EPISODE · Oct 14, 2025 · 39 MIN
How AI Could Reshape Higher Ed
from Future U Podcast - The Pulse of Higher Ed · host Jeff Selingo and Michael Horn
Parents and prospective students want to know how colleges are responding to the rise of generative AI — and to other recent developments like federal budget cuts to research. On this episode, Jeff and Michael share what they’re both hearing as they visit campuses around the country this fall. And they offer their analysis of what AI could mean for higher education, and whether the time is ripe for new entrants to enter the college landscape. This episode is made with support from Ascendium Education Group.Publications MentionedShould College Get Harder?Joshua Rothman in The New YorkerStudent Loan Debt Is Strangling Gen XOyin Adedoyin in The Wall Street JournalCharlie Javice sentenced to 7 years in prison for $175M fraudABC NewsAnthology Declares Bankruptcy, Blackboard to Remain as the Core,Phil Hill, in OnEdTechChapters0:00 - Intro2:23 - What Jeff Is Hearing On His Book Tour for ‘Dream School’4:25 - Should College Get Harder Because of AI?7:27 - Why Different Kinds of Colleges Will Be Impacted Differently10:48 - Startup Universities Are Emerging With an AI Focus14:25 - Redesigning the College Experience Around Activities and Personal Development17:39 - Will a New Kind of Expertise Be Required On Campuses?19:20 - Will Employers Trust Degrees In the AI Era?24:40 - Sponsor Break25:35 - How Student Loan Debt Is Impacting Gen X28:22 - A Republican Effort to Question Consultants That Help Set College Prices30:15 - Charlie Javice Sentenced In Fraud Case31:44 - Anthology, Owner of Blackboard LMS, Goes Bankrupt34:00 - Some Trade Schools Exempted From New Federal Rules35:00 - Making Changes at Colleges StickConnect with Michael Horn:Sign Up for the The Future of Education NewsletterWebsiteLinkedInX (Twitter)Threads Connect with Jeff Selingo:Dream School: Finding the College That's Right for YouSign Up for the Next NewsletterWebsiteX (Twitter)ThreadsLinkedInConnect with Future U:TwitterYouTubeThreadsInstagramFacebookLinkedIn Submit a question and if we answer it on air we'll send you Future U. swag!Sign up for Future U. emails to get special updates and behind-the-scenes content.
What this episode covers
Parents and prospective students want to know how colleges are responding to the rise of generative AI — and to other recent developments like federal budget cuts to research. On this episode, Jeff and Michael share what they’re both hearing as they visit campuses around the country this fall. And they offer their analysis of what AI could mean for higher education, and whether the time is ripe for new entrants to enter the college landscape. This episode is made with support from Ascendium Education Group.
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How AI Could Reshape Higher Ed
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