Podcasts about century universities

Young adults should always be encouraged to dream big when imagining their futures. When the time comes to actualize those aspirations, though, practical details matter most.  Amy and Mike invited author Jeff Selingo to clarify how to define a dream school.    What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is the "Top 25 or bust" mentality and why do so many families still equate selectivity with quality? Do you need to attend a top-ranked school to get an exceptional college education? How do you define fit, and what specific factors should families consider when evaluating whether a college is truly the right match for a student? What is a hidden gem college and what characteristics do these institutions tend to share? What indicators should families look for when assessing a college's ability to prepare students for meaningful careers? MEET OUR GUEST Jeff Selingo is a New York Times bestselling author of four books on education and the job market, including his newest, Dream School: Finding the College That's Right for You (September 2025). Based on more than two years of research and a survey of some 3,000 parents, the book gives families permission to think more broadly about what signals a "good" college and then the tools to discover their dream school. His previous book, Who Gets In & Why: A Year Inside College Admissions, was named one of the New York Times's 100 Notable Books of the Year in 2020. For more than twenty-five years, his in-depth reporting and storytelling have provided practical insight about the future of higher education and the workforce to university leaders, corporate executives, as well as students and parents. Jeff has talked before scores of colleges, businesses, healthcare organizations, and financial services companies and helped leaders understand what's next for education and how companies can better compete for talent, especially among today's Gen Z. He has appeared at the Milken Global Institute, LinkedIn, Ohio State University, Salesforce, Spain's Bankinter Innovation Foundation, the Association of Schools Advancing Health Professions, and Deloitte, as well as before the boards of Carnegie Mellon University, the Duke Endowment, and Amherst College, among others. As both an observer of higher education and an insider with an academic appointment at one of the largest universities in the country, Jeff occupies a unique position to explain the intersection between work, life, and learning. He writes regularly for The Atlantic, the Washington Post, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal. His research focuses on the changing nature of work and its impact on education, paying for college, the student experience, and shifting expectations for what the public and employers want from colleges. He is co-host of the podcast, Future U., and writes a biweekly newsletter, Next. Jeff is a special advisor to the president and professor of practice at Arizona State University, where he is the founding director of the Academy for Innovative Higher Education Leadership. He has also served as a visiting scholar at Georgia Tech's Center for 21st Century Universities. In addition, Jeff regularly counsels universities and organizations on strategy. Previously, Jeff was the top editor of the Chronicle of Higher Education, where he worked for sixteen years in a variety of reporting and editing roles. His work has been honored by the Education Writers Association, Society of Professional Journalists, and the Associated Press. He received a bachelor's degree from Ithaca College and a master's degree from Johns Hopkins University. He is a member of the board of trustees at Ithaca College and the board of directors of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS). He lives with his wife and two daughters near Washington, D.C. Jeff previously appeared on this podcast in episode 126 to discuss Shaping an Admissions Class. Find Jeff at https://www.jeffselingo.com/. LINKS Dream School: Finding the College That's Right for You  RELATED EPISODES FINDING YOUR COLLEGE FIT FINDING YOUR AUTHENTIC SELF IN THE PATH TO COLLEGE COLLEGE ADMISSIONS INSANITY ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.  

Guest: Warren Goetzel, Director of Academic Technology and Engagement for Georgia Tech's Office of Information Technology & Director of External and Faculty Engagement with the Center for 21st Century Universities. First broadcast January 24 2025. Playlist here "I have to admit I found myself more overwhelmed than curious."

What is an intelligent campus? How is technology blurring, or extending, the borders of the modern university? And how do you build belonging when your students could be spread across the globe? In this episode of the Campus podcast, we talk to two experts from leading US institutions – who were both speakers at Times Higher Education's Digital Universities US 2024 event – about how technology is redefining the university experience. Steve Harmon is executive director of the Center for 21st Century Universities at Georgia Tech as well as associate dean of research in professional education and a professor in the School of Industrial Design. He explains how his university has created “co-learning” spaces where students can gather and interact while benefitting from the flexibility of hybrid learning, and how technology from VR to YouTube supports the “learning to learn” skills that underpin higher education. Lev Gonick is the enterprise chief information officer at Arizona State University and chair of the Sun Corridor Network, Arizona's research and education network. He talks about the digital infrastructure required to support inclusive digital education at scale, looking to Hollywood-style immersive storytelling to teach STEM, and why it's vital to align digital goals with the institution's overall mission.

The vast majority of American college students attend two thousand or so private and public institutions that might be described as the Middle—reputable educational institutions, but not considered equal to the elite and entrenched upper echelon of the Ivy League and other prestigious schools. Richard DeMillo has a warning for these colleges and universities in the Middle: If you do not change, you are heading for irrelevance and marginalization. In Abelard to Apple, DeMillo argues that these institutions, clinging precariously to a centuries-old model of higher education, are ignoring the social, historical, and economic forces at work in today's world. In the age of iTunes, open source software, and for-profit online universities, there are new rules for higher education. DeMillo, who has spent years in both academia and in industry, explains how higher education arrived at its current parlous state and offers a road map for the twenty-first century. He describes the evolving model for higher education, from European universities based on a medieval model to American land-grant colleges to Apple's iTunes U and MIT's OpenCourseWare. He offers ten rules to help colleges reinvent themselves (including “Don't romanticize your weaknesses”) and argues for a focus on teaching undergraduates. DeMillo's message—for colleges and universities, students, alumni, parents, employers, and politicians—is that any college or university can change course if it defines a compelling value proposition (one not based in “institutional envy” of Harvard and Berkeley) and imagines an institution that delivers it. Richard A. DeMillo is Distinguished Professor of Computing and Professor of Management, former John P. Imlay Dean of Computing, and Director of the Center for 21st Century Universities at Georgia Institute of Technology. Author of over 100 articles, books, and patents, he has held academic positions at Purdue University, the University of Wisconsin, and the University of Padua. He directed the Computer and Computation Research Division of the National Science Foundation and was Hewlett-Packard's first Chief Technology Officer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/education

The vast majority of American college students attend two thousand or so private and public institutions that might be described as the Middle—reputable educational institutions, but not considered equal to the elite and entrenched upper echelon of the Ivy League and other prestigious schools. Richard DeMillo has a warning for these colleges and universities in the Middle: If you do not change, you are heading for irrelevance and marginalization. In Abelard to Apple, DeMillo argues that these institutions, clinging precariously to a centuries-old model of higher education, are ignoring the social, historical, and economic forces at work in today's world. In the age of iTunes, open source software, and for-profit online universities, there are new rules for higher education. DeMillo, who has spent years in both academia and in industry, explains how higher education arrived at its current parlous state and offers a road map for the twenty-first century. He describes the evolving model for higher education, from European universities based on a medieval model to American land-grant colleges to Apple's iTunes U and MIT's OpenCourseWare. He offers ten rules to help colleges reinvent themselves (including “Don't romanticize your weaknesses”) and argues for a focus on teaching undergraduates. DeMillo's message—for colleges and universities, students, alumni, parents, employers, and politicians—is that any college or university can change course if it defines a compelling value proposition (one not based in “institutional envy” of Harvard and Berkeley) and imagines an institution that delivers it. Richard A. DeMillo is Distinguished Professor of Computing and Professor of Management, former John P. Imlay Dean of Computing, and Director of the Center for 21st Century Universities at Georgia Institute of Technology. Author of over 100 articles, books, and patents, he has held academic positions at Purdue University, the University of Wisconsin, and the University of Padua. He directed the Computer and Computation Research Division of the National Science Foundation and was Hewlett-Packard's first Chief Technology Officer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a surprising number of ways, putting together a new incoming class at a college is like crafting a list for the perfect party. So how can you make sure you are invited? Amy and Mike invited author Jeff Selingo to pull back the curtain on the process of shaping an admissions class.  What are five things you will learn in this episode? What does “shaping” mean in admissions parlance? Do all colleges have the same priorities? What role do test scores play in shaping a class? How influential is the prospect of a full-pay family? What might a student do to get shaped into rather than out of a class? MEET OUR GUEST Jeff Selingo is the author of two New York Times bestsellers, College (Un)Bound and There Is Life After College. For more than twenty years, his in-depth reporting and powerful storytelling has provided insight about the inner workings of universities and a practical roadmap for higher ed’s future to students, parents, college leaders, and business executives. Jeff’s newest book, Who Gets In & Why: A Year Inside College Admissions, takes readers on a journey through the selection process from inside three admissions offices, revealing what really matters to the gatekeepers and how the ultimate decision is often based on a college’s priorities. As both an observer of higher education and an insider with academic appointments at two prominent universities, Jeff occupies a unique position to explain this critical and influential sector of the world economy. He writes regularly for The Atlantic, the Washington Post, the New York Times, the Chronicle of Higher Education and is co-host of the podcast, FutureU. His reporting and research focuses on the changing nature of work and its impact on education, paying for college, the financial sustainability of the residential campus, and shifting expectations for what the public wants from colleges. Jeff is a special advisor for innovation to the president at Arizona State University, where he is the founding director of the Academy for Innovative Higher Education Leadership. He has also served as a visiting scholar at Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities. In addition, Jeff regularly counsels universities and organizations on their innovation strategy and storytelling. Previously, Jeff was the top editor of the Chronicle of Higher Education, where he worked for sixteen years in a variety of reporting and editing roles. His work has been honored with awards from the Education Writers Association, Society of Professional Journalists, and the Associated Press. He received a bachelor’s degree from Ithaca College and a master’s degree from the Johns Hopkins University. He is a member of the board of trustees at Ithaca College. He lives with his wife and two daughters in Washington, D.C. Find Jeff at https://www.jeffselingo.com/. LINKS Who Gets In & Why: A Year Inside College Admissions College (Un)Bound There Is Life After College RELATED EPISODES WHY OPTIONAL STATEMENTS AREN’T OPTIONAL YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH: SECRETS OF COLLEGE ADMISSIONS NEED BLIND AND NEED AWARE ADMISSIONS ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.

In our lifetime, Higher Education has not seen the kind of global shock to its system that emerged over a two-month period. We anticipated a systematic and orderly shift in the next few years to address the rising cost of education, changing demographics, and a growing adult population choosing to come back to further their education. Those institutions that had already invested in a new kind of education now find themselves in a position to accelerate. Georgia Institute of Technology is one of those institutions.Today on Navigating Change we have Dr. Nelson Baker, who serves as Dean of Professional Education for Georgia Tech. His group oversees the delivery of Georgia Tech's extensive catalog of world-class credit and non-credit education programs for over 40,000 learners and 2,600 organizations worldwide each year.  Our conversation with Dr. Baker revolves around his experience overseeing this expansive arm of Professional Education and what that experience can teach us as we turn toward rebuilding in the COVID era.   Links & Notes“Deliberate Innovation, Lifetime Education” Report from the Commission on Creating The Next in Education at Georgia Tech (PDF)About Dr. Nelson BakerConnect with Dr. Nelson Baker on LinkedInThe Center for 21st Century Universities

Some educators tout the immersive power of VR technology, pointing to examples like an app that simulates what it was like to walk on either side of Germany’s Berlin Wall in the 1980s. But what does it mean to teach in an immersive format? What can this technology do that couldn't be done before? And how might it change a professor's approach to teaching, or should it? This month we sat down with two guests—Maya Georgieva, director of digital learning at The New School in New York City, and Rob Kadel, assistant director of research at Georgia Tech Center for 21st Century Universities—for a live video townhall, streamed from the SXSW EDU conference in Austin. It was part of our video town hall series called EdSurge LIVE. More than 100 people tuned in, with questions such as how to make VR accessible for students with disabilities and how to avoid motion sickness when using the technology.

Richard A. DeMillo is Distinguished Professor of Computing and Professor of Management, former John P. Imlay Dean of Computing, and Director of the Center for 21st Century Universities at Georgia Institute of Technology. Author of over 100 articles, books, and patents, he has held academic positions at Purdue University, the University of Wisconsin, and the University of Padua. He directed the Computer and Computation Research Division of the National Science Foundation and was Hewlett-Packard’s first Chief Technology Officer.

Richard DeMillo is an American computer scientist, educator and executive. The current director of the Georgia Tech Center for 21st Century Universities, he is the author of more than 100 articles, books, and patents, including the 2011 book Abelard to Apple: The Fate of American Colleges and Universities. DeMillo spoke at Dartmouth on May 7, 2013 as part of the Leading Voices in Higher Education strategic planning speaker series.