The big picture:

Chancellor David Andrews from UMass Global and President Brian Blake of Georgia State University, reframed what it means to make higher education easier. It’s not about lowering standards — it’s about smarter design, stronger connections to work, and precision in outcomes.

Driving the news:

• Georgia State is rethinking course timing and assessment — placing tests when students learn best and creating recitations that build mastery. The result: higher performance without lowering expectations.
• Employers value persistence, communication, and judgment. Blake says merging classroom learning with industry practice helps students build those life skills in real time.
• On AI: treat it like the calculator — a tool that expands capacity, not replaces effort. Use it to tackle bigger, more complex problems with more precise answers.

State of play:

• Rigor means precision, not workload. Assign fewer tasks but demand deeper thinking and targeted solutions.
• Access means meeting students where they are. Georgia State routes learners along personalized pathways — two-year to four-year to graduate — ensuring each can succeed on their own timeline.

What’s next:

• Smaller classes, shorter lectures, more hands-on maker spaces.
• Real-world learning embedded with employers.
• AI-powered guidance to align student skills with workforce needs.

The bottom line:

“Easier” should mean more precise, more relevant, and more equitable. The future of higher education blends rigor with relevance — designing systems that help every student reach full potential without needless friction.

The big picture:

At the Presidents Forum Boston 2025 meeting, higher ed leaders, researchers, and policymakers came together to confront the defining challenges shaping the future of colleges and students — from declining enrollment and public trust to the governance of artificial intelligence.

Driving the news:

• Gallup’s Janet Gibbon opened with sobering new data: declining enrollment and waning confidence in the value of a degree. Presidents shared how they’re restoring trust by connecting learning to work, well-being, and purpose.
• Michael Horn and Rajen Sheth led a working session on AI in higher ed, exploring how institutions can innovate responsibly — balancing access and equity with ethics and governance.
• Patti Kohler (WGU) and Alex Ricci (NCHER) briefed members on federal rulemaking and financial aid integrity, underscoring the Forum’s role in ensuring affordability, transparency, and student protection.

Between the lines:

The Forum’s strength lies in collective action. Each session turned policy debate into implementation strategy, aligning diverse institutional perspectives around a shared mission: keep students at the center.

The bottom line:

Boston 2025 wasn’t just another higher ed meeting. It was a call to act — to align policy, practice, and leadership around one goal: ensuring every student’s success remains the benchmark of institutional accountability.

The big picture

Higher education has a completion problem—and a completion opportunity. Only 62% of students finish a four-year degree within six years. Another 43 million Americans have college credit but no credential.

Why it matters

Degrees change lives—but only if students finish. Colleges must own completion as part of their mission, removing institutional barriers and making it easier for students who pause to return and finish.

What Empire is doing

• Accepts up to 93 transfer credits and awards credit for prior learning
• Pairs every student with both a success coach and an academic advisor
• Uses predictive analytics to identify when students need help
• Offers completion scholarships, emergency aid, and open textbooks that have saved students over $5 million
• Provides a virtual food pantry connecting students to local resources

The bottom line

Completion is equity. Completion is accountability. Completion is the promise higher education must keep.