Billions of dollars flow into higher education every year.
The real questions are:
How is that money used—and what problem is it solving?
In this episode, I examine how university funding works, using recent debates around Harvard as a starting point.
We explore:
• Where federal funding for universities comes from
• How those funds are allocated and used
• The tension between public funding and institutional independence
• Why college remains expensive despite large inflows of money
From there, I outline an alternative approach:
what it would look like to redirect funding in a way that expands access and reduces cost.
This isn’t about taking sides.
It’s about understanding how the system works—and what could work differently.
This episode helps you think clearly in a noisy world, cut through misinformation, and find the solutions as applied to society, government and institutions.
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