affected the higher education sector.   EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience

We all tend to accept reports that are grounded in numerical data and statistics as accurate accounts. We also know that numbers don't lie.  But what the numbers tell us depends on what question we ask them. And on what story we want them to tell.  In this episode I'll look at how economic indicators are subject to interpretation, and how apparent trends in higher education may not indicate exactly what we are led to believe. EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network.

There has been a lot of harsh criticism of leadership in our colleges and universities lately, and a  notable increase in turnover. The explanation lies in the expectations of the traditional model of higher education, and how the shift of higher ed from an observer to a participant in current social and political trends has altered these expectations. In this episode I'll consider why some current presidents are struggling and what the job description of the next generation of leadership in higher education might look like. See if you want to apply.   EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network.

In the last episode I discussed what makes leaders successful, or not, from my perspective. In this episode I'll look at the relationship of leadership theory to practice from my own experience at the University of Phoenix. I'll explore the chicken-and-egg conundrum of whether theory informs practice or is derived from it. Then I'll look at what transpires when theory is carried onto the field of play, and what happens if there is no theory that fits the game that is being played.   EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network.

A lot has been written about success and failure.  In this episode I will discuss my own take on what the terms mean and how they have played out in some significant advances in science, business, and education. It is often said that you learn from failing.  I disagree. I say you learn from NOT failing. But not failing is not the same as succeeding.  What you learn from not failing is not how to succeed. It is how not to fail. If that sounds like a word salad, tune in and see how this applies to the accomplishments of Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, and John Sperling.   EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast network.  

We all enjoy discounts at our favorite stores and restaurants.  But how about higher education?  Yep, there too.  In this episode I'll discuss what higher ed discounts are all about and how they affect the consumer's ability to determine the true cost of college. I'll also speak to how discounts impact the higher ed business model.  As a bonus, I'll tack on an analysis of the Department of Ed's latest news on interest rates on student loans and how this contributes to the tangle of student debt as part of business model, such as it is.   EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network.

This threat has struck terror in the hearts of students and employees since time immemorial. The humiliation of an indelible blemish on our formal record as a result of some transgression was a strong motivation to play by the rules.  And the name of the game was accountability. Actions had consequences, and you broke the rules at your own peril. But this does not seem to be what we are witnessing today. Criminals often contravene the law repeatedly with relative impunity. Without the threat of penalties, criminals are de-risked and empowered.   Recent protest activity on American campuses reflects similar circumstances.  Students have been conditioned to function in an insulated atmosphere where they do not fear repercussions for their actions, and in fact feel entitled dictate the terms of their association with colleges and universities. In this episode I'll explore how the notions of accountability and permanent records have changed, and why students (and faculty) need to pay attention to both.   EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network.  

Recently, Lumina and Gallup conducted a nationally representative survey of adults without a college degree and shared the results with a group of higher education leaders and experts. In this episode I'll compare the findings of this survey to a similar report that Lumina issued in 2017. Both examine concerns facing nontraditional learners and how to deal with them. I'll also look at the reactions of the higher ed community to the substance of the reports.  I'll discuss what has changed, and what has not, in the interval between the two studies, gauging the progress of higher ed over time. EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network.

There's a lot of labelling, or more accurately name-calling, permeating the vocabulary of higher education, and society in general today.  In this episode I'll ask the question, “Do people know what they are talking about?” Specifically, I'll look at some of the terms being freely bandied about that reveal what people understand—or don't—about how they use the terms.  I'll look at some of the basic principles that underlie democracy and how they are comprehended. I'll also look at the overused terms, “nazism,” “fascism,” “communism,” and “socialism.” Then I'll look at how all of this ties into “equity” and “equality.”  So take the quiz and see if you know as much as you think you do.   EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network.   

A recent study of the higher education business model landscape offers some interesting insights, and a few suggestions, about what works and doesn't work as higher ed struggles to develop a simple, consistent, transparent funding structure. In particular, it looks at the traditional base-adjusted funding model as compared to the recent focus on performance-based funding.  In this episode I'll lay out some of the basic differences in the two approaches and look at the fiscal and political influences that are driving the search for a viable business model.   EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network.

With all of the craziness in higher education today, there is a glimpse of the past that gives hope for the future. As we see students and administrators on our campuses begin to push back against disruptive demonstrations, there are strong signals that the heart of higher education still beats, from the front lines to the C-Suite. Higher ed has played a major role in fostering the fundamental principles that make America a pretty cool place to live. There has always been discontent in higher education, and there has always been a response to discontent that moves things back toward normalcy. In this episode I'll gauge the pulse of higher ed past and present and offer some words of advice.   EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network.

Higher education was once a comfortable cocoon where students were incubated until they emerged as fully-formed beings ready to participate in the real world.  There were external social and political influences, to be sure, but they did not generally impact the education gestation process.  Today, the metamorphosis from student to citizen has been supplanted by a chaotic barrage of external forces that often displace teaching and learning at the heart of the higher education ecosystem with a muddled mix of ideology and indoctrination. In this episode I'll trace the history of this pejoration as I have witnessed it for fifty years.   EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network.        

As higher education leaders look for solutions to remedy current woes besetting the sector, they scour the traditional paradigm for clues. So far, uneven progress has been made.  This could be attributed to the fact that leaders are searching for solutions to problems inside the same system that caused them. Some commentators, notably Gordon Gee, have suggested that answers might be better sought outside the box if higher ed is remain relevant and viable.  In this episode I'll suggest that working from the inside and outside simultaneously and congruently is possible. I'll look at what can be learned from external paradigms and applied to a new “supply chain” approach to higher education.   EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Network.  

Americans today are acutely aware of current social issues and trends, and there are plenty of them. But there is some disturbing evidence that we tend to watch events passively until they begin to impact us personally.  In this episode I'll look at how social and political problems have crept up on the public and bitten us when we weren't paying enough attention.  As I'll opine, the same is true for higher education.  Previously, higher ed stood largely above the fray as an impartial observer and referee amid the vicissitudes of society.  As political and social influences have gained momentum, higher ed gravitated from passivity to deference to acceptance.  Recent events on our campuses are laying bare the consequences.  The lesson here is that what may not affect us immediately can get to us eventually.   EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Network.

As a person of a certain age, many of my favorite films growing up have been remade at least once.  In this episode I'll get into what crafts a good remake of a classic film, and why some recent attempts have missed the mark.  And why do we call them “classics,” anyway?  Then I'll look at how this applies to higher education. Having grown up in the classic higher education paradigm, I will examine how current efforts to remake the traditional higher ed ecosystem in the image of the latest trends in social and political influences are meeting with an uneven reception, both inside the ivy walls and in public opinion. And again, I'll look at how classical paradigms are relevant to understanding where we have been and where we are.   EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network

There is an abundance of analyses on the value of a college degree and the expectations of graduates and employers as individuals enter the workforce. A look at some of these studies shows a puzzling misalignment that is frustrating for all involved.  In this episode I'll look at things from both sides. First, what are the expected returns from a college degree, both in terms of affluence and personal fulfillment?  Is the college degree a necessary asset in securing a good job?  Second, how do employers value a degree as opposed to skills-based ability in the hiring process? Or more to the point, what are employers saying about this as opposed to how they are acting? Finally, how can the expectations of graduates and employers be align to the benefit of all?   EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello with is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network

Gordon Gee has drawn a lot of attention recently for his major overhaul of the University of West Virginia. But a closer look at his decades-long journey—some would say foray—through higher education reveals a dedication to evolving and improving the paradigm wherever he has served. Working from inside the traditional model, Gee has steadfastly done what he thinks is the right thing. On the other hand, John Sperling, founder of University of Phoenix, approached the traditional paradigm from the outside, introducing innovations that have altered the course of higher education in a number of ways. In this episode I'll look at the similarities between these two controversial visionaries as they have altered the landscape of higher education with two distinct approaches to the traditional paradigm. EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network

If you have traveled anywhere in the world, you have experienced the hassle of dealing with monetary exchange rates. A universal common currency, although a pipedream, would be a real godsend. But it's not likely.  On the other hand, there is—or should be--a common currency that influences and enhances the social order by providing a civil forum in which to pursue different perspectives and world views with the goal of expanding understanding and knowledge beyond the boundaries of individual experience. That would be education, and in particular higher education. This hifalutin vision once defined America's higher ed community and gave it a venerated and valued position in society. But today higher education is just one of many arenas where political and social issues are played out in contentious conflicts marked by misinformation and effrontery rather than collegiality and cooperation.  In this episode I'll look at how and why this has happened and how to counteract the effects of the current situation.   EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network

What happens when state governments and higher ed operate in silos? In this episode I'll look at the current situation in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and what it portends for similar circumstances as states and higher education systems struggle to align their missions and budgets to serve their constituents in turbulent times. In particular, I'll look at how a lack of coordination and fiscal precision in defining the relationship of financial resources to specific initiatives may undercut the ability of states and higher education to fulfill their missions. EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network.  

Academic freedom and tenure have long been hallmarks of higher education's role as a dispassionate referee for society. These conventions intend to define and defend the rights of scholars to pursue knowledge and engage in open inquiry without undue external pressure. In this episode I'll examine how these protections are faring in a society awash with discord around free speech, censorship and general civil unrest. In particular, I'll look at how the accountability that has penetrated the walls of academia may soon relegate academic freedom and tenure to footnotes in the history of higher education.  EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast network

In the Dickens novella “A Christmas Carol” there is a message of hope for higher education. In this episode we'll be visited by the Ghosts of Higher Ed Past, Present and Future.  I'll discuss how we got from the “good old days” of higher education to where we are today, and what the future may hold, depending on the choices we make.  I'll also look at some of the innovative initiatives both inside and outside the ivy-covered walls that may show us the way forward. EdUp insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network

Higher education is a significant investment, up there with purchasing a home or a car. And as with all major investments, there are expectations about the anticipated return and about how that expected return will measure up against reality.  In this episode I'll look at what influences student and graduate expectations and why the gap between expectations and reality exists.  I'll also have a suggestion about closing that gap.     EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network.  

The current condition of higher education presents an interesting look at its role in American society and society in general.  But it begs the question of how we got here. This kind of cultural inquiry has traditionally been the domain of archeology.  In this episode I'll examine the current topography of higher ed and excavate several strata down to discover how the ecosystem has evolved from earlier eras. I'll then discuss what we might expect to see on the current trajectory of evolution, and what we might learn from the ruins of earlier epochs.  Dig it! EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network.

There is general agreement in higher education on where we are and where we want to go. The problem is how get from point A to point B, and more to the point, why institutions seem to get it wrong on a regular basis. In this episode I'll examine some of the snags that plague the higher education planning process and offer some simple, modest suggestions on how to “re-think” the process.  I'll also suggest how creativity and innovation can be employed to look at the path from point A to point B from a different perspective. EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network.

Well, at least nothing is impossible for the persons who don't have to do it.  And in higher education that includes entrepreneurs and visionaries who identify the shortcomings of the current higher education and offer up high-level solutions that provide straightforward solutions to things like time to degree, accessibility, return on investment, and workforce needs. When I read such proposals, I have one nagging question. If it's so easy, why hasn't someone already done it? And the answer is that if it were as simple as it seems, someone would have done it.  In this episode I'll explore what makes transformation in higher ed challenging and where would-be revolutionaries often go wrong in approaching the enterprise of higher education.  EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network 

In 1929 G.K. Chesterton provided a concise admonition about making decisions in life.  If you encounter a fence on the road, he advised, don't take it down until you know why it was built in the first place.  In short, we need to understand how the status quo came to be before we change it. There may be a good reason for the fence, and removing it could have unintended consequences. In this episode I'll pursue this line of reasoning as it applies to America (and elsewhere) today, and in particular how it should be instructive for higher education. EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network

In the last episode I looked at what is fueling the lack of confidence in higher education today and some of the basic decisions that will need to be made to restore the conviction that higher ed is vital to workforce success.  But another decision will need to be made to ensure that that the engine of higher education can continue to operate, namely a viable business model. The current not-for-profit model of higher ed is funded by the three-legged stool of state, federal and private funding.  In other words, higher ed is dependent largely on “the kindness of strangers,” to quote Blanche DuBois. The business model has been in large part related to the view of higher education as a common good that should be above societal and political influence. Well, that ship has sailed, and higher education is now seen as a public commodity from which the public demands accountability and return on investment.  In this episode I'll challenge the not-for-profit model and suggest that an alternative is all around us.  EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network

A number of recent studies reveal a lack of confidence in the role of higher education in preparing students for the workforce.  Misgivings about the efficacy of higher education come in large part from the conflicting perspectives of employers, students, and even within the higher education community itself, on the value of education in society. In this episode I'll look at several of these studies and examine the decisions that will need to be made to keep higher education a relevant and viable part of the education to workforce pipeline.  In short, there will need to be coordinated decisions about who does what, where and when.  As we'll see, it's easier said than done. EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network