Without a Compelling Why, the What’s and How’s Don’t Matter

22/09/2025 30 min Temporada 1 Episodio 1
Without a Compelling Why, the What’s and How’s Don’t Matter

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Episode Synopsis

College students face a significant crisis of meaning. They struggle to understand and articulate the “why” of higher education. As public confidence in the value of higher education continues to decline, FYE programs should take a first-principles approach and organize around the meaning and purpose. Doing this will reshape FYE to meet students' growing need for meaning. Join Matt Sanders and Harrison Kleiner as they discuss how this transformative approach can inspire student and teachers and better meet the goals of FYE.
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Click the link to learn more about the book Becoming a Learner: Realizing the Opportunity of Education https://a.co/d/ePiv11d

 
About Matthew Sanders
Matt Sanders is a Professor of Communication Studies at Utah State University and holds a PhD in Communication from the University of Colorado at Boulder. He has a long-standing interest in helping students improve their college experience and enjoys working closely with the orientation and first-year experience programs at Utah State. He is the author of Becoming a Learner: Realizing the Opportunity of Education. In addition to his writing and speaking about the college experience, he also teaches classes and publishes research on the topics of leadership, the nonprofit sector, and pedagogy. Matt can be reached at [email protected].
About Harrison Kleiner
Harrison Kleiner is Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and Professor of Philosophy at Utah State University and holds a PhD in Philosophy from Purdue University. He is deeply involved in general education, the first-year experience, and student success, leading institutional efforts in curricular and assessment reform. He chairs or serves on several state higher education system committees and consults nationally with faculty on general education, assessment, and excellence in teaching. He teaches and writes on issues in perennial philosophy, theology, political thought, and liberal education.  Harrison can be reached at [email protected].