The World of Higher Education Podcast Listen now →

The World of Higher Education Podcast Listen now →

Category: Governance

The Postliberal University

Hi, everyone. I’m Alex Usher, and this is the opening episode of season five of the World of Higher Education podcast. American higher education is going through some unprecedented times. Republican governments in the States and in Washington now treat universities and colleges not as partners, but as an enemy to be conquered. University presidents are as likely to be pilloried by politicians as they are to be treated as important civic leaders. And legislators seem to feel empowered to

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September 10, 2026 No Comments

That Was the Quarter That Was, Spring 2026

Q2 isn’t quite over, but since tomorrow is the last blog of the academic year, today is the day to review what’s been happening globally over the last couple of months in a self-imposed 1200-word limit. Buckle up. The story of the quarter – for all of the last six quarters, really – is the ongoing mutilation of the American Science system. Where to start? The firing of the National Science Board? The attempt to limit foreign collaboration in science?

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June 9, 2026 No Comments

Everybody Hates John Tibbits

Note: I am writing this piece early on Friday morning, the day after this story broke. It is possible some details may have emerged over the weekend to render some aspects of this blog incorrect. Apologies if so. On Thursday, the government of Ontario dismissed the Board of Governors at Conestoga College on grounds of financial mismanagement and replaced them with a single appointed administrator.  This was grounds for schadenfreude among many folks who believe that John Tibbits and Conestoga

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May 11, 2026 1 Comment

Universities, Colonialism, and Indigenous Knowledge in Australia

Dhoombak Goobgoowana can be translated as “truth-telling” in the Woi Wurrung language of the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people from the unceded area now known as Melbourne, Australia. It’s also the name of the recently published two-volume work on Indigenous Australia and the University of Melbourne. The books are an extraordinary read, not at all your usual institutional history. Made up of dozens of essays by different authors, it’s not so much a corporate history as it is a meditation on

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May 7, 2026 No Comments

Chair to Chancellor: Lessons in Leading Modern Universities

Every Christmas, this blog invites the University of Tennessee’s Robert Kelchen on the show to do his top 10 stories of the year in the United States. One story keeps coming up: who, in their right mind, would want to be a university president these days? What with the financial pressure, the relentless politics, both on campus and dealing with state and federal governments, it’s an absolutely thankless job. Well, today our guest is someone who maybe led the way

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April 30, 2026 No Comments
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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.

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