Solving the Higher-Ed Crisis: Lessons on Affordability, Learning, and Trust

Recorded live at the 2026 ASU+GSV Summit in San Diego, this session featured Ben Nelson, Founder and CEO at Minerva Project; Shai Reshef, President at University of the People; Jeannie Tarkenton, Founder and CEO at Funding U; Ian Wilhelm, Deputy Managing Editor at The Chronicle of Higher Education; and Nancy Gonzales, Executive Vice President and University Provost at Arizona State University.The speakers convened a future-focused dialogue on the three forces most likely to shape higher education through 2030. In a fast-moving, double-moderated conversation, they examined where pressure was rising, which models were breaking, and what was emerging to replace them.The session explored financial challenges including rising costs, the limits of loan forgiveness, and new models designed to reduce student debt while keeping institutions financially viable. Panelists also examined learning transformation through the move from seat time to outcomes, with AI positioned as core learning infrastructure powering assessment, guidance, and credential pathways aligned to work and mobility.The conversation further addressed human-centered priorities including belonging, mental health, equity, and the evolving expectations of Gen Z and Gen Alpha, as well as working adults, caregivers, and learners under extreme conditions. Blending national reporting, institutional innovation, and real-world case studies, this session surfaced what higher education must rethink now to remain credible, accessible, and human-centered in the decade ahead.