On Campus Podcast – Season Wrap-Up: The Engaged University

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1. Podcast Introduction (00:00:06) Host introduces the podcast, its purpose, and provides a disclaimer about the views expressed.
2. Season Three Reflection & Episode Format (00:00:33) Main speaker explains the unique reflective format of this episode and recaps the season’s mission.
3. Key Themes of Season Three (00:01:19) Overview of season topics: human-centered design, community engagement, belonging, undergraduate research, and professional development.
4. Major Higher Education Shifts in 2025 (00:02:53) Discussion of 2025 trends: institutional AI adoption and governance, career readiness, global engagement, and student belonging.
5. Implications for Higher Education (00:04:30) Reflection on how these changes position higher education at a crossroads, emphasizing agility, transparency, and student-centeredness.
6. Preview of Season Four (00:06:09) Outline of next season’s approach: no single theme, focus on emerging and challenging higher ed conversations.
7. Thank You and Listener Engagement (00:07:27) Gratitude to guests and listeners, encouragement to revisit and share episodes, and a holiday message.
8. Closing and Additional Resources (00:07:45) Host invites listeners to explore related courses and webinars, and thanks the production team.

Ed Butch: Welcome to On Campus with CITI Program, the podcast where we explore the complexities of the campus experience with higher education experts and researchers. I’m your host, Ed Butch, and I’m thrilled to have you with us today. Before we get started, I want to quickly note that this podcast is for educational purposes only and is not designed to provide legal advice or guidance. In addition, the views expressed in this podcast are solely those of our guests.

Hello, everyone, and welcome to the final episode of season three of On Campus. If this is your first time tuning in, welcome. And if you’ve been with me throughout this season and seasons prior, thank you for spending your time, curiosity, and attention here. On Campus has always been about creating a space for thoughtful conversations about higher education and this season truly embodied that mission. Now today’s episode is a bit different. There’s no guests joining me, no panel discussion, no deep dive into a single topic. Instead, this is a moment to pause, to reflect on what we’ve explored together this season, to acknowledge the major shifts that shaped higher education throughout 2025, and of course to look ahead at what’s coming next in season four.

Season three focused on something I believe is foundational to higher education: how institutions engage, engage students, communities, professionals, and even the world beyond campus. Across the season, we talked about designing human-centered campuses and learning environments, the role of community engagement and civic responsibility, creating belonging and connection in residential and co-curricular spaces, elevating undergraduate research as a high impact practice, and dedicating time to professional development, especially as career paths become less linear and more complex. What tied all of these conversations together was a shared recognition that higher education is not static. Colleges and universities are living systems shaped by priority, policies, culture, and global forces. And in 2025, those forces were especially visible. So let’s zoom out for a moment and talk about what changed or continued to evolve across higher education this year.

Artificial intelligence, no other place to start than there, but AI became institutional and not experimental. It was something that no longer institutions were piloting, but it truly became embedded in admissions and enrollment management, career services, and resume screenings, academic advising and early alert systems, and teaching assessment and curriculum design. And what stood out this year was not just the adoption, but governance as well. Universities increasingly had to answer tough questions about ethics, transparency, bias, and student data. The conversation shifted from, “Should we use AI?” to, “How do we use it responsibly and who benefits?”

Next, career readiness really took the stage. The pressure on institutions to clearly articulate the value of a degree intensified in 2025. Students and families wanted strong connections between the coursework and careers they’re seeking, clear pathways from education to employment, and skills that translate across industries, not just first jobs. So this helped elevate conversations around experiential learning, compliance, and regulatory careers, micro-credentials, and interdisciplinary pathways, topics we of course touched on directly this season.

Third, and probably one of my favorite things to talk about, is that global engagement rebounded, but with caution. Study abroad, global partnerships, and international collaboration continued to rebound after earlier disruptions, but with a more intentional lens. Institutions now are really focused more on student health and safety, ethical global partnerships, short-term and hybrid global experiences, and reciprocity rather than one-way engagement. Global education in 2025 wasn’t just about travel. It was about responsibility and sustainability.

And last, student belonging remained a central challenge. Despite all of the innovation, one thing remained constant. Students continue to report concerns around belonging, mental health, and connection. Institutions really started to invest more in residential learning communities, student support services, and trauma-informed and inclusive practices. But the work is ongoing. Belonging is definitely not solved by a single problem or program. It’s built through culture, relationships, and daily decisions made by everyone at the university, from the president all the way down.

So what do these changes mean? Taken together, this past year has really reminded us that higher ed is at a crossroads. Institutions are being asked to be more agile while remaining mission-driven, be more transparent while navigating complexity, and be more student-centered without oversimplifying the work. And perhaps most importantly, higher education is asked to listen, listen to students, to staff, to faculty, to communities, and critics alike. And that’s something that we are going to continue to prioritize on this podcast.

As we look ahead to season four, the question really is what’s next? So next season of On Campus, we’re going to take a different approach. There won’t be a single unifying theme, but instead of focus on emerging, timely, and sometimes uncomfortable conversations in higher ed. You can expect episodes that explore new models of global and civic engagement, the evolving role of faculty and academic leadership, innovation and resistance in higher ed change, student activism and institutional response, careers, compliance, and non-traditional professional pathways, and voices that we don’t always hear enough from in higher ed spaces. Season four will lean into curiosity, nuance, and dialogue because higher ed deserves conversations that go beyond the headlines and soundbites.

Before I close out this episode and this wrap up of 2025, I really want to say thank you. Thank you to our guests who shared their expertise and experiences, our listeners who have reached out, shared our episodes, and brought the conversations into the classrooms, meetings, and discussions on campus, and thank you for believing that higher ed is still worth talking about critically, thoughtfully, and honestly. If you enjoyed this season, I encourage you to revisit episodes and share them with colleagues or students and stay connected. You can follow On Campus wherever you listen to podcasts, and I’ll be sharing updates about season four soon. Thank you once again and happy holidays.

I invite all of our listeners to visit citiprogram.org to learn more about our courses and webinars on research, ethics, compliance, and higher education. I look forward to bringing you more expert guests to discuss what’s happening on campus. Special thanks to our line producer, Evelyn Fornell. Production and distribution support provided by Raymond Longaray and Megan Stuart.