The traditional path through higher education is becoming harder to recognize. For generations, the university served as a stable bridge to the workforce and a vital center for civic life. Today,
that bridge is under immense pressure from all sides.

As tuition rises and public funding shrinks, families are forced to shoulder more of the cost at the very moment when the economic payoff feels less certain. Simultaneously, artificial intelligence
is rapidly transforming the labor market, disrupting the entry-level roles that once justified the degree. Students are now preparing for a world and a workforce that are shifting faster than institutions can adapt.

Beyond the financial burden, a question looms: who is the current system truly designed to serve—and who is being left behind? Universities also face mounting political scrutiny. Legislative pressures and ideological battles are testing the foundational civic mission of colleges—to protect the pursuit of knowledge and cultivate a shared democratic life.

Nicole Lynn Lewis (Generation Hope), Susan Blum (University of Notre Dame), and Paul LeBlanc (Harvard Graduate School of Education) join moderator Anya Kamenetz to navigate these pressures and answer: What is college for today—and what is at stake for our democracy if its purpose erodes?

Join the conversation.

Speakers

Nicole Lynn Lewis

Nicole Lynn Lewis is the founder and CEO of Generation Hope, a national nonprofit supporting teen parents in college and advancing a two‑generation approach to economic mobility. A former teen mother who earned her degree from the College of William & Mary, she now works to change the statistic that fewer than 2% of teen mothers graduate by age 30. Her latest book, Student Parent: The Fight for Families, the Cost of Poverty, and the Power of College, illustrates the transformative power of education and determination. Nicole has been recognized as a 1954 Project Luminary, a CNN Hero, and a recipient of the Black Voices for Black Justice Award.

Susan D. Blum

Susan D. Blum is an anthropologist whose work examines the gap between humans’ natural capacity for learning and the constraints of modern schooling. After beginning her career studying China, she has spent the past two decades focused on education, drawing on more than thirty years of teaching experience, including at the University of Notre Dame since 2000. Her latest book, Schoolishness, challenges the alienation built into traditional academic structures and argues for learning environments that foster authenticity, curiosity, and joy. A prolific writer and thinker, Blum uses her scholarship to question assumptions, explore alternatives, and advocate for real learners.

Paul J. LeBlanc

Dr. Paul J. LeBlanc is a Visiting Scholar and Special Advisor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where he is completing a forthcoming book on AI and education. He served as President of Southern New Hampshire University for 21 years, overseeing its growth from 2,800 students to more than 250,000 and establishing it as the largest nonprofit provider of online higher education in the U.S. Widely recognized as one of the nation’s most innovative education leaders, he has received major honors including the Hesburgh Award for Leadership Excellence and the University of Pennsylvania’s Zemsky Medal for Innovation, along with several honorary degrees.

Anya Kamenetz

Anya Kamenetz speaks, writes, and thinks about thriving and caring for others on a rapidly changing planet. Her newsletter on these topics is The Golden Hour. She covered education for many years including for NPR, where she co-created the podcast Life Kit: Parenting. Her last book was The Stolen Year: How Covid Changed Children’s Lives, And Where We Go Now. Kamenetz is currently an advisor to the Aspen Institute and the Climate Mental Health Network, working on new initiatives at the intersection of children, well-being, education, and climate change. Her next book, forthcoming from Bloomsbury, is about how to cope with the world right now