Higher Ed on the Hill: Getting College Back on the Congressional Agenda

With higher education policy increasingly driven by executive action, Michael and Jeff explore why Congress has been largely absent from the conversation—and what that means for students and institutions. They’re joined by James Kvaal, former Under Secretary of Education under the Biden Administration, and Preston Cooper of the American Enterprise Institute, for a bipartisan discussion about stalled reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, cuts to the Department of Education, the future of international students at American colleges, and more. This episode is made with support from the Gates Foundation.Chapters0:00 - Intro04:44 - The Cost of Congressional Inaction13:28 - Unlocking Movement on Higher Ed19:53 - Areas for Bipartisan Compromise23:15 - The Big Change We Need28:33 - The Impact of Cuts to the Department of Education32:58 - Immigration and International Students38:23 - Agreement Across the Aisle43:55 - Changes Since the Last HEA Reauthorization48:12 - Too Much Focus on the Elites? Connect with Michael Horn:Sign Up for The Future of Education NewsletterWebsiteLinkedInX (Twitter)Threads  Connect with Jeff Selingo:Sign 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.