College presidents serve for less than six years on average. For women and people of color, that tenure is even shorter – a full year shorter. So what’s going on? College presidents are under fire for what they say about issues like systemic racism, abortion access and war in the Middle East, as well as what they do — or don't do — about campus protests. So why would anyone want to be a college president? And, as a student, does it even matter who your president is? What questions should students and their families be asking of a colleges’ top brass? We talk to former Colorado College president Song Richardson, who left her dream job because she wanted to speak freely about hot-button issues, and the current and former presidents of Macalester College, Suzanne Rivera and Brian Rosenberg, to learn more about what's driving people away from jobs at the top of the academic ladder.----------Credits:Hosts: Kirk Carapezza & Jon MarcusSupervising Editor: Megan WoolhouseEditor: Jeff KeatingExecutive Producer: Ellen London Mixing and Sound Design: David Goodman & Gary MottTheme Song and original music: Left-RomanArtwork: Matt Welch Project Manager: Meiqian HeConsulting Producer and Head of GBH Podcasts: Devin Maverick Robins"College Uncovered" is a production of GBH News and The Hechinger Report.

Colleges that embraced diversity, equity and inclusion initiative (DEI) in the wake of the 2020 murder of George Floyd by police are now fearing litigation and quietly eliminating their DEI programs. North Carolina is one of the latest to do so. At least 20 states have Republican proposals aimed at limiting DEI programs at public universities. State schools in Wisconsin and Alabama are preemptively banning DEI after threats by lawmakers to withhold money and raises.Even colleges in left-leaning states are no longer asking applicants to provide diversity statements for new faculty positions.So how is DEI defined and what’s lost when it goes away? How has a “DEI bureaucracy” gone out of control? Will colleges increasingly eliminate scholarships designed for historically marginalized students?Special guest host and GBH Investigative Reporter Phillip Martin joins this week’s podcast to talk about what’s behind the changes.----------Credits:Hosts: Kirk Carapezza & Jon MarcusSupervising Editor: Megan WoolhouseEditor: Jeff KeatingExecutive Producer: Ellen London Mixing and Sound Design: David Goodman & Gary MottTheme Song and original music: Left-RomanArtwork: Matt Welch Project Manager: Meiqian HeConsulting Producer and Head of GBH Podcasts: Devin Maverick Robins"College Uncovered" is a production of GBH News and The Hechinger Report.

Delta State University in rural Mississippi eliminated it’s highly regarded music department. It’ also cut English, math, chemistry, and about a third of the courses that it used to teach.And Delta State’s far from alone. Arkansas State, the University of North Carolina – Greensboro, Youngstown State in Ohio, West Virginia University have all made significant course cutbacks.That’s a problem. People in rural America already have far less access to colleges and universities than people in cities and suburbs. Nearly 13 million people in the US already live in higher education desserts, places well beyond commuting distance to a college.But now many of the schools that exist to serve rural students are cutting programs and majors.We talk about this trend, and how it exacerbates the already wide economic, social and political divisions between many rural and urban Americans.----------Credits:Hosts: Kirk Carapezza & Jon MarcusSupervising Editor: Megan WoolhouseEditor: Jeff KeatingExecutive Producer: Ellen London Mixing and Sound Design: David Goodman & Gary MottTheme Song and original music: Left-RomanArtwork: Matt Welch Project Manager: Meiqian HeConsulting Producer and Head of GBH Podcasts: Devin Maverick Robins"College Uncovered" is a production of GBH News and The Hechinger Report.

More than 40 million Americans have student loan debt, but should the government forgive all or part of it? It’s a debate that’s a source of extreme political division. Opponents call it a transfer of wealth from the bottom of the socioeconomic ladder to the top and people with college degrees; supporters say forgiveness gives some breathing room to graduates who are being crushed by the costs of repayment, in some cases without ever even having graduated. The cost of college is also forcing people to put off marriage, starting families, or buying a house and fuel the American economy. We’ll hear from student loan holders and get advice on how to avoid going into debt in the first place.----------Credits:Hosts: Kirk Carapezza & Jon MarcusSupervising Editor: Megan WoolhouseEditor: Jeff KeatingExecutive Producer: Ellen London Mixing and Sound Design: David Goodman & Gary MottTheme Song and original music: Left-RomanArtwork: Matt Welch Project Manager: Meiqian HeConsulting Producer and Head of GBH Podcasts: Devin Maverick Robins"College Uncovered" is a production of GBH News and The Hechinger Report.

Following intense, sometimes violent protests on college campuses last spring, colleges are taking new steps to encourage more civil dialogue and debate among students who disagree. Some schools are offering new guidance and coursework around how students should speak to one another in an effort to bridge deep differences. At the same time, colleges are tightening restrictions on campus protests related to the war in Gaza, and cracking down on protest tactics with heightened enforcement. We’ll explore the new approaches and talk with experts about the efforts to help students speak across their differences.----------Credits:Hosts: Kirk Carapezza & Jon MarcusSupervising Editor: Megan WoolhouseEditor: Jeff KeatingExecutive Producer: Ellen London Mixing and Sound Design: David Goodman & Gary MottTheme Song and original music: Left-RomanArtwork: Matt Welch Project Manager: Meiqian HeConsulting Producer and Head of GBH Podcasts: Devin Maverick Robins"College Uncovered" is a production of GBH News and The Hechinger Report.

Divisive protests, police crackdowns, and a chilling backlash against free speech are among the reasons that a growing number of students say they don’t feel welcome on some college campuses. Conflicts over abortion, LGBTQ+ rights, and DEI, as well as what can and can’t be taught in classrooms are stirring up campus life against the backdrop of a contentious presidential election. A majority of students say abortion laws and restrictions around the discussion of race and gender would have at least some effect on where they go to college, according to Gallup polling. The same polls also find that some students at four-year universities feel as if they don’t belong or disrespected.Students on the left and right alike say they’re increasingly reluctant to express controversial opinions, but that it’s okay to report on classmates or faculty who do. That’s why we’re exploring the politics of higher education this season. College has become a new battleground in the culture wars, and it's affecting where students enroll and what they’re learning. Learn more from the Hechinger Report's College Welcome Guide!----------Credits:Hosts: Kirk Carapezza & Jon MarcusSupervising Editor: Megan WoolhouseEditor: Jeff KeatingExecutive Producer: Ellen London Mixing and Sound Design: David Goodman & Gary MottTheme Song and original music: Left-RomanArtwork: Matt Welch Project Manager: Meiqian HeConsulting Producer and Head of GBH Podcasts: Devin Maverick Robins"College Uncovered" is a production of GBH News and The Hechinger Report.

College Uncovered Season 3 is coming! First episode drops on Thursday, September 12th. In our first two seasons, GBH and The Hechinger Report explored the business of college admissions and paying for your education. Now we’re back with a special election year season, helping you navigate the politics of American colleges and universities.College Uncovered is hosted by Kirk Carapezza and Jon Marcus, journalists with decades of experience who specialize in covering higher education in the U.S. They offer students and their families an unvarnished look at a uniquely American system, so YOU can make fully informed choices.One episode will drop weekly and will be available wherever you listen to podcasts.

The essay is a vital piece in the college application puzzle; portraying the strengths and challenges of aspiring high school students. In this bonus episode of "College Uncovered," Tayana Antoine describes for the producers of the "Dear College" podcast, the similarities between a teen mom and an older sister. How her dual role as caretaker for her siblings and maturing adult sometimes can clash but also brings her much delight.Learn more about the Dear College podcast here: www.dearcollegepodcast.org

College application essays demonstrate literacy and creativity of high school students striving for higher education. As the producers of the "Dear College" podcast have found, what this rising generation says about themselves says a lot about all of us. In this bonus episode of "College Uncovered," Jenessa Otabor shares how a recent educational opportunity turned from stressful to rewarding; once she learned how to speak up for herself. Learn more about the Dear College podcast here: www.dearcollegepodcast.org

While there are a lot of tests to get into college, there are no exit exams to get out. Despite the soaring price of tuition and the benefits a degree offers, researchers have found that undergrads often spend little time studying compared to other activities like working, socializing or partying. As a result, many show limited gains in critical thinking — the hallmark of American higher education. ----------Credits:Hosts: Kirk Carapezza & Jon MarcusSupervising Editor: Megan WoolhouseEditor: Jeff KeatingExecutive Producer: Ellen London Mixing and Sound Design: David Goodman & Gary MottTheme Song and original music: Left-RomanArtwork: Matt Welch Project Manager: Meiqian HeConsulting Producer and Head of GBH Podcasts: Devin Maverick Robins"College Uncovered" is a production of GBH News and The Hechinger Report.

Students at one New York university have a surprise awaiting them: an $8,000-a-year “academic excellence fee.” We have to ask: Isn’t academic excellence included in tuition? In fact, tuition is only part of the cost of college. Like car dealerships, schools are nickel-and-diming consumers with huge fees — fees for student activities, fees for athletics, fees for building maintenance, fees for libraries, even fees for graduation, the bills for which arrive just as students and their families thought they were finally done paying for college.----------Credits:Hosts: Kirk Carapezza & Jon MarcusSupervising Editor: Megan WoolhouseEditor: Jeff KeatingExecutive Producer: Ellen London Mixing and Sound Design: David Goodman & Gary MottTheme Song and original music: Left-RomanArtwork: Matt Welch Project Manager: Meiqian HeConsulting Producer and Head of GBH Podcasts: Devin Maverick Robins"College Uncovered" is a production of GBH News and The Hechinger Report.

Student loans aren’t the only kind of university debt. Colleges and universities have borrowed billions, mostly to build new dorms, dining halls and facilities, spaces they may – or may not – need as student enrollment declines nationally. Today, nearly 10 cents of every dollar in university budgets helps pay interest on institutional debt.----------Credits:Hosts: Kirk Carapezza & Jon MarcusSupervising Editor: Megan WoolhouseEditor: Jeff KeatingExecutive Producer: Ellen London Mixing and Sound Design: David Goodman & Gary MottTheme Song and original music: Left-RomanArtwork: Matt Welch Project Manager: Meiqian HeConsulting Producer and Head of GBH Podcasts: Devin Maverick Robins"College Uncovered" is a production of GBH News and The Hechinger Report.