Aneesh Sohoni is the CEO of One Million Degrees (OMD), a non-profit that accelerates community college students’ progress on career pathways to economic mobility. He joins host Mike Palmer in a conversation about the role community colleges and programs like his can play in opening pathways to opportunity for students in need.

We begin by hearing Aneesh's story beginning with his parents' decision to come to America to build a life for their family. From there, we hear of the role community college played in his mother's career and how that connects to the work OMD is doing with students in the city of Chicago. We hear how their model works, connecting students with wraparound services like mentorship, skills training, financial assistance, and more. Furthermore, we learn how recent randomized controlled trials done in partnership with The University of Chicago's Inclusive Economy Lab are validating the results as we look for lessons on how to translate successes in Chicago with a broader movement across the country. Aneesh outlines a vision for growth building on relationships with the City Colleges of Chicago, local industry, and donors like the MacKenzie Scott Foundation to allow individuals to thrive in transformative times. Don't miss it!

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Dr. Eric Schickler is a Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley where he is currently working on a book about polarization in American politics. He joins host and fellow New College alum, Mike Palmer, in a discussion about what's happening at New College, what it says about the current state of higher education and politics in America, and what we can do about it.

We begin by hearing Eric's origin story which in many ways began with his experiences at New College. That's where he discovered his passion for teaching and engaging with other students and faculty. This ultimately led to him earning his doctorate at Yale before landing at Berkeley where he's spent the majority of his academic career. Then Eric describes how a trend towards political polarization has taken root across America using the case of New College as an example. At a time when scoring political points on the national stage is more important than defending local institutions that are good for the community, it's difficult to find folks who will stand up to their party to defend a place like New College. This hasn't always been the case. Eric and Mike share their recollections of their experiences at the school and counter the portrayal of it as a place where "woke" indoctrination happens. Instead, they remember it as a vibrant, diverse, and scholarly environment that has produced a wide range of professionals who have contributed to society in meaningful and various ways. It's a critical look at how the challenges of the culture wars are pushing many colleges like New College to the brink. Don't miss it.

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Andy Pass is the Founder of A Pass Educational Group, an Elearning and Instructional Design services company. He joins host Mike Palmer in a conversation about how learning content development and instructional design are being transformed by generative AI tools like Chat GPT.

We begin by hearing Andy's origin story which begins in a Jewish Day School where he discovered his love of teaching. Soon after, he discovered instructional design and sales while working for Pearson which led him to found A Pass in 2009. Then Andy provides his perspectives on how disruptive generative AI tools are changing how we think about doing content development through a new and improved symbiosis between human skills and the growing capabilities of learning machines. We conclude with thoughts on the future of work and the uniquely human qualities of critical thinking, creativity, communication and collaboration that will be critical as we navigate new waves of disruption. It's a free-ranging conversation about how learning development is being directly impacted by new generative AI tools. Don't miss it!

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Julie Lammers is the SVP of Advocacy and Corporate Social Responsibility at American Student Assistance (ASA), an organization that is committed to increasing opportunity for young people to have the tools necessary to plan for postsecondary and career success. She joins host Mike Palmer in a conversation about exposing young people to a variety of potential career pathways as early as possible in their educational journeys.

We begin by hearing Julie’s origin story which centers around her opportunity to intern for Teddy Kennedy while still in college. From there we get into some questions. How can we provide opportunities for career exploration beginning in middle school and how can we allow for real work experience through internships and other programs for high school students? How do you reach Gen Z by developing media that reaches them where they are? We cover all of this and get Julie's perspectives on the disruptions to the future of work powered by generative AI and more as we learn what she and team have planned for the coming years. Don’t miss it!

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Sudhir Krishnaswamy is the CTO of Barnes & Noble Education Digital Student Solutions where he leads the team that designs Bartleby Write and related products focused on writing help. He joins host Mike Palmer in a conversation about how best to design online writing help products in light of emerging technology like Chat GPT.

We hear how Sudhir was drawn to computer programming early in his career and how he's held a series of senior technology roles across various education companies most recently focusing on online writing help. Sudhir describes what's involved in building writing help products and how this has been transformed by machine learning and artificial intelligence. We learn of the role AI can play in helping humans write better while steering clear of the pitfalls of thinking AI is more than a tool for human advancement right now. There's talk of stochastic parrots and magic eight balls in a free-flowing exploration of the future of writing help that you won't want to miss!

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Sakina Pitts is the Principal of The Newark School of Fashion and Design and Giselle Morell is the Head of Customer Engagement at N Ventures at The New School of Social Research. The duo joins host Mike Palmer in a conversation about the recent launch of NSFD in partnership with N Ventures as they look to expand access to students through entry points, pathways, and relationships in the fashion industry.

We hear Sakina's origin story as a student growing up in Newark who had a love for fashion and education that has culminated in her role as the Principal of the school as it has come to life over the past few years. Then Giselle shares how she took a chance leaving a safe, corporate gig to align her career with her mission and passion by joining the N Ventures group at the New School. From there we explore what's involved in launching the school and building partnerships that make an impact on the lives of students and the community. We explore how opening up pathways and relationships in the world of fashion helps equip students with relevant skills and competencies that align with the rapidly changing world of work. Yes, we even talk Chat GPT and generative AI.

Before concluding, we touch on the importance of access, social capital, and representation in fashion as a field and learn about what's involved in developing a fashion and design curriculum that blends hands-on work with theory. It's a riveting exploration of the benefits of mission-based industry alignment driving innovation in public education. Don't miss it!

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Bryan Alexander is an award–winning, internationally known futurist, researcher, writer, speaker, consultant, and teacher, working in the field of higher education’s future. He's the author of the recent book Universities On Fire: Higher Education in Climate Crisis which forms the foundation of this episode. Bryan joins host Mike Palmer in a conversation about how to use futures thinking to explore climate-related scenarios with special attention to higher education.

We begin by reflecting back on Bryan's previous appearances on the podcast back in 2020 soon after the release of his book Academia Next: The Futures of Higher Education. Among the scenarios in that book, he explored how a pandemic might affect higher education before Covid hit. From there we touch on his recent blog post looking at the new Apple+ series Extrapolations. As we bring up examples from science fiction and its sub-genre of climate fiction, Bryan describes the power of scenario-baseed thinking in preparing ourselves for uncertain futures. We dig into where higher education may be heading and get Bryan's initial thoughts on generative AI and how it interrelates with the climate crisis megatrend. It's an imaginative, free-ranging conversation. Don't want to miss it!

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Jennifer Granick is the surveillance and cybersecurity counsel with the ACLU Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project. She litigates, speaks, and writes about privacy, security, technology, and constitutional rights. She is the author of the book American Spies: Modern Surveillance, Why You Should Care, and What to Do About It and is an alum of New College of Florida along with host Mike Palmer. She joins Mike in a conversation about her work with the ACLU, her perspectives on the current situation at New College, and her thoughts on education and the future of work in light of the emergence of generative AI and Chat GPT.

We begin by hearing Jennifer's origin story, beginning in New Jersey before studying at New College as an undergraduate on her way to becoming a lawyer. From there we hear how she began studying the Internet in its infancy in the 90s helping to create Stanford Law School’s Center for Internet and Society. Since then she's become increasingly involved in civil liberties relating to emerging technology. We talk about the situation at New College while hearing Jennifer's thoughts on emerging trends in education, privacy, surveillance and the law. Don't miss it!

Subscribe to Trending in Education wherever you get your podcasts. Visit us at TrendinginEd.com for more. And if you like what you’re hearing, stay tuned for the launch of a new feed dedicated to New College coming to a podcast provider near you!

Heather Combs is the CEO of StraighterLine, a platform that provides affordable access to college credit through online courses. Heather joins host Mike Palmer in a conversation about the disruption we've witnessed to traditional models of higher education in recent years and the role StraighterLine is playing in this transformation.

Heather begins by describing her background in business transformation and software development that provides sharp perspective into developing online products that tap into new and emerging markets. We explore how for many learners the traditional models of the academic schedule and synchronous classes just don't make sense. We discuss how credentialing and skills-based learning are providing opportunities to move quickly and work with industry to keep pace with the accelerated rate of change. Heather shares her thoughts on the transferability of learning credentials and the need for better solutions for learning records similar to what is happening with medical records. It's an insightful dive into transformations actively occurring in higher education. Don't miss it!

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Joel Kupperstein is the Senior Vice President of Product Strategy at z.com/">Learning A to Z. He joins host Mike Palmer in a conversation about teaching, writing, and emerging tools like Chat GPT and generative AI.

Joel shares his roots as a teacher from a family of teachers who began in the classroom in Los Angeles before moving to Product Strategy on the commercial side at leading EdTech companies like Learning A To Z. We explore how the design of assignments and assessments will need to evolve as large language models empower teachers and students to become more efficient and creative with their learning endeavors. Joel shares his advice to teachers and other learning professionals as we reflect on the awakenings in recent years and how they relate to new AI tools like Chat GPT. Don't miss it!

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