College Matters from The Chronicle

Listen to the second episode of The Chronicle's new podcast, Open Questions.

The Chronicle Review is where academe comes to argue with itself. On Open Questions, The Review‘s podcast, Evan Goldstein and Len Gutkin bring the argument to you by talking with leading scholars and thinkers about the debates that matter now.

In this episode

The UC-Riverside philosopher Barry Lam has been one of campus bloat’s biggest critics. And AI might only make things worse, he says. Why do professors have to spend so much of their time dealing with crummy software, pointless trainings, and endless meetings to do things that used to be so much easier? Why are there so many administrators? Will it ever get better? Or have we reached a tipping point when it comes to administrative bloat?

Related Reading

⁠The Strategic Plan⁠ (The Chronicle Review)

⁠Don’t Replace Professors with AI. Replace Administrators!⁠ (The Chronicle Review)

⁠Higher Ed’s Middle-Manager Problem⁠ (The Chronicle Review)

Guest

⁠Barry Lam⁠, professor of philosophy at the University of California at Riverside

For more, visit ⁠chronicle.com/openquestions⁠. We aim to make transcripts available within a day of an episode’s publication.

In more than four decades of university leadership, E. Gordon Gee was seldom dull. During stints at Brown, Vanderbilt, and Ohio State Universities, Gee made news for tangling with trustees, controversial spending decisions, and impolitic jokes. In his final presidency, at West Virginia University, Gee presided over major budget cuts before retiring in 2025. Despite some public bruising, Gee is a force of personality in higher education whose unapologetic style ingratiated him to students and donors alike. But what does he make of Americans’ souring attitudes toward the sector? And why does he think so many college presidents today are crippled by fear?

Related Reading

Survivor: The Ohio State Edition (The Chronicle)

Gordon Gee’s Last Stand (The Chronicle)

Vanderbilt Reins in Lavish Spending by Star Chancellor (The Wall Street Journal)

Guest

E. Gordon Gee, president emeritus of West Virginia U.

For more on today’s episode, visit chronicle.com/collegematters. We aim to make transcripts available within a day of an episode’s publication.

After a decisive electoral victory on Tuesday, Democrats will assume majorities in the U.S House and Senate, placing a partisan check on a presidential administration that has put the screws to colleges and universities for nearly two years. But what will voters’ rebuke of President Trump mean for a sector that many Americans still view as overpriced, out of touch, and insufficiently responsive to work-force needs?

Related Reading

Has the Campus Culture War Passed Its Peak? (The Chronicle)

Higher Ed and the Midterms (The Chronicle)

6 Essential Questions for Higher Ed After the Midterms (The Chronicle Review)

Guest

Andy Thomason, assistant managing editor of The Chronicle of Higher Education

For more on today’s episode, visit chronicle.com/collegematters. We aim to make transcripts available within a day of an episode’s publication.

Listen to the first episode of The Chronicle's new podcast, Open Questions.

The Chronicle Review is where academe comes to argue with itself. On Open Questions, The Review‘s podcast, Evan Goldstein and Len Gutkin bring the argument to you by talking with leading scholars and thinkers about the debates that matter now.

In This Episode:

A Harvard dean recently suggested that "there should be acceptance, even encouragement" of AI writing in the college classroom. That sort of thing creeps Jill Lepore out. We talked to the Pulitzer Prize-winning historian about what AI is doing to higher education, what went wrong at Harvard, and why our new tech overlords want dominion not just over our pockets and our politics but also our souls.

Related Reading:

The Ivy League’s Surrender to AI is Insane (The Chronicle Review)

Has Administrative Bloat Reached a Breaking Point? (The Review)

Artificial Education (The Harvard Crimson)

Guest:

Jill Lepore, professor of history and law at Harvard University

For more, visit chronicle.com/openquestions. We aim to make transcripts available within a day of an episode’s publication.

Young college students are getting a bad rap lately. To hear it from professors, many are struggling to read, they’re glued to their phones, and they’ve become heavily reliant on AI to do their work. But what do students have to say about all of this? When is the last time they actually read a book? Are they cheating as much as people say? The answers might surprise you.

Related Reading

Is Reading Over for Gen Z? (College Matters)

My Students Can’t Read (The Review)

Using AI Without (Really) Cheating (College Matters)

Guest

Beth McMurtrie, senior writer for The Chronicle of Higher Education

For more on today’s episode, visit chronicle.com/collegematters. We aim to make transcripts available within a day of an episode’s publication.