Higher Voltage

Study Hall is Tackling Student Debt and the Entire Higher Ed Model

An estimated 40 percent of Americans with student debt have not completed a four-year college degree. Hank Green, vlogger, entrepreneur, cofounded Study Hall to change that. The online learning platform will offer individual college courses, accredited through Arizona State University, allowing students to earn transferrable college credits without enrolling in college or setting foot on campus. In the latest Higher Voltage, Green explains why this is essential to tackling the student debt crisis and making college more accessible.

Breaking the College Ranking Industry

As the furor around the college ranking system grows, Colin Diver, joins Higher Voltage. The author of "Breaking Ranks: How the Rankings Industry Rules Higher Education and What to Do about It" discusses what's wrong with the system and how to fix it. Specifically, he argues that colleges and universities should be judged by how well they prepare their graduates to lead fulfilling lives, not by how they fit into a highly exclusionary admissions process.

Trouble in Florida — Higher Voltage + Trusted Voices

The increasing politicization of both K-12 and higher education across the country shows no signs of slowing. And so, today, we have a very special crossover episode of Volt podcasts Higher Voltage and Trusted Voices, with hosts Kevin Tyler, Teresa Valerio Parrot, and Erin Hennessy, to discuss the implications of all of this.

The Problem with Prestige—Matt Reed

Matt Reed of the New Jersey Council of County Colleges explains why community colleges and other non-selective institutions are the key to expanding college access and increasing social mobility.

The Power of Prestige—Ryan Craig

Venture capitalist Ryan Craig discusses why he thinks that, in order to save higher ed, selective institutions must increase access by opening satellite campuses.

The Myth of Political Neutrality in Higher Education

College and university presidents often have an aversion to conflict and unwanted attention, especially when it comes to politics. But as higher ed, itself, is increasingly politicized, political neutrality in higher ed is a myth. So say the two guests on this week's Higher Voltage, Patricia McGuire, the president of Trinity Washington University, and Holden Thorp, the editor-in-chief of Science Family of Journals and the former chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

CCOs vs. CMOs - Teresa Valerio Parrot and Erin Hennessy

Should colleges and universities hire a CMO or a CCO? Or both? And how are those two roles distinct from one another? On the latest Voltage, Teresa Valerio Parrot and Erin Hennessy of TVP Communications join host Kevin Tyler to discuss.

’It Isn’t a Storytelling Problem’ — Teresa Valerio Parrot and Erin Hennessy

Teresa Valerio Parrot and Erin Hennessy of TVP Communications join host Kevin Tyler to analyze the latest headlines, including the growth of micro colleges, the decline in Black enrollment, why more high school students are rejecting higher ed.