Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
As the United States celebrates its 250th birthday, the nation’s colleges and universities are experiencing some growing pains. Older than the country itself, American higher education is a big, bold, polarizing enterprise that people don’t trust as much as they once did — but still can’t imagine living without. Sound like America? It is.
Related Reading
‘Animal House’ at 30: O Bluto, Where Art Thou? (chronicle.com/article/animal-house-at-30-o-bluto-where-art-thou/) (The Chronicle)
Diversifying Society’s Leaders? The Determinants and Causal Effects of Admission to Highly Selective Private Colleges (opportunityinsights.org/paper/collegeadmissions/) (Opportunity Insights)
A Faster Degree — Or an Inferior One? (chronicle.com/article/faster-cheaper-lesser) (The Chronicle)
Tenure’s Endless Numbered Days (pod.link/1766357400/episode/ZTJiYTc4ZDAtMDM4Ny0xMWYxLTgyOTMtYzdmMjc4YjIxMjJm) (College Matters)
Guest
Andy Thomason (chronicle.com/author/andy-thomason) , assistant managing editor at The Chronicle of Higher Education
For more on today’s episode, visit chronicle.com/collegematters (chronicle.com/collegematters) . We aim to make transcripts available within a day of an episode’s publication.
As the United States celebrates its 250th birthday, the nation’s colleges and universities are experiencing some growing pains. Older than the country itself, American higher education is a big, bold, polarizing enterprise that people don’t trust as much as they once did — but still can’t imagine living without. Sound like America? It is.
Related Reading
‘Animal House’ at 30: O Bluto, Where Art Thou? (chronicle.com/article/animal-house-at-30-o-bluto-where-art-thou/) (The Chronicle)
Diversifying Society’s Leaders? The Determinants and Causal Effects of Admission to Highly Selective Private Colleges (opportunityinsights.org/paper/collegeadmissions/) (Opportunity Insights)
A Faster Degree — Or an Inferior One? (chronicle.com/article/faster-cheaper-lesser) (The Chronicle)
Tenure’s Endless Numbered Days (pod.link/1766357400/episode/ZTJiYTc4ZDAtMDM4Ny0xMWYxLTgyOTMtYzdmMjc4YjIxMjJm) (College Matters)
Guest
Andy Thomason (chronicle.com/author/andy-thomason) , assistant managing editor at The Chronicle of Higher Education
For more on today’s episode, visit chronicle.com/collegematters (chronicle.com/collegematters) . We aim to make transcripts available within a day of an episode’s publication.
