{"podcast":{"title":"Changing Higher Ed","slug":"changing-higher-ed-205463","podcast_index_feed_id":205463,"rss_url":"https://changinghighered.libsyn.com/rss","website_url":"https://changinghighered.com/changing-higher-ed-podcast/","image_url":"https://static.libsyn.com/p/assets/f/1/7/5/f175834d6107b38b16c3140a3186d450/Changing_Higher_Ed_Podcast___Drumm_McNaughton__The_Change_Leader__LOGO_4.png","author":"Dr. Drumm McNaughton","episode_count":317,"summary":"Changing Higher Ed is dedicated to helping higher education leaders improve their institutions. We offer the latest in higher ed news and insights from top experts in higher education who share their perspectives on how you can grow your institution. Host Dr. Drumm McNaughton is a top higher education consultant, renowned leader, and pioneer in strategic management systems and leadership boards. He's one of a select group with executive leadership experience in academe, nonprofits, government, and business.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-01T08:21:14.364473+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/changing-higher-ed-205463"},"episode":{"title":"How University Presidents Lead with Moral Courage Under Political Pressure","slug":"how-university-presidents-lead-with-moral-courage-under-political-pressure","published_at":"2026-02-24T18:30:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/changing-higher-ed-205463/how-university-presidents-lead-with-moral-courage-under-political-pressure","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/changing-higher-ed-205463","url":"https://changinghighered.libsyn.com/-draft-p300-draft","audio_url":"https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/changinghighered/CHE-300_-_Lynn_Pasquerella_FINAL.mp3?dest-id=751925","summary":"Higher education's public trust problem is not something presidents can fix with better messaging. In this conversation, AAC&U President Dr. Lynn Pasquerella describes a structural squeeze on institutional independence that shows up as academic freedom fights, curriculum mandates, and growing skepticism about higher education's value. In episode 300 of the Changing Higher Ed® podcast , Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with Dr. Pasquerella about why liberal education is often misunderstood, why academic freedom is inseparable from institutional autonomy, and why presidents and boards need to treat this moment as a governance and mission issue, not a temporary political cycle. Pasquerella explains how these pressures tend to escalate incrementally, why institutions lost control of the public narrative, and what it takes to rebuild credibility through community anchoring, transparency, and a renewed public-good case for higher education. This conversation is especially relevant for institutional leaders navigating legislative interference, polarized stakeholder environments, and the operational consequences of eroding trust. Topics Discussed Why academic freedom and institutional autonomy erode incrementally What Supreme Court precedent signals about academic freedom and university self-governance Why liberal education is about intellectual freedom, not partisan ideology How higher education lost the public narrative and why marketing is not the solution Moral distress and moral injury in the presidency under coercive mandates Belonging uncertainty, cognitive bandwidth, and the institutional impact of student wellbeing Community anchoring as the practical path to rebuilding trust How institutions can reimagine learning without abandoning rigor Real-World Examples Discussed…","meta_description":"Higher education's public trust problem is not something presidents can fix with better messaging. In this conversation, AAC&U President Dr. Lynn Pasq…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2614,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/changing-higher-ed-205463/episodes/how-university-presidents-lead-with-moral-courage-under-political-pressure/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/changing-higher-ed-205463/how-university-presidents-lead-with-moral-courage-under-political-pressure.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}