Gates Foundation Launches Higher Ed Podcast "To A Degree"

What: The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced the launch of a new podcast series dedicated to higher education. By 2025, two-thirds of jobs will require education beyond high school — yet half of students who start college don't graduate, and a high-income student is five times as likely to have a degree by age 24 than a low-income student.

The profile of college students is also changing. The majority of students are no longer 18- to 21-year-olds who enroll full-time and live on campus. Rather, the majority of students work while going to college, 40 percent are 25 or older, one-third are first generation college goers, and many are low-income students and students of color.

To A Degree aims to show how higher education must evolve to better support today's college students. The goal of the foundation's Postsecondary Success team is to help more students — especially low-income and first-generation students — graduate at higher rates, with high-quality degrees or certificates at an affordable price.

Who:
Dan Greenstein, director of Postsecondary Success, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Bridget Burns, executive director, University Innovation Alliance
Deborah Santiago, chief operating officer and vice president for policy, Excelencia in Education
Moderator: Casey Green, founding director, The Campus Computing Project

Where:  The podcast is available to stream or download at www.ToADegree.com.

When:  The podcast launched on Thursday, March 30.

Contact:  For more information, please contact Travis Reindl at [email protected] or 202/257-5307.

Featured

  • Round Rock ISD Completes New Early College High School

    Round Rock ISD near Austin, Texas, recently announced that construction is complete on a new, 46,500-square-foot campus for Early College High School, according to a news release. The new facility will allow the school’s students and staff to move from portables into a permanent building and increase its enrollment to 500.

  • Full Sail University Announces First Student Housing Facility

    Full Sail University in Winter Park, Fla., recently announced that development has begun on its first student housing community, according to a news release. The university is partnering with Nvision Development for construction and long-term management of the facility, which will stand five stories and have the capacity for more than 570 beds.

  • University of Oklahoma Announces New Campus Master Plan

    The University of Oklahoma in Norman, Okla., recently announced that it will soon launch a new, comprehensive Campus Master Plan to guide the campus’ physical development during the next decade, according to a news release.

  • Northeastern University Breaks Ground on New Housing Community

    Northeastern University recently announced the groundbreaking of a new student housing community on its campus in Boston, Mass., according to a news release. The university is partnering with American Campus Communities (ACC) for development of the project, which will have the capacity for 1,200 students and has a scheduled completion date of fall 2028.