The Education of Higher Education
From DealBook Summit by The New York Times
December 7, 2025 · 1h 21m · Season 3 · Episode 14
About this episode
The episode discusses the challenges facing higher education, including funding issues, rising antisemitism, and the future of work in relation to A.I.
Watch all of the day’s interviews: The Trump administration’s funding threats aren’t the only issue colleges and universities are facing. There’s also rising antisemitism on campus, and challenges in managing student free speech and demonstrations. What is the future of research without government grants and funding? How will the courts adjudicate these issues? The Justice Department is also taking specific aim at multiple universities over international student visas, claims of antisemitism, anti-D.E.I. investigations, and trans athletes and Title IX policy. Americans now have $1.8 trillion in cumulative student debt. Administrative costs continue to rise. Are Americans’ value systems changing toward education, and how? And the bigger question: What do universities’ leaders believe the education they provide is for? What and how are universities contributing to society today? Is there a crisis of faith in our educational system? Universities can be rigid systems. Are they capable of responding to valid criticisms? What do they believe needs to change, and how are they working toward those ends? And as we examine the future of work — and A.I. in particular on the cusp of…
People in this episode
Guests: Carmen Twillie Ambar, Sian Leah Beilock, Ron Daniels
Topics covered
- higher education
- student debt
- antisemitism
- free speech
- university funding
- future of work
- A.I.
Keywords
- higher education
- student debt
- antisemitism
- free speech
- university funding
- A.I.
- future of work
- Title IX
- international student visas
- D.E.I.
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Trump administration, Justice Department, Oberlin College and Conservatory, Dartmouth, Johns Hopkins
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