This back-to-school season, higher education finds itself at a crossroads. Amid rising costs, pressures from the Trump administration over admissions and ideological diversity, and AI, a debate is raging about what college is actually for.
Radio Atlantic host Adam Harris speaks with Jack Stripling of The Chronicle of Higher Education about new challenges that colleges and universities are facing from the Department of Education, and what purpose higher education serves in the Trump era.
Later in the episode, Harris dives into the Atlantic archives to consider what history tells us about higher education’s purpose.
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00:00 Introduction
00:16 Back to School Uncertainty
01:53 Secretary McMahon Letter Explained
08:29 Red State Responses
12:01 Cost and Confidence Crisis
15:30 What College Is For
19:45 Archives Washington vs. Du Bois
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