Shows / Higher Ed Now
Higher Ed Now
Higher Ed Now is a production of the American Council of Trustees and Alumni. It is a podcast concerning issues and policy in America's higher education system.
Episodes
- Higher Ed Now
Hugh Liebert & Robert McDonald: How West Point Teaches the American Founding
How does West Point prepare future military leaders to understand and defend the American constitutional republic? On this episode of Higher Ed Now: Civics…
- Higher Ed Now
Wilfred McClay: Returning to the Land of Hope
ACTA president Michael Poliakoff welcomes Wilfred McClay, the Victor David Hanson Chair in Classical History and Western Civilization at Hillsdale College and…
- Higher Ed Now
Douglas Ginsburg: Renewing the Declaration's Promise
ACTA President Michael Poliakoff welcomes Senior Judge Douglas Ginsburg of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and a member of ACTA’s National…
- Higher Ed Now
Emily Rounds: A Primer on Accreditation Reform
ACTA Senior Research Fellow Kyle Beltramini welcomes back Emily Rounds, Senior Higher Education Policy Advisor at Third Way, to dissect the possibility of…
- Higher Ed Now
Ryan Bangert: The Arc of Religious Liberty in American History
ACTA President Michael Poliakoff welcomes Ryan Bangert, Senior Vice President at the Alliance Defending Freedom and Visiting Instructor in Law at the…
- Higher Ed Now
Stephen Trachtenberg: A University President's Guide to Rebuilding the American Story
ACTA President Michael Poliakoff welcomes Dr. Stephen Joel Trachtenberg, president emeritus of George Washington University and member of ACTA’s National…
- Higher Ed Now
H.R. McMaster & John Hillen: Teaching Military History Reveals America’s Complexity and Character
On this episode of Higher Ed Now Civics Edition, ACTA President Michael Poliakoff moderates a bracing and illuminating conversation with Fouad and Michelle…
- Higher Ed Now
Vincent Phillip Muñoz: Faith and Free Speech
On this episode of Higher Ed Now Civics Edition, ACTA President Michael Poliakoff speaks with Vincent Phillip Muñoz, the Tocqueville Professor of Political…
- Higher Ed Now
Michael Auslin: The Making of a National Treasure
On this episode of Higher Ed Now Civics Edition, ACTA President Michael Poliakoff speaks with Michael Auslin, the Payson J. Treat Distinguished Research Fellow…
- Higher Ed Now
Aimee Guidera: Higher Education and the Nation's Founding Aspirations
In April 2026, Dr. Bryan Paul, Curricular Fellow for ACTA’s College Debates and Discourse Alliance, joined Aimee Guidera, former Secretary of Education for the…
- Higher Ed Now
Mike Balow: Resisting MSU’s Crackdown on Dissent
ACTA's Nick Down interviews Michigan State University (MSU) Board of Trustees member Mike Balow. MSU has been embroiled in a controversy over a sudden revision…
- Higher Ed Now
Max Schanzenbach: An Insider’s Guide to Divestment
ACTA’s chief of staff and SVP, Armand Alacbay, interviews Max Schanzenbach, the Seigle Family Professor of Law at Northwestern University School of Law…
- Higher Ed Now
Mark T. Mitchell: How Patrick Henry College Sets the National Standard
ACTA’s Academic Affairs Fellow Veronica Bryant is joined by Dr. Mark T. Mitchell, Dean of Academic Affairs at Patrick Henry College as well as the author of…
- Higher Ed Now
David Rohrbacher: Inside New College’s Curriculum Turnaround
ACTA’s Veronica Bryant welcomes David Rohrbacher, Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs and Professor of Classics at the New College of Florida. NCF…
Higher Ed NowLucas Morel: Frederick Douglass's Evolving View of Abraham Lincoln
On this episode of Higher Ed Now, ACTA’s Michael Poliakoff hosts Washington & Lee University’s John K. Boardman, Jr. Professor of Politics, Lucas Morel…
- Higher Ed Now
Glenn Corn: A Former CIA Agent’s Case for Language Learning
ACTA’s Academic Affairs Fellow Veronica Bryant welcomes Glenn Corn, who spent 35 years working in the national security and international affairs community…
- Higher Ed Now
Wagner, Colonialism, and K-Pop: How Language Learning Connects Us to Culture and History
ACTA’s Academic Affairs Fellow Veronica Bryant is joined by Doctor Marie Kawthar Daouda, lecturer in French at the University of Oxford’s Oriel College. Their…
- Higher Ed Now
David Eubanks: How Is Accreditation Broken (And How Can We Fix It?)
ACTA’s Kyle Beltramini welcomes David Eubanks, assistant vice president of the Office of Institutional Assessment and Research at Furman University. Professor…
- Higher Ed Now
Thad Westbrook: Leading Higher Education Reform at the University of South Carolina
ACTA’s Nick Down interviews Thad Westbrook, chairman of the University of South Carolina’s (USC) Board of Trustees. Mr. Westbrook earned his bachelor’s degree…
- Higher Ed Now
Lee Strang: Revitalizing Civics Education in the Buckeye State
ACTA president Michael Poliakoff speaks with Lee Strang, the inaugural director of the new Salmon P. Chase Center for Civics, Culture and Society at the Ohio…
- Higher Ed Now
Building Bridges for Higher Ed Accreditation Reform
Description: In this episode of Higher Ed Now, ACTA Policy Research Fellow Kyle Beltramini and Third Way Education Policy Advisor Emily Rounds discuss how…
- Higher Ed Now
Douglas Ginsburg & Deecy Gray: Teaching Civics Amid Academia’s Pushback
In this episode, ACTA President Michael Poliakoff discusses solutions to our nation’s civic education crisis with distinguished jurist Douglas Ginsburg and his…
- Higher Ed Now
Richard Haass: Guarding Democracy by Teaching Civics
ACTA president Michael Poliakoff speaks with Richard Haass, distinguished diplomat and president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations. Dr. Haass has…
- Higher Ed Now
Free Speech Soars at GMU Law School
Dubbed “Washington’s School for Civil Discourse,” George Mason University’s (GMU) Antonin Scalia Law School exposes students to all legal and political…
- Higher Ed Now
Reinvigorating Civil Discourse at M.I.T.
MIT Concourse is a program for first-year students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology that “brings science into conversation with the humanities.” It…
- Higher Ed Now
Civil Discourse Surges at UNC-Greensboro
ACTA’s Program Coordinator for the College Debates and Discourse Alliance, Kayla Johnston, returns to her alma mater, the University of North Carolina…
- Higher Ed Now
John Hillen: American Civics and Student Leadership
ACTA President Michael Poliakoff welcomes The Honorable John Hillen, distinguished resident fellow at the Center for Politics in Duke University's Sanford…
- Higher Ed Now
Zagros Madjd-Sadjadi: Expanding Civil Discourse at Wilson Salem State University
This episode features Zagros Madjd-Sadjadi, professor of economics at Winston-Salem State University. Dr. Madjd-Sadjadi has more than 30 years of teaching and…
- Higher Ed Now
Jane Calvert: The Imperative to Study America's Founding
In this episode, ACTA Vice President of Policy Bradley Jackson talks with Jane Calvert, director of the John Dickinson Writings Project and a member of ACTA’s…
- Higher Ed Now
Juniata College: Embracing Debate from the Campus to Classroom
In this episode, Sadie Webb, ACTA's Associate Director of the College Debates and Discourse Alliance, converses with faculty leaders and students to explore…
- Higher Ed Now
Jon Hardister: Theory and Practice of Excellent University Governance
ACTA’s chief of staff and SVP, Armand Alacbay, sits down with Jon Hardister, who once chaired North Carolina's House Education Committee, and now serves as a…
- Higher Ed Now
Ohio Senator Jerry Cirino: Fortifying Open Discourse in the Buckeye State
ACTA president Michael Poliakoff speaks to Ohio Senator Jerry Cirino, vice chair of the Senate's Higher Education Committee, on his promise to enact…
- Higher Ed Now
Mitch Daniels: The Heart of the Academic Enterprise
Focusing on the role of higher education in preparing young Americans for citizenship, ACTA's president Michael Poliakoff speaks with Mitch Daniels, former…
- Higher Ed Now
Joshua Dunn: Intellectual Diversity and Informed Patriotism
ACTA's president Michael Poliakoff speaks with the distinguished scholar and education leader, Joshua Dunn, who took on leadership of the recently established…
- Higher Ed Now
Aaron Sibarium - On the Record
ACTA's Paul and Karen Levy Fellow in Campus Freedom, Steve McGuire, interviews Aaron Sibarium, a journalist who writes for the Washington Free Beacon. Sibarium…
- Higher Ed Now
Peter Skerry: Embracing Uncomfortable Campus Conversations
ACTA’s Doug Sprei interviews Peter Skerry, professor of political science at Boston College, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and research fellow at…
- Higher Ed Now
Alumni Free Speech Advocacy at MIT: Wayne Stargardt and Peter Bonilla
For the past several years, ACTA has collaborated with the Alumni Free Speech Alliance (AFSA) to defend free expression, academic freedom, and viewpoint…
- Higher Ed Now
Core Texts in a Hispanic Context: A Special Spanish Episode of Higher Ed Now
In this episode, the second of two conversations devoted to core texts, ACTA’s Academic Affairs Fellow Veronica Bryant speaks in Spanish with Clemente Cox…
- Higher Ed Now
Core Texts and Enduring Questions for Today’s Students
ACTA’s Academic Affairs Fellow Veronica Bryant is joined by two distinguished educators and advocates for core texts in liberal education: Dr. Charlotte…
- Higher Ed Now
Confessions of a Black Conservative: Glenn Loury
Those who listen to "The Glenn Show" will know that Professor Glenn Loury has published an extraordinary autobiography. Late Admissions: Confessions of a Black…
- Higher Ed Now
Jonathan Turley: We Must Live Up to the Promise of Free Speech
Renowned legal scholar, professor, columnist, and commentator Jonathan Turley joins ACTA's Dr. Steven McGuire on Higher Ed Now to discuss why free speech has…
- Higher Ed Now
Mark Dalhouse and Ari Miller: The Groundwork of Campus Civil Discourse
ACTA’s College Debates and Discourse (CD&D) Alliance has launched more than 300 Braver Angels debates and workshops, engaging 11,000 students at colleges and…
- Higher Ed Now
William B. Allen: Montesquieu, Madison, and the Mission of a Liberal Arts Education
ACTA president Michael B. Poliakoff and vice president of policy Bradley Jackson engage scholar, author and Professor Emeritus of Michigan State University…
- Higher Ed Now
Jeffrey Rosen: The Classics' Critical Role in Education
ACTA President Michael Poliakoff interviews Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center and professor of law at George Washington…
- Higher Ed Now
Teaching Students to Find Their Voice in Civil Discourse
On today’s episode, Higher Ed Now producer Doug Sprei interviews Jennifer Keohane, associate professor in the Klein Family School of Communications Design at…
- Higher Ed Now
Monica Guzman: "People Only Hear When They're Heard"
Immediately after she delivered an electrifying keynote speech at Pacific Lutheran University's Wang Symposium on March 7, 2024, ACTA's Doug Sprei interviewed…
- Higher Ed Now
John Bolton: The Long Decline of Free Expression on Campus
John Bolton served as the 25th United States Ambassador to the United Nations from 2005 to 2006, and as the 26th United States National Security Advisor from…
- Higher Ed Now
Anika Prather: “Classical Education Helps Everyone Flourish”
Dr Anika T. Prather is a nationally-recognized speaker and advocate for the relevancy of classical education for the Black community. She has served as a…
- Higher Ed Now
Why Institutional Neutrality Matters
Tony Banout, Executive Director, and Tom Ginsburg, Faculty Director of the University of Chicago's New Forum for Free Inquiry and Expression join Steve…
- Higher Ed Now
Glenn Loury: Defending the Cultural Inheritance of the Liberal Arts
ACTA's President Michael Poliakoff joins Paul Levy, a member of ACTA's board of directors and the creator of the Levy Forum for Open Discourse at the Palm…
- Higher Ed Now
George Will: Restoring the Value of an Academic Degree
George Will is a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer and political commentator whose twice-weekly column has appeared in the Washington Post since 1974. His works…
- Higher Ed Now
Jay Bhattacharya: Free Expression and Unsettled Science
Jay Bhattacharya is a professor at Stanford University Medical School, a physician, epidemiologist, health economist, and public health policy expert focusing…
- Higher Ed Now
Nadine Strossen: Free Speech in a Time of Campus Crisis
Nadine Strossen is the John Marshall Harlan II Professor of Law Emerita at New York Law School, and served as president of the American Civil Liberties Union…
- Higher Ed Now
Aayan Hirsi Ali: The Fight For Our Classrooms
ACTA's President Michael Poliakoff interviews Aayan Hirsi Ali, a Somali-born, Dutch-American writer, human rights activist and former politician and long-time…
- Higher Ed Now
Scott Walker: A Governor's Perspective on College Spending
In this episode, former Wisconson Governor Scott Walker speaks with ACTA's President Michael Poliakoff. Governor Walker is now leading Young Americans for…
- Higher Ed Now
A Higher Ed Reformation: Changing Campus Policy and Culture
In March 2023, ACTA’s second annual Alumni Summit on Free Expression brought together alumni free speech activists and higher education nonprofit leaders from…
- Higher Ed Now
Free Speech Barriers and Legal Remedies
In March 2023, ACTA hosted its first Alumni Summit on Free Expression in Washington, DC, in partnership with the Alumni Free Speech Alliance (AFSA). More than…
- Higher Ed Now
Carole Hooven: Cancelled for Scientific Accuracy
ACTA's Steven McGuire interviews Carole Hooven, whose book titled T: The Story of Testosterone, the Hormone that Dominates and Divides Us, was published in…
- Higher Ed Now
Jonathan Marks: "Liberal Education Corrects Our Narrowness"
Jonathan Marks has been an educator for almost a quarter century, and is currently Professor and Chair of Politics and International Relations at Ursinus…
- Higher Ed Now
Student Voices: United By Our Differences
Higher Ed Now is pleased to launch a new series of student-driven podcast conversations issuing from the College Debates and Discourse (CD&D) Alliance – a…