The World of Higher Education Podcast Listen now →

The World of Higher Education Podcast Listen now →

Category: Worldwide PSE

The Half-Time Show: Six Months of Global Higher Education

Hello, and welcome to the World of Higher Education podcast. I’m Tiffany MacLennan, and I’m your host for today’s episode. At the end of last year, HESA released the first ever World of Higher Education — Year in Review report, taking stock of the biggest stories and trends shaping higher education around the globe. Now we’re six months into 2026, and we’re checking back in. Joining me today is Alex Usher for a midyear halftime show on global higher education.

Read More »
June 11, 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?

Read More »
June 9, 2026 No Comments

Summer Book Report 2026

Hi everyone. Summer’s almost here, so this is the final week before the blog goes on hiatus. And that means, of course, that it’s time for the summer higher education book report! Before getting started on the higher education stuff, y’all seem to like my fiction/non-fiction picks, too. As far as non-fiction goes, I found Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman’s OpenAI by Karen Hao to be both excellent and timely. For those needing background reading for

Read More »
June 8, 2026 No Comments

“Not Even as a Doorman”: Politics and Universities in Colombia

Colombia is one of the world’s most interesting higher education systems. With a roughly equal mix of public and private provision, it has long had to contend with issues like quality assurance and student assistance. And as a developing country, it’s always needed to balance the desire to expand its higher education system with the many competing demands on public funds. Colombia’s also in the midst of a very contentious election. Last weekend, just after this podcast was recorded, the

Read More »
June 4, 2026 No Comments

Re: University and the Change Imperative

It’s hard for universities to do things differently. Although they are evidently capable of being flexible and doing somersaults in an emergency (see: COVID), their collective desire for ongoing change is pretty small. It’s a very conservative industry, where isomorphism rules and the most important question to be asked of any change is “do prestigious institutions do it that way”? One consequence of this is that even when it comes to times where universities are under financial pressure and the

Read More »
June 3, 2026 No Comments
Load More

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...