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NPR is in trouble. Its core audience—older and predominantly white—is tuning out, while revenue from corporate sponsorships has sharply declined. Efforts to attract a more diverse audience have struggled and initiatives to diversify programming, staff and on-air talent have sparked internal conflict.
A March 2024 internal report pointed to “news fatigue, digital transformation and increased competition” as major contributors to NPR’s current problems. In response to a $30 million budget shortfall, the organization has resorted to layoffs and discontinued several podcasts. It is also considering changes like shortening news stories, increasing viewpoint diversity and hiring more conversational or controversial and opinionated hosts.
However, the issues run deeper. A former senior editor attributed some of the network’s decline to wokeness and overt partisanship. Some critics have pointed to programming heavily focused on race and ethnicity during key time slots as contributing to the alienation of broader audiences. Others have argued that NPR has developed a narrow range of stories and themes, coupled with a preachy tone and a perspective that often mirrors MSNBC’s.
There’s also a sense that NPR no longer delivers the “liberal-but-nuanced” content that once explored issues in greater depth than mainstream network news.
Strategic missteps have also played a role. Insiders have criticized the network for excessive caution, particularly its failure to invest adequately in podcasts and for fostering an organizational culture resistant to self-criticism.
Eric Nusum, freelance pop culture writer and program director at WKSU-FM, Kent State University’s NPR affiliate, argues that public radio’s real problem is not external competition or digital disruption, but rather a decline in overall quality, engagement and relevance. According to Nusum, NPR’s challenges stem from internal stagnation, with boredom and disengagement driving its decline.
Drawing upon decades of audience research, Nusum notes that listeners only complain about the length of radio segments when they are bored or uninterested. The deeper issue, he argues, is that public radio has become less compelling, adopting a monotone and disengaged style that fails to capture or sustain the attention of its audience.
Once celebrated for its depth and thought-provoking content, NPR now often lacks the energy and dynamism needed to engage younger listeners, who describe it as “boring” and “dry.”
Nusum insists that public radio’s decline is the result of complacency and a resistance to bold change. Rather than focusing on superficial tweaks—such as shortening segments or making minor adjustments in tone—he argues that NPR needs to overhaul its programming and rediscover what makes it distinct and indispensable.
To reverse its fortunes, public radio must create content that resonates more deeply with listeners’ lives and interests, making it relevant and compelling once again. Without these substantive shifts in programming and tone, Nusum warns, public radio risks further marginalization.
This critique mirrors the challenges faced by higher education, particularly at regional and urban public institutions that serve the majority of undergraduates. Just as public radio must adapt to meet changing audience expectations, these institutions must evolve to meet the shifting demands of various stakeholders. In both cases, bold action is required to halt a slow but steady decline.
For higher education, the question remains: What can these institutions do to reinvigorate the college experience and make it more meaningful and relevant for today’s students?
Many students, particularly at regional and urban public institutions, are grappling with concerns about rising costs, the value of their degrees and how their education connects to real-world opportunities. To address these issues, institutions must think beyond incremental changes and embrace bold, transformative strategies that respond to the evolving needs of students and the shifting landscape of higher education.
Only through bold action and transformative reform can higher education remain relevant and meet the needs of a diverse, modern student body. The challenges facing these institutions are significant and incremental changes will no longer suffice. To truly reinvigorate the college experience and make it more relevant, accessible and meaningful, higher education must connect its offerings to real-world opportunities, ensuring that students see the value of their education in an increasingly competitive world. These reforms should prioritize accessibility, career readiness and a stronger connection between academic learning and practical skills, ensuring that students graduate with the tools they need to succeed.
The parallels between public radio’s decline and the challenges facing higher education are clear: Both must embrace innovation to stay relevant in a rapidly changing landscape. Just as public radio needs to make its content more compelling and reflective of its audience’s needs, colleges must rethink their strategies to better serve today’s students, making higher education a more valuable and relevant endeavor for the next generation.
The major reasons students drop out of college are life challenges, such as financial pressures, family responsibilities or health issues, and the opportunity costs of staying in school, particularly when students feel they could be earning money or gaining work experience instead of attending classes.
These practical concerns are significant and addressing them is essential to improving retention rates. However, while logistical support is critical, it is equally important to make college a compelling and meaningful experience—one that students feel is worth the investment of their time, energy and resources.
Creating a college experience that is meaningful means more than just ensuring that students can graduate. It requires fostering an environment where students feel personally and academically engaged, see clear pathways between their education and future opportunities, and believe that the skills and knowledge they gain will serve them in their professional and personal lives.
If students see college as a transformative period of growth and a direct path to achieving their goals, the value of the experience becomes clearer, making it easier to justify the time and financial commitment.
This also ties into the concept of opportunity cost. If students perceive that the time they spend in college could be better used working or pursuing alternative career pathways, they are more likely to drop out. To counteract this, institutions must ensure that the education they offer is not only academically rigorous but also practically relevant. Programs that integrate internships, mentorships and real-world experiences into the curriculum can help bridge the gap between the classroom and the workforce, reducing the perceived opportunity costs of staying in college.
Making college a compelling investment means aligning the college experience with students’ aspirations and needs. This involves creating support systems that address life challenges, providing practical skills and career-oriented programs and offering an education that inspires and empowers students to see their degrees as more than just a credential but as a meaningful step toward achieving their long-term goals.
Here are some bold steps that could significantly transform higher education, making it more immersive, engaging and equitable. These proposals focus on enhancing the student experience, promoting wellness and preparing students for professional success.
Some initiatives are already in practice at various institutions, while others would require substantial faculty buy-in or financial investment. Nonetheless, their collective impact on the student experience would likely be profound, fostering deeper learning, personal growth and career readiness.
- Student success and career preparation. A summer bridge program to prepare entering students for the rigors of college. This would include intensive sessions in math, writing and reading comprehension to reinforce foundational knowledge and strengthen skills critical for college success; workshops on time management, note taking, test preparation and active reading to equip students with effective study habits and tools for academic achievement; the use of campus resources such as tutoring centers, libraries and advising; training on the campus LMS and other digital tools; and sessions on goal setting, resilience and self-advocacy, helping students develop confidence, motivation and the ability to navigate challenges during their college journey.
Block scheduling to accommodate students with busy lives, by offering courses in contiguous blocks to reduce downtime between classes. This includes offering early-morning, evening and weekend courses to provide flexibility for students balancing work, family and transportation demands.
Awarding students with financial need on-campus jobs, coupled with mentoring, would enhance both financial support and personal development. This initiative, already in practice in many work-study programs, can improve retention rates, particularly for first-generation or underrepresented students. By providing students with financial security and academic guidance, these programs address both financial stress and offer students personalized support in navigating college life.
Preprofessional programs, traditionally focused on fields like medicine and law, could be expanded to include disciplines such as business, education and social work. These programs prepare students for diverse career paths and increase their job readiness.
Expanding internships and job-shadowing opportunities would build stronger connections between academic learning and professional practice, further preparing students for their future careers. This step could be scaled through stronger partnerships between universities and industries, fostering real-world experiences and increasing student employability.
The introduction of 4+1 bachelor’s and master’s programs, already a growing trend, allows students to earn both degrees within five years, saving both time and money. By streamlining students’ academic paths, these programs increase their qualifications while reducing the financial burden of higher education.
In addition, offering free or low-cost certificate programs would enable adult learners and career changers to enhance their skills and workforce readiness. Though these programs require significant funding, they could bridge the skills gap in many industries.
- Student engagement and interaction. Placing many more students in a thematic or career-aligned learning community can enhance their academic journey, personal development and career preparedness. By fostering a sense of community, integrating academic and professional learning and providing access to faculty and industry professionals, such communities can increase student engagement, cultivate a sense of purpose and help bridge the gap between classroom learning and real-world applications.
Undergraduate research opportunities can include training in research methodologies, lab techniques and data analysis, while working in collaborative environments with peers and mentors, culminating in a public presentation.
Enhancing student-faculty interactions by incentivizing faculty to have lunch or coffee with students can foster a stronger sense of community and mentorship. Informal interactions deepen student-faculty relationships, contributing to higher retention rates and increased student engagement.
Similarly, re-establishing film series combined with faculty-led discussions could create an intellectually stimulating environment, promoting critical thinking and community building outside the classroom.
Inviting faculty to give public lectures can elevate the intellectual climate on campus, offering both students and the community opportunities to engage with faculty research. These public forums enhance the visibility of faculty expertise while encouraging student participation in broader academic conversations.
- Cultural enrichment and creativity. Incorporating cultural experiences into general education, such as visits to performances and museums, could deepen students’ engagement with the arts while fostering interdisciplinary learning. For institutions located in urban areas, this initiative is highly feasible and would enrich the student experience by exposing students to diverse artistic and cultural expressions. For students from rural or low-income backgrounds, logistical and financial support would be necessary to ensure equitable access to these cultural opportunities.
Bringing the performing arts into campus life by hosting performances in campus buildings and exhibiting student art in classrooms would promote creativity and foster a vibrant campus atmosphere. This initiative is relatively easy to implement and would make the arts a more integral part of the campus culture.
- Curricular innovation. Encouraging every faculty member to work with students on research projects can significantly enhance student engagement and critical thinking skills. While this approach is resource-intensive, it has the potential to deepen mentorship opportunities and foster closer relationships between faculty and students. Small liberal arts colleges already implement such programs successfully, demonstrating the transformative effect this type of faculty-student collaboration can have on student learning.
Courses addressing pressing societal issues, such as climate change or racial inequality, from an interdisciplinary perspective can foster critical thinking, social awareness and global citizenship. These big-picture courses would prepare students to tackle complex global problems while enhancing their sense of social responsibility. The challenge is to convince the faculty to teach outside their comfort zones and demonstrate how scholars tackle issues through multiple disciplinary lenses.
Replacing traditional majors with structured, integrated interdisciplinary degree programs could encourage broader thinking and problem-solving. While less feasible for all institutions, particularly those with strong disciplinary traditions like engineering or medicine, this shift could help students engage with complex, real-world issues more holistically, illustrating how the sciences, the social sciences and the humanities are essential for a well-rounded preprofessional education and professional identity formation.
- Wellness, life skills and personal development. Integrating life skills—such as wellness, social development, study skills and “adulting”—into the curriculum promotes student well-being, mental health and preparedness for life beyond college. Many institutions already offer wellness programs, but formalizing these as part of the curriculum could ensure all students are better equipped to navigate both academic and personal challenges.
Engaging students in physical activity could also improve mental and physical health, reduce stress and contribute to a more balanced student life. While ensuring participation from all students might be challenging, the documented benefits of regular physical activity on academic performance and mental health make this initiative worth pursuing.
- Learning innovation and adaptability. Project-based learning, already common in fields like business and engineering, could be integrated into more courses across disciplines. This approach fosters hands-on, experiential learning and helps students engage more deeply with course material. With adequate faculty training and curriculum redesign, project-based learning can significantly increase student engagement and mastery of content, particularly in both STEM and humanities fields.
Adaptive learning technologies could also personalize education, allowing students to progress at their own pace and offering more flexibility in large lecture courses. Though developing adaptive courseware can be costly and labor intensive, it is already in use at many institutions and could improve student outcomes, particularly in courses where large class sizes make individualized learning difficult.
Game-based learning and immersive simulations could enhance student engagement in high-demand courses with high dropout rates. These technologies, especially useful in fields like health care and engineering, are laborious to develop but can significantly improve student retention and understanding of challenging material.
- Global perspectives. Making study abroad more affordable by offering short, two-week visits would allow more students to benefit from international exposure and cross-cultural learning. While these short-term programs are less immersive than traditional study abroad semesters, they provide essential global perspectives at a fraction of the cost, making international education more accessible to a broader range of students.
- Recognition of achievement. Establishing showcases for student research through lightning presentations would promote academic pride and intellectual curiosity. By providing students with opportunities to present their work, universities can foster cross-disciplinary learning and increase students’ confidence in their academic abilities. These showcases could be integrated into existing research symposiums, making them a low-cost but high-impact initiative.
- Inclusion and community building. A program designed for parents of first-generation college students aims to connect them with the institution and equip them with the tools to support their child’s academic and personal development. Covering key topics like financial aid, support services and career preparation through internships and experiential learning, the program keeps parents engaged through regular communication, helping them provide emotional and practical support as their children navigate academic challenges.
Making campuses more family-friendly could benefit nontraditional students, such as those who commute or have caregiving responsibilities. Creating family-friendly spaces and events on campus would foster a more inclusive environment and help nontraditional students balance their academic and personal responsibilities.
These bold steps to transform higher education would address key areas of student success, engagement and well-being. While some initiatives may face logistical or financial challenges, the potential benefits of enhancing student learning, personal growth and career readiness make them worth pursuing.
By fostering a more immersive, engaging and equitable student experience, colleges and universities can better prepare students for the challenges and opportunities of today’s world.
The need for higher education to adopt bold, innovative strategies has never been greater. To engage students more deeply, cultivate critical thinking and better prepare them for a dynamic job market, campuses must integrate transformative initiatives. Incorporating project-based learning, fostering meaningful faculty-student mentorship, promoting interdisciplinary courses and expanding access to global experiences can help create a more immersive, equitable and engaging student experience.
These initiatives are not merely about improving short-term academic metrics—they are about ensuring that students graduate equipped with the adaptability, cultural literacy and problem-solving skills necessary to thrive in the years ahead.
The bold steps outlined here represent more than isolated interventions; they embody a shift toward creating lifelong learners capable of navigating an evolving professional landscape and contributing meaningfully to society. Higher education must embrace these initiatives—rethinking curricula, integrating technology-enhanced learning and fostering real-world connections through internships and community engagement. This approach not only closes skills gaps but also inspires a new generation of leaders who are prepared for the challenges of the modern world.
Today’s higher education must move beyond imparting knowledge—it must foster personal growth, civic engagement and professional readiness. Proposals like interdisciplinary programs, mentorship and wellness initiatives are crucial to creating a holistic learning environment that reflects the complexities of contemporary society. By implementing these changes, universities can help students navigate their academic journeys with confidence, ensuring they graduate with the cultural fluency and hands-on experience that will allow them to succeed both personally and professionally.
In a rapidly changing higher education landscape, innovation is no longer optional—it is imperative. The proposals outlined here call for collaboration and creativity across all facets of campus life, from academics to wellness and career preparation.
These steps not only empower students to achieve academic success but also equip them with the resilience and creativity necessary to tackle future uncertainties.
In a world where adaptability and interdisciplinary thinking are key, these changes are not just opportunities for growth—they are essential for the future of higher education. By taking these bold steps, institutions can ensure they remain relevant, impactful and transformative for the generations to come.
