On Campus Radio: Recent Episodes
Esteban Bustillos
Access to college is not a given for everyone. Money and geography can both play a role in locking some people out of the promise of a higher education.
With several presidential campaign candidates pushing the idea of free college, On Campus Radio looks at how this idea is playing out in places where it’s already being offered.
We'll visit Tennessee -- a state that allows all new high school graduates to enroll in a post-secondary associate or certificate program without having to pay out of pocket for tuition.
We'll also go to Rhode Island, where the Ocean State is in the middle of a four-year pilot for a similar program.
Then, we'll hear from Matthew Chingos, who directs the Urban Institute's Center on Education Data and Policy, about how free college proposals really work and why it isn't always easy as it sounds.
All that and more on this month's episode of On Campus Radio.
The new year is often a time for reflection and looking back. But on the latest episode of On Campus Radio, we'll be looking forward at what issues the world of higher education is facing.
First, we'll review what stories you may have missed, from a lawsuit levied against Betsy DeVos by one of the nation's largest teachers unions to updates on the Varsity Blues case.
Then, we'll have an in-depth conversation with Helen Drinan, the current president of Simmons University, who will be stepping down at the end of the semester. She'll talk about the issues facing higher education, including how institutions can remain credible to the public and how schools can make the experience better for students.
Then, we'll take a look at college athletics. We'll take another look at how states student-athletes may be getting more rights to their name, image and likeness and what that means for college sports.
We'll then hear from Joseph Cooper from UMass Boston who will give insight into how he thinks this and other topics will play out in college athletics over the coming years.
You'll hear all that and more on this month's episode of On Campus Radio.
Mental health issues have reached crisis levels among college students.
From anxiety to depression, kids are feeling the pressure, in some cases from birth.
What's contributing to it? And how are schools responding?
That's what we're looking into on this month's episode of On Campus Radio.
First, we'll hear about the series "Stressed and Depressed on Campus" from WGBH News Higher Ed Reporter Kirk Carapezza. He'll explain how stress on students often starts at birth, how high achieving students often experience the most pressure, what happens to first-generation college students who are dealing with specific problems and what colleges are doing to respond to demands for action.
After that, we'll hear from Pam Eddinger, president of Bunker Hill Community College, about what community colleges are doing to keep their students mentally healthy.
Then, we'll talk to Marjorie Malpiede from the Mary Christie Foundation, which focuses on the health and wellness of teens and young adults. She'll talk about a recent study the foundation did that found a majority of parents and college students are concerned about mental health on campus, and what campuses can do.
Finally, we'll hear from Laura Horne from Active Minds, a national organization that focuses on mental health and has more than 450 chapters at high schools and colleges across the nation. She'll speak about what students are saying about mental health and what they say they need from their schools.
If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or use the Crisis Text Line by texting “Home” to 741741. More resources are available at SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources.
Earlier this month, in a case that drew national attention, a federal judge ruled that Harvard does not discriminate against Asian-Americans.
Now, the world of higher education is reacting to the ruling and preparing for the next steps. We'll discuss it all on this month's episode of On Campus Radio.
First, we'll hear from WGBH News' Kirk Carapezza, who was in the courtroom everyday, about why Judge Allison Burroughs ruled the way she did and what higher ed leaders thought of the performance from the plaintiffs and the defense.
Then, we'll talk to Ted Shaw, a professor of law at the Univesity of North Carolina, and Richard Kahlenberg, a senior fellow at The Century Foundation, about what they saw in the trial, where they differ in their opinions on the use of race in admissions.
Then, we'll go back to some of our past reporting on diversity on campus and the discussions about what it means, why it's important and how we should achieve it.
Finally, WGBH News' Ken Cooper will bring his perspective about the case and the history of race on campus in America.
It's fall already, and that means colleges across the country are back in full swing. And, On Campus Radio is back with another episode.
First, we look at one of the biggest misconceptions about college — that "college students" are full-time, four-year students at big state or private schools.
In reality, four in 10 students are enrolled part-time, and many are working, commuting and struggling to finish coursework for their degrees.
We examine the struggles of these students and talk to Davis Jenkins from Teachers College at Columbia University about how colleges and states are tying to improve outcomes for part-time students.
Next, we look at restrictive voting laws and how they impact students. We'll talk to Daniel Block, an editor at Washington Monthly, to talk about hurdles students face if they try to vote from where they go to college.
Then, we'll turn our attention to California, where a new bill that aims to allow student athletes to be compensated for their names, images and likenesses is drawing serious heat from the NCAA and has the potential to reshape the college sports landscape. We'll speak to Andrew Zimbalist, an economist at Smith College, about the politics that go into college athletics and why the NCAA holds on so dearly to amateurism.
All that, plus updates on the Varsity Blues case as a federal judge in Boston begins handing down sentences.
It's August and the dog days of summer are coming to a close. And although school is just starting back up, the stories in higher education haven't come to a stop.
First, we'll take a look into student housing, both in Boston and beyond. First, we'll re-visit the On Campus's trip to Barcelona earlier this year to look into how that city is dealing with finding homes for that city's large student population.
Then, we'll take what we learned there and apply it to Boston's own struggle to find affordable housing for undergraduates. We'll talk to Emma Goodwin, a recent grad from Emerson College, who wrote an op-ed in The Boston Globe railing against the housing situation in the city for students and the wide-spread perception that college kids are the problem.
We then hear from Alicia Modestino, an economist at Northeastern University who breaks down what's driving the housing crunch in the city, how college students play into it and potential solutions.
Then, we're going to get out of Massachusetts for higher education stories around the country you may have missed.
We speak to Claire McInerny, the education reporter for KUT, the NPR member station in Austin, Texas. She tells us how a new law in Texas aims to get all graduating seniors to apply for federal or state student aid and what it will take to implement that legislation on a large scale.
Then, we'll go to the only state larger than Texas in landmass, Alaska, where the higher ed community has been on edge after the governor announced large cuts to the budget for the state's university system. We'll talk to Wesley Early, a reporter at Alaska Public Media, about how the situation has evolved and what it could mean for the future of education in the state.
Finally, we'll speak to Michael Roth, the president of Wesleyan University. In his new book, “Safe Enough Spaces: A Pragmatist's Approach To Inclusion, Free Speech And Political Correctness On College Campuses,” Roth tries to make sense of very confusing, polarizing times in American higher education.
The middle of summer is one of the best times of the year for American high school students.
There's a long break, warm days, time with friends and plenty of sun.
Oh, and there's also summer workshops that give students the chance to go to a college campus and get a glimpse of what they can expect from a college campus.
On this summertime edition of On Campus Radio, we'll take a look at two of these workshops and why they've become such an important part of the high school experience.
First, we'll go to the Berklee College of Music, where a two-week program in July for music students draws participants from across the country.
Then, we'll head over to MIT where an engineering program for high school students lets them work on projects with their peers under the direct supervision of MIT professors.
Finally, we'll talk to a group of former students at Boston Latin School who helped develop an Advanced Placement climate science class and a climate curriculum for elementary students to help educate future generations about the impact of climate change.
You'll hear all of that, plus all the latest higher ed news on this episode of On Campus Radio.
In this month's episode of On Campus Radio, it's a blast from the past as we take a look back at some of our best stories so far.
First, we go back to Hampshire College as it continues to struggle with its finances and look at how schools are finding new and different streams of revenue.
We'll also look back at how internships are becoming prioritized as students strive to get themselves ready for the professional world and how schools like Bunker Hill Community College are working to get their students considered for competitive internships.
Then, we have extended conversations with Tony Jack about what elite schools could be doing better to help students who aren't privileged and Joyce Martin about how students at Brandeis University spearheaded the effort to start one of the nation's first black studies departments.
We'll take a look back at a movement to have uncomfortable conversations at Williams College.
As the landscape of higher ed changes, schools are doing more to get students ready for the work force through internships, purposeful work program and other initiatives. But will it work?
We’ll explore this, and more, on this month’s episode of On Campus Radio.
It's been a busy month in higher education. And we've got everything you need to catch up on this month's episode of On Campus Radio.
First, we have an update on the ongoing fallout from Operation Varsity Blues, the sweeping investigation into allegations of fraud and bribery in college admissions at colleges across the country. We also discuss Democratic presidential candidate Senator Elizabeth Warren's sweeping proposal to cancel student loan debt for millions of Americans, provide free undergraduate tuition and fees at all public colleges and cut off federal funding for for-profit schools.
Then, we'll break down the latest in the fight to keep Hampshire College open with an interview with interim president Ken Rosenthal, about the school's plans to keep running. We'll also talk to Brian Mitchell, the former president of Bucknell University and the author of "How to Run a College."
After that, we visit Nichols College to take a look at what strategies that small, private college in Worcester County is employing to get ahead of the financial storm so many other schools are in the middle of.
On this episode of On Campus Radio, we take a deep look into the admissions scandal rocking the country.
Plus, we look into how a new college at MIT is part of a change in how people view higher education.
After announcing it was seeking a merger, Hampshire College revealed this month they won't be bringing in a new class for the fall.
On our latest episode of On Campus Radio, we'll explore the situation at Hampshire and what it means for the landscape of higher ed.
For the first time, the Board of Higher Education has created a financial stress test to confidentially screen at-risk colleges, monitoring their revenue and expenses. The goal is to protect students, families and employees by proactively identifying struggling colleges and avoiding abrupt shutdowns, like Mount Ida College's in Newton last year.
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has already rescinded Obama-era guidelines for how schools handle sexual harassment and assault claims. Now, she is hoping to give what she calls fair protections to the accused.
Advocates for survivors see this as a big step backward and they are making their voices heard. The deadline for public comment has been extended to Wednesday, Jan. 30.
On the latest episode of On Campus Radio, we'll look into DeVos' proposed changes and how students and educators are responding to them.
This month, seven women filed a federal class action lawsuit in New Hampshire claiming three former tenured psychology professors groped and harassed them. One of the professors is accused of raping two students. They charged that Dartmouth administrators knew for years about the department's "Animal House" culture, but ignored several sexual misconduct complaints for more than a decade.
Dartmouth has denied the charges and, in a statement, strongly disagreed with the characterization of its response to the allegations. All three professors have either retired or resigned.
The lawsuit comes as the Trump administration has proposed new regulations on how colleges handle sexual misconduct claims. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has said the draft rules, released Nov. 6, enhance fairness by adding protections for the accused. Advocates for survivors have condemned the move as a step backwards because they narrow the definition of sexual harassment and require colleges like Dartmouth to act only if the alleged misconduct appears to be severe and also pervasive.
Last month, the role of athletics in the student admissions process of selective schools like Harvard and Yale — and how favorably athletic applicants are viewed — was brought into question.
A group called Students for Fair Admissions has sued Harvard, saying the university discriminates against Asian-American applicants. During the three-week trial, some of Harvard's admissions practices came to light, including how athletes are given a significant advantage in the admissions process.
According to Harvard's own data, 83 percent of athletes with high academic ratings are accepted. That's compared to only 16 percent for non-athletes.
The defense Harvard presented was that athletics helps to build a community at an academic institution.
Does Harvard discriminate against Asian-Americans? That was the central question at the heart of the closely-watched federal court case that ended Friday in Boston.
A group called Students for Fair Admissions accused Harvard of discriminating against Asian-American applicants by rating them lower on personal qualities.
Harvard has vigorously defended itself, relying, in part, on the stories of Asian-American students and alumni. Meanwhile, the group representing unnamed Asian Americans who say they were unfairly denied admission is leaning heavily on statistics.
A federal court case alleging Harvard University discriminates against Asian-American applicants gets underway Monday in Boston.
While the case focuses on Harvard, it could have big consequences for other selective colleges that are committed to diversity and have similar admissions practices. At stake is 40 years of legal precedent that the Constitution allows race to be one factor in deciding which students to admit.
Montana residents are alone in the nation in being required to weigh in every 10 years on whether to allot a portion of their property taxes to support their public universities and colleges. While they’ve said “yes” every decade since the question started being asked in 1948, the margin has been narrowing, and this year’s vote comes at a time of growing antagonism toward both academia and taxes.
Next month, the trial begins in a case where a group called Students For Fair Admissions is suing Harvard, claiming the university discriminates against Asian-American applicants by holding them to higher academic and personal standards.
On the next episode of On Campus Radio, we look into the case and how Harvard and other selective schools consider race to diversify enrollment.
Harvard University's new President Larry Bacow visited his hometown of Pontiac, Mich., to visit a local high school and make the case for college. WGBH News was there.
Nearly three in four Americans disagree with using race in college admissions, although even more value racial diversity on campuses, according to a new WGBH News poll.
Some college applicants are admitted to schools on the condition they spend their first year at a different institution. It's a little known-policy universities appear to be increasingly using to balance their own enrollments and take students who might otherwise not make the cut on the first try.
For the past 40 years, Tufts has been the only fully-accredited graduate veterinary program in New England. In 1978, the Commonwealth gave Tufts nearly 600 acres of land for $1. Now there's questions of whether the state should focus that money on a private university when it can be used elsewhere.
A Syrian student at Northeastern is worried about her future after the Supreme Court has upheld President Trump's travel ban against several Muslim-majority countries, including Syria.
An Asian-American group is backing a lawsuit against Harvard that claims the university discirminated against Asian-American applicants.
Columbia University in New York is offering rising high school seniors the opportunity to take an intensive classics course and get a feel for campus life.
A new lawsuit challenges Harvard's model of admissions, which accounts for students' background and not just test scores and grades. The outcome could have a direct outcome on the furture of affirmative action.
Many students that attended for-profit colleges and failed to receive the education they were promised are still waiting for relief from debt they incurred during their time there.
School are doing more than ever to help prevent suicide on campus and to improve access to mental health resources for students.
This college commencement season many young graduates can expect a common question from their families: "What's next?"
To help answer that question, a small college in Maine is offering a new curriculum focused on career preparation. This cahnge comes as a response to many liberal arts graduates finding themselves underemployed-landing in jobs that don't require a bachelor's degree.
Students at WIlliams College in Massachusetts are joining other institutions to demand Asian American Studies programs. It is a push, some scholars say, that is advancing other programs, too, including African American and Latino academic programs.
The state's Board of Higher Education meets Tuesday to discuss the future of students at Mount Ida College, the liberal arts college in Newton set to close at the end of the month.
Many of its 1,500 students-and incoming ones who had planeed to enroll this fall-are unsure where they will complete their degrees.
One thing is sure: more difficult days are ahead for small private colleges. Education officials are debating whether to help students and their parents identify colleges that are in financial trouble.
By 2020, more than 5 million post-9/11 military members are expected to transition to civilian life. Many will go back to college, hoping to earn a degree as adult learners. Today, only 4 percent of undergraduates in this country are veterans. To engage them, Vermont's flagship campus is turning to an unlikely, ancient Greek source: Homer.
Price-conscious students are demanding a return on their college investment. On the next episode of On Campus Radio, we visit a public college in Indiana that's buying a for-profit college chain to offer a more affordable degree online. Plus, a look at one private school south of Boston trying to stay viable.
A proposed merger between two small colleges in Newton is off the table. Lasell College has ended talks of merging with another struggling school, Mount Ida. The dead deal reflects how hard it is for small colleges to stay afloat in a competetive higher education marketplace.
It's unlike any deal we've seen in the history of higher education. For the first time, a state university is buying a for-profit college.
Earlier this month, a regional accreditor in Indiana approved Purdue University's acquisition of Kaplan University. While Purdue administrators cast this as a move to enroll more adult studets, some faculty and outside observers are deeply skeptical.
It's unlike any deal we've seen in the history of higher education. For the first time, a state university is buying a for-profit college.
Earlier this month, a regional accreditor in Indiana approved Purdue University's acquisition of Kaplan University. While Purdue administrators cast this as a move to enroll more adult studets, some faculty and outside observers are deeply skeptical.
More and more American colleges and universities depend on foreign students to make sure their costs are low. But those students are increasingly going to other countries to study and the current political attitude towards immigrants is partly to blame.
Our interview with College Republicans at the University of Texas At El Paso on their views on DACA.
While polls show nearly all Hispanics in this country support DACA, in Texas one in four want to end it.
We caught up with young Hispanic Republicans at the University of Texas at El Paso, which enrolls about 200 DACA students.
Since the election of President Donald Trump in 2016, the fate of "Dreamers" has been uncertain, especially in red states like Texas, where state officials have done their best to make sure DACA is wiped off the books.
Our extended interview with Roberto Valadez, a DACA recipient who recently graduated from the University of Texas at El Paso.
After a seven month search, Harvard named the former Tufts president and MIT chancellor as its 29th president.
On Campus Radio sat down with Michael Hansen, the CEO of Cengage, a textbook publisher, whose company is preparing to launch a web-based subscription service for students that will offer all of the company's materials. It's a new model that aims to combat the high prices of textbooks. We talk to him about the practical aspects of the plan and what it will take for it to work.
College textbooks cost students dearly. One Boston-based publisher is trying to change that by offering an online subscription for $180 a year that includes thousands of texts and other course materials.
A new report finds that employers in the bio-pharmaceutical industry are increasingly demanding candidates with four-year degrees for jobs that once only requred two-year associate's degrees. Industry experts say not all of the changing standards are necessary.
A slew of racist incidents over the past year has plagued colleges and universities across the country and administrators are still trying to come up with playbooks to combat the incidents. But some students are asking for more.
Republican lawmakers are rushing to pass a sweeping $1.5 trillion tax plan before Christmas. With the legislation, changes and consequences are coming for higher education - and how we pay for it. Educators say the bill will serve financial blows to public schools and colleges, students and their families.
In our third episode of WGBH's continuing series, On Campus Radio explores what the big adjustments mean for students and schools as lawmakers mark up the tax bill.
The Republican tax plans include a new tax on large, private college endowments that would affect at least six schools here in Massachusetts. Those colleges worry the tax would reduce how much financial aid they can give students in the future, while some economists say, instead, it would spur them to invest in students and research today.
We sat down with Debbie Kuenstner, Wellesley College's Chief Investment Officer, to talk about how the Republican tax plan could impact Wellesley and other schools with large endowments.
On college campuses across the country, there has been a lot of talk about creating spaces where everyone feels comfortable enough to contribute. Now, a professor at the Harvard Kennedy School is taking action, using cloud technology and data inside his classroom. And other professors are following his lead.
The College of the Holy Cross is considering whether to change its moniker and mascot, The Crusader, which is depicted as a sword-wieldling, purple cape-wearing knight. We sat down with Holy Cross president, Rev. Philip Boroughs, to talk about what conversations the campus community is having around the mascot and why they're talking about the issue now.
The College of the Holy Cross is considering whether to change its moniker and mascot, The Crusader, which is depicted as a sword-wieldling, purple cape-wearing knight.
The House Republican tax bill is up for a vote this week and it's got the attention of several groups who are opposed to the legislation. One group that may be particularly impacted: graduate students.
Harvard Divinity School has brought to the Cambridge campus a large shipping container that serves as a portal to refugees around the world, using audio-visual technology that allows students and refugees to have live conversations.
The percentage of college students in this country who graduate within six years is abysmally low compared to other advanced countries. It hovers around 45 percent. For Latinos, that figure is less than half that. Latinos lag far behind blacks and whites in college completion rates, a new study from Georgetown University shows. As a result, Latinos often find themselves stuck in middle-wage jobs.
A new study from Georgetown University finds Latinos lag far behind other student groups when it comes to graduating from college. This means less earning potential over a lifetime and more time working in middle-wage jobs. We spoke to researcher Tony Carnavale about why this trend has appeared and what its impacts are.
Facing dwindling enrollment and financial problems, in the past year three private colleges in New England have merged out of existence. A new report suggests that even more colleges across the country should merge before they get in financial trouble. But there are some things schools can do to stay afloat.
Facing dwindling enrollment and financial problems, in the past year three private colleges in New England have merged out of existence. A new report suggests that even more colleges across the country should merge before they get in financial trouble. But there are some things schools can do to stay afloat. WGBH's On Campus Radio speaks with Wheelock College president David Chard and TIAA Institute's Ricardo Azziz.
NCAA President Mark Emmert spoke on a panel at Harvard this week about the role of sports in college academics. Among other topics, Emmert spoke about the recent men's basketball scandals, the role of amateurism in college sports and how race plays into athletics.
Pulitzer Prize-winner Dan Golden's new book, Spy Schools,examines the links between domestic and foreign intelligence agencies and American universities. On Campus Radio talked to Golden about these connections and what they mean for the future of higher education.
UMass Boston has been under scrutiny the past year for financial woes that have some students, faculty and staff blasting the administration for a lack of resources, classes and professors. University administrators say they are taking actions to make sure budget deficits do not impact students negatively.
UMass Boston has been under scrutiny the past year for its financial woes that have some students, faculty and staff blasting the administration for a lack of resources, classes and professors. We talked to one professor about the situation she's seeing on the ground and a member of the administration who talked us through what actions the university is taking.
Two years ago, schools started giving scholarship athletes modest stipends to meet the rest of their expenses. These stipends are not paychecks, but some schools don't offer them for philosophical reasons.
Two years ago, the NCAA started allowing colleges and universities to give stipends to scholarship athletes to cover the full cost of attendance. We talked to Victor Matheson, a sports economist at the College of the Holy Cross, and Peter Roby, the athletic director at Northeastern University, to find out what's worked with the stipends, what hasn't and why there's still debate over if athletes get any form of compensation at all.
An education non-profit believes it has a way to break the cycle of gang-related violence in Boston that spiked over the summer. College Bound Dorchester has been helping former gang members and convicted felons from some of the most troubled neighborhoods in the city get to college and is giving some of them a paycheck to do it.
An extended cut of our interview with Eric Rosenbach from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government on the program he's helping to lead to protect campaigns from cyber attacks.
In our second episode, WGBH’s On Campus Radio takes a look at diversity on college campuses.
Colleges and universities find themselves under increasing pressure to increase the racial and socioeconomic diversity of their student bodies.The Supreme Court ruled last summer that colleges can consider race as one factor in admissions.
Now, the Trump administration is reopening an investigation into a complaint that accuses Harvard of discriminating against Asian-American applicants.
Facebook has teamed up with Harvard University to spearhead a bipartisan effort to protect campaigns from digital attacks.