About this episode
Educators and economists tell us all the reasons college enrollment has been dropping, especially for men, and how to stop the bleeding. (Part 3 of our series from 2022, “ Freakonomics Radio Goes Back to School .”) SOURCES: Zachary Bleemer , assistant professor of economics at Princeton University and faculty research fellow at the National Bureau of Economic Research. D'Wayne Edwards , founder and President of Pensole Lewis College. Catharine Hill , former president of Vassar College; trustee at Yale University; and managing director at Ithaka S+R. Pano Kanelos , founding president of the University of Austin. Amalia Miller , professor of economics at the University of Virginia. Donald Ruff , president and C.E.O. of the Eagle Academy Foundation. Morton Schapiro , professor of economics and former president of Northwestern University. Ruth Simmons , former president of Smith College, Brown University, and Prairie View A&M University. Miguel Urquiola , professor of economics at Columbia University. RESOURCES: " What Gay Men’s Stunning Success Might Teach Us About the Academic Gender Gap ," by Joel Mittleman ( The Washington Post , 2022). " We Can't Wait for Universities to Fix Themselves. So We're Starting a New One ," by Pano Kanelos ( Common Sense , 2021). " Academic Freedom in Crisis: Punishment, Political Discrimination, and Self-Censorship ," by Eric Kaufmann (Center for the Study of Partisanship and Ideology, 2021). “ A Generation of American Men Give Up on College: ‘I Just Feel Lost’ ,” by Douglas Belkin ( The Wall Street Journal , 2021). " Community Colleges and Upward Mobility ," by Jack Mountjoy ( NBER Working Paper , 2021). " Elite Schools and Opting In: Effects of College Selectivity on Career and Family Outcomes ," by Suqin Ge, Elliott Isaac, and Amalia Miller ( NBER Working Paper , 2019). " Leaving Boys Behind: Gender Disparities in High Academic Achievement ," by Nicole M. Fortin, Philip Oreopoulos, and Shelley Phipps ( NBER Working Paper , 2013). EXTRAS: " Freakonomics Radio Goes Back to School ," series by Freakonomics Radio (2024). “ 'If We’re All in It for Ourselves, Who Are We?' ” by Freakonomics Radio (2024). Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.