Jane Estrada: A Message to My Younger Self

By Jade Estrada I can recall the time in my eighth grade science class when I had to dissect a sheep’s eye. My teacher, Mrs. Griffin, instructed us to carefully make an incision through the sclera. As I held my breath to minimize the fishy, rotten odor of the eyeball and moved the scalpel back … Continued

ICYMI: Harmel Academy is Filling a Gap in Catholic Postsecondary Education & Teaching the Value of Trade Schools

How can trade schools help students uncover their unique gifts? How can we ensure society honors the value of all work?  Charles Koch Foundation Executive Director Ryan Stowers explored those questions on EdUp Experience, the leading podcast about postsecondary education in America. “Young people who have the aptitudes to create enormous amounts of value in the skilled … Continued

Univ. of Pittsburgh’s Center for Governance and Markets Explores How Bottom-Up Approaches Can Improve Well-Being

We sat down with Jennifer Murtazashvili, the founding director of University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Governance and Markets (CGM) to understand how institutions and governance arrangements affect social order and human well-being. CGM recently was honored with membership in the Open Society University Network for their work with threatened scholars, in particular those from Afghanistan.  What is the … Continued

Skills-based hiring can guarantee America’s job boom doesn’t leave Black talent behind

By Maurice Jones After two years of economic uncertainty, the U.S. job market has nearly bounced back to pre-pandemic levels. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 390,000 new jobs in May, representing an optimistic forecast for American jobseekers who either lost their jobs during the recent recession or want to transition into better career opportunities. Unfortunately, a … Continued

Fritz Bartel: Why understanding the end of the Cold War is important for policymaking today

Fritz Bartel is an assistant professor in Texas A&M University’s Department of International Affairs. In December 2021, Cambridge University Press published Before and After the Fall: World Politics and the End of the Cold War, a volume Bartel coedited with political scientist Nuno P. Monteiro. (Monteiro tragically passed away before the book was published.) We sat down … Continued

What we’re reading: Postsecondary students embrace multiple pathways

High school graduation season is well underway. Judging by several recent news stories, the Class of 2022 seems more open than ever to new pathways for postsecondary learning.  Data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center (NSCRC) show total postsecondary education enrollment fell 4.1 percent from spring 2021 to spring 2022. It was the fifth straight decline. … Continued

Forget skills gaps: The true problem is skills craters

By Alexander Alonso and Kerri Nelson Forty-two percent of organizational C-suite leaders identify sourcing talent as the primary challenge facing them. This number is not surprising given the amalgam of high turnover in 2021 and significant retirement rates since 2011. Our economy is experiencing a labor shortage unlike any other in history. The two largest generations, Baby Boomers and … Continued

In case you missed it: Innovative leaders building a better postsecondary education system for all learners

Charles Koch Foundation (CKF) Executive Director Ryan Stowers recently co-hosted two episodes of the EdUp Experience podcast with Dr. Joe Sallustio.   In the first episode, Stowers and Sallustio sat down with Unmudl CEO Dr. Parminder Jassal to discuss working learners, or non-traditional students who are balancing obligations at work and home in addition to school.  “Access … Continued