College Matters from The Chronicle

Dec 10 2024 15 ep. 36 mins 59

College Matters from The Chronicle Podcast artwork

Everything happening in the world converges in one place: higher education. Political unrest, the future of AI, the dizzying cost of everything — all of it is playing out on college campuses. On College Matters, a podcast from The Chronicle of Higher Education, we explore the world through the prism of the nation’s colleges and universities.

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Before There Was Woke, There Was 'PCU'

Dec 10 2024 50 mins

In 1994, a movie called PCU opened in theaters to little fanfare. But three decades on, the cult classic feels like an on-the-nose satire of the kinds of identity politics, liberal extremism, and right-wing intolerance that fuel many of today’s hottest disputes in higher education. In a conversation with The Chronicle’s Jack Stripling, Zak Penn, a co-writer of PCU, talks about

Is That Our Chancellor in the Porno?

Dec 03 2024 58 mins

Months after he’d announced his coming retirement as chancellor of the University of Wisconsin at La Crosse, Joe Gow made a fateful decision: He posted on the internet pornographic videos of himself and his wife. Wisconsin’s Board of Regents promptly fired him as chancellor and, more recently, terminated him as a tenured professor. His case presents some thorny First Amendment

Meet Professor Robot

Nov 19 2024 30 mins

Office hours with an android? We’re not quite there yet, but the science-fiction future of higher education is closer than you might think. Thanks to a slew of new products known as courseware, college professors can practically run a class on autopilot. Related Reading: The Substitute Teacher: Millions of students have to use courseware. Often, the product replaces the profess

Is Loneliness as Bad for Students as Smoking?

Nov 12 2024 42 mins

Cap down. Earbuds in. Eyes on phones. Despite what you may see in college viewbooks, many students say they feel lonely on campus — isolated in dorm rooms or walled off in tech bubbles. But talking about student loneliness is a tricky issue for colleges. Related Reading: Overcoming Student Loneliness: Strategies for Connection (Full Report) Fighting the Mental-Health Crisis

Trump's Pet-Eating Claim Meant Crisis for This Campus Leader

Nov 05 2024 39 mins

During his September debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, former President Donald Trump amplified a debunked rumor that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were eating people’s pet cats and dogs. Soon, Wittenberg University, a private institution in Springfield, began receiving violent threats. Michael Frandsen, the university’s president, feared the worst — and got

Harris, Trump, and Higher Ed

Oct 29 2024 40 mins

You may not have heard much about higher education in the presidential campaign, but it’s definitely on the ballot. Related Reading: Rhetoric and Records Shape the Presidential Race College for All? Not Anymore. Obama’s Legacy: An Unlikely Hawk on Higher Education Guest: Rick Seltzer, senior writer at The Chronicle of Higher Education For more on today’s episode, visit

The Consultants are Coming!

Oct 22 2024 32 mins

Outside consultants are helping cash-strapped colleges cut majors, like foreign languages, that once seemed essential — and are taking the heat for those unpopular decisions. Related Reading: When Cost-Cutting Universities Hire Consultants, Who’s Really Making the Decisions? Is Higher Ed Growing or Shrinking? Gordon Gee’s Last Stand Guest: David Jesse, senior writer a

Ben Sasse’s $38K Sushi Bill

Oct 15 2024 39 mins

As president of the U. of Florida, Ben Sasse, a former U.S. senator, steered millions of dollars toward consultants and hired his Republican allies to serve in lucrative jobs. And he threw some expensive parties. Related Reading: Sasse’s spending spree: Former UF president channeled millions to GOP allies, secretive contracts (The Independent Florida Alligator) Lavish Cateri

Pay for Play

Oct 08 2024 33 mins

Would big-name universities pay a magazine to write puff pieces about them? You bet. Guest: Francie Diep, senior reporter for The Chronicle of Higher Education Related Reading: The Colleges That Pay for Positive Coverage Even for ‘Mad Men’ Obsessives, Higher Ed Marketing Inspires Unease Welcome to the Sponsored Campus: More parts of the college experience are up for sale

Pomona's Dirty Laundry

Oct 01 2024 42 mins

A feud among three professors inspired a debate over woke politics in academe. Guest: Emma Pettit, senior reporter for The Chronicle of Higher Education Related Reading: When a Department Self-Destructs: Battles over money. Allegations of racism. A chair ousted. Weird at My School - Aaron Kunin’s newsletter For more on today's episode, visit chronicle.com/collegematters.