The Secret Ingredient with KUT’s Rebecca McInroy, Raj Patel, author of A History of the World in Seven Cheap Things, and food and agriculture correspondent for Mother Jones, Tom Philpott explore the future of the Green New Deal with Naomi Klein, author of “On Fire: The (Burning) Case for a Green New Deal.”
education
Higher Ed: Want An Exciting Life? Ask This Question At Graduation (Or Anytime, Really)
Most of us have the best of intentions when we graduate from high school or college to make our way in the world and lead meaningful and productive lives. But the minutiae of everyday life can eat into our plans to exist outside our comfort zone. In this episode of KUT’s podcast “Higher Ed,” Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger and KUT’s Jennifer Stayton explore one way to keep those dreams alive.
Ed has a tradition at Southwestern University called the President’s Dinner. At some point during their time at Southwestern, each student will get invited to dinner at the President’s house with about 12 other people. Part of the dinner conversation will revolve around answering a provocative question.
At a recent dinner, Ed posed the following question: “What would surprise you about yourself 25 years after graduation?”
After hearing the discussion the followed, Ed wanted to bring that question to “Higher Ed” podcast listeners, too.
“What’s something that you could imagine and dream about doing but you really don’t think you would do in practice?’
Ed maintains that asking that question at any stage of life will prompt us to then figure out what concrete steps can we take to get there. And that pursuit, he believes, is the “joy of life.”
“When people go to our funeral, let’s say ‘we left it all on the field; we lived this full life,'” says Ed. “So even the surprising things we’ve tried.”
Ed says conversely, it might be just as valuable to consider the places where we do not want to be 25 years after graduation.
“How can we go to the dark side,” cautions Ed, ” and then what can we do with intentionality to make sure we avoid that?”
Ed says we may be our own worst enemy when it comes to this type of exploration. He encourages people to put their education into practice to overcome that obstacle.
“We are all biased about our individual selves. ‘ I am supposed to do this. I am good at that and I am not good at art’ or whatever it is,” says Ed. “To overcome that internal bias about you, and to say ‘well, maybe I can be an artist’ is an open-minded attitude which all education that’s focusing on personal, intellectual growth should be offering.”
Listen to the entire episode to hear more about how to surprise ourselves 25 years after graduation (or at any point in life). It is also time to see what kind of puzzler we are dealt in this episode.
This episode was recorded on Oct. 22, 2019.
For all the Higher Ed episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes here
Texas Standard: November 8, 2019
It’s been a long time coming, but now that a state takeover of Houston ISD is happening… We’ll look at questions that remain about how it will unfold. Vetting migrants has always been a talking point for President Trump. Now a new facility is giving border agents access to classified information they haven’t had before. Plus Texas voters passed a measure supporting tax money for parks. We’ll look at how that money will be spent. And remembering a Puerto Rican astrologer who crossed borders of all sorts. Also, have you ever felt a song is about you? Taking that to the next level. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Higher Ed: The Key To Dissipating Regret? Use It To Spur Action And Change
A podcast listener wrote in asking for guidance about how to handle the regret she feels over the choices she made in college. In this episode of KUT’s podcast “Higher Ed,” Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger and KUT’s Jennifer Stayton examine regret and the ways in which it can actually inspire positive change.
A podcast listener named Rebekah wrote in with the following question: “Sometimes when I listen to your podcast…I get a bit sad because I did not do all the things you talk about. I did not fit in at my college. I did not learn deeply. I focused on the wrong things and it hurts to think that maybe my life could have been better if only….What would Ed say to me about my sorrow over my misspent youth or lost opportunities?”
Ed’s first response? “I think it’s fantastic that Rebekah has regret!”
And why is that?
Ed says he looks at regret as a signal of a couple of things, one of them being personal growth.
“Regret is something that means that she has grown from where she was to where she is now,” Ed maintains. “So if nothing else, she needs to celebrate the fact that she looks at, in this case, her formal education in a different way. That’s huge growth and that’s worthy of celebration in and of itself.”
Ed believes regret truly becomes useful when that feeling prompts action.
“When you feel that, now there’s an action item. What are you going to do about it?” asks Ed. “It’s never too late to be learning.”
Ed says listening to that inner voice that fuels feelings of regret can help spur that action.
“If there’s a longing in us today that is something that could lead us to become [an] ever better, more amplified version of ourselves then we need to embrace that longing and take action. That’s the key to regret,” Ed believes. “Sitting by and just going ‘oh, woe is me’ – that’s ineffective.”
Ed says understanding why we feel regret for things done (or not done) in the past can also help us take action that will prevent similar regret later on. Listen to the full episode to hear more about what Ed calls “intellectual regret prevention” and to get the solution to last episode’s shape-shifting puzzler.
This episode was recorded on Sept. 25, 2019.
Texas Standard: October 29, 2019
The house prepares for a Thursday impeachment vote. We’ll take a look at what that means. Also, a state board designed to keep spending in check has been working without a director, losing all its executive team and is shedding staff. The rotting away may be part of a plan by the Lt. Governor, we’ll explore. And after a threat from the Governor, Austin is clearing out some of its homeless camps, we’ll have details. Plus, it’s a part of New Mexico rich with roughnecks. Now some are saying they wish they could secede and join Texas, and they may be only half kidding. All of that and then some today on the Texas Standard:
Higher Ed: Letting Go Of The “Noise” To Prioritize Better In School And Life
Most people – students included – have a long to-do list but are short on ideas for how to tackle it. In this episode of KUT’s podcast “Higher Ed,” Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger and KUT’s Jennifer Stayton discuss strategies for deciding what should top the list.
Ed suggests that removing things from the list might actually be an effective first step in prioritizing what is there.
“I just look at them, and if I can dispense with it instantly, I just do,” says Ed. “And that could be including just forwarding it on to the right person…. That gets a lot of stuff off your desk immediately.”
Okay, so now that the list is shorter, what is the best way to determine what gets attention first? This is where some discernment comes in.
“There’s stuff that you just have to say, ‘I can’t worry about that. That is just a distraction,'” says Ed. “And that I think is the ultimate in prioritizing which is saying, ‘that’s essential. This is exactly why I exist. And this is just noise.’ And the noise you have to let go.”
When those essential tasks are chosen, Ed then advocates for working in parallel on items on the list rather than trying to get them completely finished one by one.
“Just do something for a little bit,” suggests Ed. “And then if all of a sudden you’ve lost your mojo on that thing, then just put it aside and don’t say ‘I’m going to push right through that’ say ‘okay, enough of that, let me do something else.'”
Ed concedes there is a practical side to prioritizing work and tasks but also an emotional side. Listen to the entire episode to hear more about how to make peace with prioritizing – especially when other people are unhappy with those decisions. And you will want to make the new puzzler a priority for this week; it is a little bit math and a little bit art.
This episode was recorded on Sept. 25, 2019.
Higher Ed: How To Keep Tired Students Engaged? Help Them Produce – Not Just Consume – Knowledge
Students have a lot of tugging at their energy and attention including classes, homework, jobs and activities. In this episode of KUT’s podcast “Higher Ed,” Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger and KUT’s Jennifer Stayton strategize on how to keep exhausted students engaged in the classroom.
“I teach an elementary math methods course. My students are seniors who are concurrently student teaching. They have two 3-hour classes each Monday and they are in classrooms the rest of the week. My class is the Monday afternoon class. I am struggling to keep their interest for three hours…. Any ideas on how I can get my tired students engaged and interested for three whole hours?”
Speaking from experience, Ed says several teaching strategies can help keep students’ (or anyone’s) attention when they are low on energy and rest but have a long stretch of classroom or meeting time ahead.
First of all, try to make the longer class feel like a shorter class.
“You’ve got to make sure that you give time for breaks. That’s number one,” says Ed. “It can’t be a three hour block.”
Ed also believes teachers need to inspire and support students’ curiosity about the material.
“Teachers should never be answering a question that [students] are not at that moment asking,” Ed believes. “So the real challenge in teaching math, or frankly, teaching anything … is to bring students to a place where they look at us and say ‘well, how do you do that?’ And than you say ‘I am so glad you asked!'”
He says fueling that curiosity will not only drive engagement and participation but also learning.
“If you make it into a riddle or a puzzle or a conundrum, then there’s this curiosity of ‘how come that person did it and I don’t know how to do it?'” says Ed. “And then it’s like ‘show me how. Show me the secret.’ So it’s like magic. ‘Show me a magic illusion and then show me the secret behind the curtain.’ And all of a sudden they’re learning.”
That active learning will, Ed believes, puts students in the position of creating more ideas themselves, which will in turn keep them more involved in what’s happening in the classroom.
“The more you can create active learning in the classroom or even outside the classroom,” says Ed, “we learn better when we are actively engaged and we’re the producers of the ideas rather than merely the consumers of the ideas.”
Of course, it’s hard to get around the fact that a three hour class is a long stretch of time. Ed says in his opinion, even 50 minute classes are too long. For him, an ideal class would last about 20 minutes in rotation with other subjects.
So Ed says one way to break up the time into smaller chunks is to introduce a new element every 20-25 minutes. What about something like a puzzler? Listen to this week’s full episode to hear more ideas on keeping students (or anyone) engaged and to get the solution to last week’s puzzler. We will cross that bridge when we get to it!
This episode was recorded on Sept. 25, 2019.
Higher Ed: I’m Content. And Comfortable. And Don’t Want To Change. Learn How To Do It Anyway.
“The only thing constant is change.”
That saying, or some derivation of it, is attributed to the ancience Greek philosopher Heraclitus around 500 BC. But it certainly rings as true now as it did then.
In this episode of KUT’s podcast “Higher Ed,” Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger and KUT’s Jennifer Stayton discuss preparing students to handle life’s big changes.
Earlier this fall, Ed announced that in January of 2020 he will leave his position as President of Southwestern and become President and Chief Executive Officer of the St. David’s Foundation in Austin, Texas. After spending decades in academia, this move represents a big change for Ed.
So, why did he do it?
Ed says his long career in academia was actually one of the factors that propelled him to step into a different arena.
“We should not let our gifts and talents confine us to how we define ourselves and our future,” Ed believes. “If there is something more that we want to do, I don’t think we should use the fact that we are successful at something we’re currently doing as an impediment to not go off; trail blaze; take the risk; effectively fail; and do something else.”
Ed says much of what he has learned going through this process is applicable to students or anyone in a process of learning and discerning.
“How do you open your mind to looking at a future version of yourself that is a dramatic departure from where you are?”
Ed believes that question lies at the heart of launching into a big change. He says several steps are necessary to take a major, new step:
* “Your first have to overcome that inertia that says ‘things are okay now, … or things are great now, so let’s not mess up the apple cart.'”
* “[Don’t] be afraid of the emotional responses you will have to even consider such a move or such a change because they are real. And you have to balance all of that.”
* “One needs to create the space in one’s psyche to embrace this notion of change.”
* “There’s a mourning process. We need to give ourselves the space for us to mourn the loss of the bonds, the friendships, the community that we will be leaving. And then begin to imagine and be excited by a future community and a future life that will come next.”
Listen to the entire episode to hear more about contemplating, navigating and executing a big life change.
Ed promised the newest puzzler would be tougher than recent ones. He did not change his mind about that; be ready for a tough one this week.
This episode was recorded on Sept. 25, 2019.
Texas Standard: October 1, 2019
Another Texas Republican retirement from Washington, this one coming as a shock to some but seems different to others. We’ll have the latest. Also, frustration and confusion in the Texas capitol city over the school district’s plan to shut down a dozen schools. We’ll take a look. Plus, a lack of access to healthcare is reaching crisis level is some rural parts of Texas. Why hospitals are closing and what can be done about it. And the transgender community in Dallas is reeling after the shooting of yet another trans woman. What we know about the problem. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: September 30, 2019
In her most extensive remarks on impeachment yet, House speaker Nancy Pelosi tells Texans this is not about settling political scores. We’ll take a closer look at what she does think it’s about. Also, one of the most closely watched murder cases in recent history in Dallas enters its second week. We’ll have the latest on the case of the former Dallas police officer accused of shooting an unarmed man in his own apartment. Plus, Houston you may have a problem: a space company in Brownsville taking some mighty leaps past NASA in the space race. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Higher Ed: “We’re Not Machines” – Engaging Your Heart And Your Head In Learning
When strong feelings bubble up, your heart might win out over your head in deciding what happens next. But at times, a more thoughtful approach might prove ultimately more effective. In this episode of KUT’s podcast “Higher Ed,” Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger and KUT’s Jennifer Stayton discuss the tug-of-war between feeling and thinking.
Ed says he thinks higher education can play a role in teaching people how to navigate and process strong feelings so that those feelings can inform – but not derail – learning and major decision making.
“I think that especially on a college campus…it’s really important to allow people space for both that emotional reaction or that emotional response,” says Ed. “And then to encourage them to process and have something else come out of it.”
Ed is quick to clarify that feelings should not be shortchanged or discounted in learning and decision making. He says they actually play a vital role. But he emphasizes the importance of balancing those feelings with mindfulness and awareness.
“Our feelings and our emotions will generate all sorts of intuition; all sorts of creativity; all sorts of new insights; all sorts of new ideas. And then we can play off of them,” says Ed. “But the playing off them, and then what comes next, is all about when we start to think through them.”
What happens if that emotional response is not followed by thoughtful reflection?
“It’s like a car being stuck in the mud,” says Ed. “The wheels are just spinning and spinning and spinning, spewing up mud, but it’s not moving anywhere.”
Listen to the full episode to hear more about how to keep those wheels from just spinning in the mud without making progress, and to get the solution to last episode’s football puzzler (muddy field not required!).
This episode was recorded on Aug. 7, 2019.
After this episode was recorded, Dr. Ed Burger announced that he is leaving Southwestern University in January 2020 to become president and chief executive officer of St. David’s Foundation.
Texas Standard: September 25, 2019
Impeachment and the Tex factor: how might the politics of the Lone Star State play into a renewed push for charges against the president? It is analogous to the bringing of an indict by a grand jury. And now, the U.S. House speaker has given the green light to pursue impeachment. What is Texas’ role in all this? We’ll take a closer look. Also, a new plan to get food to rural kids during those summer months they’re out of school. Plus, a Politifact check of a claim regarding Beto O’Rourke’s promise to take away AR-15s. All that and then some today on the Texas Standard:
Higher Ed: Want To Prevent Students From Dropping Out? Provide More Support, Realistic Expectations
Fewer college students than you might think make it from Freshman orientation all the way to graduation. In this episode of KUT’s podcast “Higher Ed,” Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger and KUT’s Jennifer Stayton discuss why students drop out, and what colleges and universities can do to help them stay in.
David Kirp’s book “The College Dropout Scandal” (excerpted in The Chronicle of Higher Education) is packed with statistics about college attendance. One data point from the book really stands out: over four in ten college freshman will not graduate with a degree within six years.
As Ed points out, some of those reasons are practical or situational, such as an illness in the family or a change in family geography or status.
But there are other reasons more rooted in the institutions than in the students.
Ed says universities who make special efforts to recuit groups of students such as first generation college students or international students also need to then provide those students with the necessary support.
“Once a student arrives, there are instutions whose attitude is ‘we took that student… and now we’re done,'” says Ed, “instead of thinking about ‘ok, how do we now map a way for that student not just to graduate… but to flourish.'”
Ed believes that support – for any student – needs to include personal connections because “the moment it becomes less personal, it’s easier to find a way out.”
Ed believes higher education as a whole should also examine the culture around expectations of what is “normal” and achievable in the standard four year time frame. He says acceptance and flexibility in that regard might help more students stick with school.
“If someone needs, for whatever reason, a little more time to finish, they shouldn’t think anything except ‘this is the time that it takes me,” says Ed. “This idea that four years is success- is really nonsense.”
Listen to the entire episode for further discussion about helping students stay in school. The puzzler takes to the gridiron this week, but no special knowledge of football is needed to figure this one out.
This episode was recorded on Aug. 7, 2019.
After this episode was recorded, Dr. Ed Burger announced that he is leaving Southwestern University in Jan. 2020 to become President and Chief Executive Officer of St. David’s Foundation.
Texas Standard: September 20, 2019
At least two dead, nearly 4 feet of rain and some parts of southeast Texas calling it worse than Hurricane Harvey. Our own Michael Marks joins us with the latest on tropical storm Imelda’s toll in Texas. Also, you’ve heard the phrase ‘it takes a village’, but to go to Mars? Why SpaceX is offering to buy an entire south Texas community. And Houston says Howdy Modi as the Indian Prime Minister makes Texas a centerpiece of his U.S. visit. Plus the week in Texas politics with the Texas Tribune and more today on the Texas Standard:
Higher Ed: For Some Teachers “It’s Not A Matter Of Being Nice But Setting Great Expectations”
Just about everybody can recall an influential teacher who nurtured and inspired them. But not all great teachers are “warm and fuzzy.” In this episode of KUT’s podcast “Higher Ed,” Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger and KUT’s Jennifer Stayton explore dealing with fantastic teachers who have challenging personalities.
Ed recalls a wonderful Philosophy teacher he had in college whose lectures Ed describes as “utterly fascinating” but whose personality he says was kind of “off-putting.”
But that naturally raises the question: Can a good teacher have, well, a bad personality?
Ed encourages students to steer clear of that simple dichotomy and instead examine potential reasons for behavior that may appear less than nurturing.
“He had incredibly high standards so that might have been kind of like the not-friendly part,” recalls Ed. “It’s not a matter of being nice, but it’s a matter of setting great expectations.”
Ed says society now desperately needs people to treat each with kindness, politeness and respect, especially when they disagree. But he believes sometimes teachers need to use different tools to motivate a group of students.
“There is something to be said for that kind of tough love, so it’s not meanness but it’s tough love,” Ed believes. “You want the person to be more independent. You want that person to reach further than they thought they could.”
Listen to the entire episode to hear why Ed also believes that, at least sometimes, that teacher “tough love” might be more of an act than the teacher’s true personality. Also listen on for the solution to last week’s Roman numerals puzzler (don’t worry – no tough love if you didn’t get it!).
This episode was recorded on Aug. 7, 2019.
After this episode was recorded, Dr. Ed Burger announced that he is leaving Southwestern University in Jan. 2020 to become President and Chief Executive Officer of St. David’s Foundation.
Higher Ed: Surviving And Succeeding During Freshman Year In College (Or Through Any Big Life Change)
First-year college student students often encounter tougher classes in a new environment without the familiar supports of home. In this episode of KUT’s podcast “Higher Ed,” Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger and KUT’s Jennifer Stayton explore strategies for staying on course when so much is changing.
“You’re going to be homesick. You’re going to be miserable. You’re going to be alone…. You’re going to feel like there’s no one on the planet that gets you.”
That’s how Ed describes those first few days or weeks or months of freshman year in college. While it may not be quite that extreme for everyone, heading off to college is a significant transition. Ed believes successfully navigating those changes starts with acknowledging them.
“We are fragile creatures….we are not accustomed to change,” says Ed, ” and I think that our basic modus operandi is we like things to be the same. So, any kind of dramatic change will cause angst and anxiety.”
Ed says being open to new connections and experiences can ease some of that angst and anxiety.
“You will make new relationships and you will make new friendships,” says Ed. ” And they might not look the same as your old friends and your old friendships. Be open to the fact that you might be drawn to someone who you might not have been drawn to in high school.”
Ed also suggests exercising some restraint in getting involved with multiple activities right away.
“There’s a temptation to join everything,” Ed warns. “So, [be] mindful of your time and [make] sure you have down time.”
Listen to the entire episode to hear more of Ed’s suggestions for navigating the major changes that come along with the first year of college (or any major change, really) including what he considers his most important advice for all students of every grade level.
No change with the puzzler; it’s back and ready to challenge with a Roman numeral riddle.
This episode was recorded on Aug. 7, 2019.
Note: After this episode was recorded, Dr. Ed Burger announced that he is leaving Southwestern University in Jan. 2020 to become President and Chief Executive Officer of St. David’s Foundation.
Texas Standard: September 6, 2019
The Governor promised action, now 8 executive orders aimed at reducing gun violence. But do they go far enough? We’ll take a closer look. Also, money for a border wall? Where’s it coming from? In part, from military projects in Texas. Also a former state musician with a new release: musical, yet this one’s more a treat for the eyes. Plus the week in Texas politics and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: September 4, 2019
How well do you think democracy is working in America? Texans weigh in and talk about about what poses the biggest threat to democracy. We’ll have details from the just released annual survey of political attitudes in the Lone Star State, the Texas Lyceum Poll. Also, what we’re learning about how the Permian Basin shooter obtained his weapon and how that’s putting Texas lawmakers in a politically precarious position. Plus is the U.S. not only the top oil and gas producer but tops in cutting emissions, too? A Politifact check and more when today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: August 28, 2019
As fall approaches the political season heats up: and a shift in the role of Texas in one of the most consequential election seasons in modern memory. Coming up a conversation with Gromer Jeffers, political writer for the Dallas Morning News, on why the Texas factor in the 2020 election year goes way beyond the presidential race. Also the homeless crisis in San Francisco: most of those homeless are Texans, says California’s governor. Politifact takes a closer look. And an especially wooly war for survival in the Trans Pecos. Those stories and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: August 27, 2019
Release the tape: that demand from Texas House Republicans as a scandal involving House Speaker Dennis Bonnen appears to enter a new phase, we’ll have details. Also, they’ve been described as prison camps for kids: just how bad are the facilities holding unaccompanied minors crossing the border without documentation? A reporter gets a rare inside look. Plus, how some residents of the hill country are trying to keep developers at bay… by buying the hill. And business bankruptcies in Texas fall, but experts warn its the calm before the storm. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard: