The World of Higher Education Podcast Listen now →

The World of Higher Education Podcast Listen now →

Author: Alex Usher

England’s Lifelong Learning Entitlement

Hi there. I’m Alex Usher and this is the World of Higher Education podcast. Over the past 25 years few countries have monkeyed around with tuition fees and student loans to the extent that the United Kingdom – or more specifically, England – has done. From free tuition in 1997 to income-tested fees of up to 1000 pounds in 1998, to 3000 pounds in 2006, to an absolutely stonking 9,000 pounds in 2012, England’s public higher education system is arguably the most

Read More »
March 14, 2024 No Comments

Are You Better Off Now Than You Were Four Years Ago?

Some US Republican—I think it was that moral homunculus Elise Stefanik—asked this question in the US last week, in order to stir up some Trump nostalgia. And my first thought was: wait, wasn’t this the week we collectively ran out of toilet paper? Which led me back to looking at my own work from the first days of COVID. I had waited a long time to start writing about it, mainly because I wasn’t sure what to make of it

Read More »
March 13, 2024 1 Comment

The William Shatner University Centre

Thirty-two years ago today, McGill students were voting on one of the most crucial issues of the day: whether or not to re-name the University Centre—more popularly known as the Union Building—after the university’s most awesome graduate, William Shatner. And if you want to know why I have been Persona Non-Grata at McGill for the last three decades or so: it’s because I was one of the ones who spearheaded this initiative. The story is actually simple enough. I came

Read More »
March 12, 2024 3 Comments

A Skills Agenda is an Infrastructure Agenda

Since it is budget season, and I am increasingly depressed about the prospects for better higher education funding, I thought I should share some musings I have had recently about how to make a better case for funding. I think there is a better story available than the one the sector has been using. And it even has the advantage of being true. Ready? Here it is. As a country, we are losing the skills race because we aren’t investing

Read More »
March 11, 2024 2 Comments

Lumina Foundation & National Education Attainment Goals

Hi everyone, I’m Alex Usher, and this is the World of Higher Education podcast. Back in 1999, something kind of miraculous occurred in Indiana. A local student loan guarantee agency, known as the USA Group, was bought out by what was then known as the Student Loan Marketing Association, or Sallie Mae, now known as Navient, but because USA Group was a non-profit organization, the law said that the proceeds of the sale needed to be put towards some charitable

Read More »
March 7, 2024 No Comments

One Thought to Start Your Day

One Thought to Start Your Day is our founder and CEO Alex Usher’s popular daily blog, brimming with up-to-the-minute insights and informed opinions on today’s higher education industry.

Subscribe

Search Posts

Search Publications

Social Media

Linkedin Youtube Spotify

Recent Posts

More thoughts on...