Episode 3

Higher ed is in trouble. But not for the reason you think.

Published on: 4th December, 2025

What if we've spent the last year having the wrong debate about higher education? Former college president Brian Rosenberg explains why higher ed has become so resistant to change.

Should professors teach the way they do? Does having a major actually make any sense? Should colleges only meet - as they often do - eight months a year? And how will the Trump Administration's attack on higher ed shape the future?

Rosenberg is author of the book Whatever It Is, I'm Against It from the Harvard Education Press.

For a big-picture look on how higher ed is funded, please check out this overview from our friends at The Journalist's Resource at the Harvard Kennedy School.

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About the Podcast

It Turns Out
“It Turns Out” features fascinating academic research, allowing listeners to easily understand systems that are currently hidden from them.

You can reach us at info@itturnsoutshow.com

We gratefully acknowledge the support of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. This work was done under Grant No. G-2025-79141.

About your host

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Kara Miller

Kara hosted the nationally-syndicated public radio program Innovation Hub, which she launched. The program won the 2021 Clarion Award for best Radio Talk or Interview Program and aired on more than 100 stations, including in New York, Houston, Philadelphia, Chicago and Washington, D.C. It spotlighted compelling thinkers, including Steve Wozniak, Sherry Turkle, Yo-Yo Ma, Walter Isaacson, and Sal Khan.

She writes “The Big Idea” column for The Boston Globe and is a frequent contributor to The Boston Globe Magazine.

Kara has moderated panels and spoken about innovation and entrepreneurship at events hosted by The International Women’s Forum, PBS Digital Media for STEM, Harvard Medical School, Google, and MIT Sloan.

She has taught at Babson College and at the University of Massachusetts.