Higher Ed Happy Hour

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In the Higher Ed Happy Hour, three well-known Washington, DC-based journalists and policy wonks -- Kevin Carey of New America, Andrew Kelly of the American Enterprise Institute, and Libby Nelson of Vox.com -- discuss the latest happenings in higher education policy, research, and popular culture. Th…

New America


    • Jun 11, 2018 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
    • 59m AVG DURATION
    • 27 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from Higher Ed Happy Hour

    The Americans (and podcast?) Series Finale

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 11, 2018 65:06


    In a special reunion episode, Libby and Kevin return for an in-depth discussion of the series finale of The Americans while ignoring higher education altogether. 

    Reunion and Summer Roundup

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 9, 2017 66:59


    Libby and Kevin return from a three-month hiatus to discuss DeVos, Trump, gainful employment, adjunct professorship, and Game of Thrones.

    Campus Free Speech and the continuing adventures of Betsy DeVos

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 21, 2017 89:04


    Kevin, Libby, and special guest Steve Teles dig into if, when, or how it's okay to stop someone from speaking on a college campus. Plus: Is The Americans getting stale?!

    Tressie McMillan Cottom's "Lower Ed"

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 7, 2017 67:14


    Special guest Tressie McMillan Cottom joins the podcast to discuss her new book: "Lower Ed: The Troubling Rise of For-Profit Colleges in the New Economy." Also, Libby has already seen "The Americans" Season 5 and Northwestern basketball is good this year for the first time ever.

    The DeVos confirmation and the biggest dataset of all time

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 30, 2017 52:53


    Kevin and Libby talk through the contentious Betsy DeVos confirmation hearings and geek out on the new research from Raj Chetty and colleagues.

    The Next Secretary of Education, Happy Holidays

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 22, 2016 49:22


    Kevin and Libby talk about what Betsy DeVos means for higher education, more IBR controversy, holiday-season cocktails, and Rogue One.

    Trumpocalypse, Week One

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 17, 2016 63:45


    Kevin and Libby talk about the election, what it means for higher education, and what the heck is wrong with the Big Ten.

    Final pre-election podcast and Income-Based Repayment deep dive

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 20, 2016 74:44


    Kevin, Libby, and special guest Jason Delisle from AEI find that Trump is unavoidable before diving fathoms deep into the intricacies of income-based loan repayment and public service loan forgiveness.

    Back from Summer Break: The election, FAFSA reform, college football

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 22, 2016 63:48


    Kevin and Libby welcome Jesse O'Connell as our first guest host / drinks-master to dive deep into FAFSA reform and prior-prior year. Also, presidential election developments and pretending Northeastern's football season didn't start until last week.

    Gone to Carolina in His Mind and Also in Real Life Soon, plus ACICS v NACIQI

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 20, 2016 62:39


    Andrew says goodbye to the podcast, we drown our sorrows in wine, then debate defense to repayment and the upcoming NACIQI vote to de-certify ACICS.

    Trump's Higher Education Plan Because Good God I Guess We Have to Do This Now

    Play Episode Listen Later May 26, 2016 69:00


    Kevin, Libby, and Andrew pray for sunshine and drink beer while they break down the good, bad, and ugly of the Trump higher education agenda.

    Special All College Sports Edition

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 25, 2016 60:48


    Are intercollegiate athletics a moral garbage fire headed for an apocalypse of greed, money, and shame? Or not quite that bad? Kevin, Libby, and Andrew debate. 

    The Rise and Fall of PoliSci plus This Changes Everything, Pt. II

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 22, 2016 53:22


    Kevin and Libby dissect the Season 4 of The Americans, we continue debating how or if to blow up the federal financial aid system, and Andrew and Libby discuss Trump and the brief ascendency of Political Science. 

    This Changes Everything

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 22, 2016 48:06


    Kevin and Andrew debate New America's radical proposal to upend federal higher education policy as we know it, with Libby as mixologist / referee.

    Tenure Troubles

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 4, 2016 59:12


    Kevin, Libby, and Andrew debate the spate of recent campus tenure controversies, plus Jeb Bush's innovative little-discussed higher education agenda. 

    2015 Year In Review

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 18, 2015 53:36


    Description: Kevin, Libby, and Andrew debate the best and worst of 2015, including affirmative action, free speech, ratings, and Love, Actually

    Special "The Kids These Days" Edition

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 23, 2015 61:21


    Kevin, Libby, and Andrew devote the podcast to ongoing controversies over campus racism, free speech, and alleged political correctness, with a side conversation on why "Love, Actually" is terrible. 

    Sanders v. Clinton and the Obama Scorecard

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 26, 2015 65:03


    Andrew and Kevin debate the merits of the Democratic higher education platforms as well as the Obama Administration's trove of new "College Scorecard" data.

    What Trump and the new No Child Left Behind mean for higher education

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 28, 2015 55:46


    Libby, Andrew, and Kevin debate what a potential K12 bargain in Congress augers for the Higher Education Act, Kevin and Andrew foolishly debate the meaning of Trump.

    Federal ratings: Dead. Sweetbriar: Alive. Affirmative action: Dying?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 6, 2015 46:40


    Kevin, Andrew, and Libby autopsy the Obama administration's doomed college ratings plan.

    Academic Fraud and Title IX Eating Its Own Tail

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 11, 2015 51:06


    Andrew, Libby, and Kevin debate the larger meaning of the LaCour academic fraud case and discuss the Laura Kipnis imbroglio at Libby'a alma mater.

    The Sudden Yet Long-Expected Death of Corinthian College, Plus Polling

    Play Episode Listen Later May 11, 2015 68:20


    Andrew, Libby and Kevin pick apart the Corinthian College bankruptcy, new polls about what people who didn't graduate from college think about higher education, and continued disagreement about MOOCs.

    Bankrupt Colleges, Terrible Fraternities, and Early April Madness

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 7, 2015 45:59


    Kevin, Libby and Andrew unpack the Department of Education's long-delayed list of financially troubled institutions and debate whether college administrators are finally taking a hard line with perpetually awful Greek organizations. Plus, reminiscing about college basketball.

    The End of College(s)

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 11, 2015 65:16


    Libby and Andrew ask Kevin tough questions about his new book, The End of College. Also: the demise of Sweet Briar College and what the Academy Awards say about higher education.

    Campus Sexual Assault and Obama's 529 Capitulation

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 13, 2015 63:27


    In the third Higher Ed Happy Hour, Libby, Andrew and Kevin drink high-class bourbon and debate why President Obama bungled 529 reform as well as the thorny question of what colleges should do about sexual assault.

    Tax Credit Bonanza

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 30, 2015 44:51


    On the second Higher Ed Happy Hour, Kevin, Libby, and Andrew sample some Irish whisky, dive into the merits of President Obama's higher education tax credit agenda, veer into the great student loan repayment debate, and finish with a discussion of why everyone hates Bill Belichik and whether DeflateGate should really be known as Ballghazi.

    Free Community College??!!!

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 20, 2015 45:56


    In the inaugural episode, Free Community College??!!!, Kevin, Andrew and Libby talk about President Obama's free community college plan, the recent college football national championship game, whether federal college ratings are a good or terrible idea, and the upcoming season premiere of The Americans.

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