What happens when tradition meets a moment that demands change? Higher education faces mounting pressure—declining enrollment, shrinking budgets, shifting regulations, and public doubt. But within the disruption lies a rare chance to reimagine how colleges serve students, communities, and society.

This week, Dr. Michael Horowitz is joined by Dr. Sonny Ramaswamy—former president of the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities and former director of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture—to explore what’s broken in higher ed and what’s still possible. Together, they unpack the sector’s most urgent challenges and spotlight how collaboration, not isolation, could be the key to building a stronger, more student-centered future.
In this episode:

• The overlooked root causes behind higher ed’s instability
• How ignoring the data is costing higher ed everything
• What colleges must do now to earn back student trust