Last month the Congressional Budget Office projected an $11.5 billion shortfall in Pell funding by fiscal year 2027. The program provides need-based federal financial aid for more than 30 percent of American college students. Part of the funding problem is that Congress made getting aid easier without appropriating more money to cover the increase in students gaining access.

Finding a solution requires out of the box thinking that creates sustainable funding without limiting opportunity for first-generation students, according to this week’s guest, Kristin Hultquist, the founder and CEO of HCM strategies and an expert in higher education policy and strategy development. In this episode of The Key, Hultquist speaks with Inside Higher Ed’s editor in chief Sara Custer about what a long-term funding strategy for a modern Pell Grant program could look like.

Thank you to our partners at the Gates Foundation for sponsoring this episode.

Robert Zemsky is a pioneer in market analysis of higher education and served as the founding director of the University of Pennsylvania’s Institute for Research on Higher Education, one of the country's leading public policy centers specializing in educational research and analysis. In this episode of The Key, Zemsky speaks with Inside Higher Ed's editor in chief Sara Custer about his biggest project yet: championing three-year bachelor's degrees in the U.S.

He argues that higher education is seeing "product rejection" from students and that three-year degrees are the solution. But Bob is careful not to be proscriptive about how colleges develop shorter programs. His message to educators is: try it, you might like it.

News editor Katherine Knott joins editor in chief Sara Custer for an IHE newsroom updated on federal policy. Katherine shares what she expects will be on the agenda in the negotiated rule making for accreditation and how the department will run the process. At the time of recording the government was shut down, but Katherine explains how the budget bill awaiting passage in the House is far more generous to higher ed than the White House’s proposals. And rumors are swirling that the administration will unveil a second compact soon.

Thanks to our partners The Gates Foundation for sponsoring this episode.

Best-selling author, Inside Higher Ed columnist and educator John Warner joins IHE’s editor in chief Sara Custer to discuss how institutions can continue to help students learn and grow when AI threatens to do everything for them.

Read John’s IHE column “Just Visiting”

Check out John’s latest book More Than Words: How to Think About Writing in the Age of AI

Collecting and analyzing student data and then acting on any findings to support student success is a struggle for many institutions. Often data is in the wrong format, inaccessible to the right teams or there are so many analytics colleges don’t know where to start. Many administrators also lack the data literacy needed to make accurate, data-informed decisions.

In this episode, we’re sharing a discussion Inside Higher Ed Editor in Chief Sara Custer had with higher ed leaders at IHE’s Student Success 2025 event. Courtney Brown, vice-president of strategic impact and planning at the Lumina Foundation, Elliot Felix, the higher education advisory practice lead at Buro Happold and Mark Milliron the president of National University bring unique experiences and perspectives to the question of how institutions can be data-driven and student centered.

This episode is sponsored by the Gates Foundation.

In the final Key episode of 2025, IHE’s news editor Katherine Knott and federal policy reporter Jessica Blake join editor in chief Sara Custer to discuss the three stories that encapsulate the year in state and federal policy.

In her final episode of Voices of Student Success, Inside Higher Ed reporter Ashley Mowreader walks through some of the latest trends in student success in higher education including generative artificial intelligence tools, mental health resources for students, affordability in higher education and internship requirements for students.

Later, hear from Joshua Bay, Inside Higher Ed’s new Student Success reporter, who started Dec. 4.

This episode is sponsored by TimelyCare.

This series of Voices of Student Success focuses on the use of generative artificial intelligence in higher education and how technology can support student success goals.

Central New Mexico Community College is deploying a new AI-powered predictive analytics tool, CampusLens, part of CampusWorks, to improve data visibility in student retention, early alerts and career outcomes.

In the latest episode of Voices of Student Success, Tracy Hartzler, president of Central New Mexico Community College, discusses the risks with taking on new tools, the college’s approach to change management and the need for more responsive data.

Hosted by Inside Higher Ed Student Success reporter Ashley Mowreader, this episode is sponsored by TimelyCare.

Read a transcript of the podcast here.