{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"MSU Today with Russ White","title":"Higher Education, Civil Discourse and Democracy","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":6168,"description":"Special Presidential Speaker Series – Michigan State University\n\nMichigan State University launched its Presidential Speaker Series with a wide‑ranging and candid conversation on the role of higher education in sustaining democracy and civil discourse. Held at the Wharton Center and moderated by MSU President Kevin M. Guskiewicz, the event brought together bipartisan leaders from government and higher education to examine how universities can help prepare students to navigate disagreement, practice democratic engagement, and contribute meaningfully to the public good.\nThe evening opened with framing from Ann Austin, University Distinguished Professor in the College of Education, who emphasized the importance of universities as spaces where diverse perspectives meet—and where disagreement, when approached constructively, becomes a powerful tool for learning. President Guskiewicz underscored that today’s college campuses are often the first places where students encounter people with markedly different backgrounds, beliefs, and lived experiences, making higher education a microcosm of American democracy itself.\nThe panel featured three nationally recognized leaders: Richard Burr, former U.S. senator and principal policy advisor at DLA Piper; Ted Mitchell, president of the American Council on Education and former U.S. under secretary of education; and Margaret Spellings, president and CEO of the Bipartisan Policy Center and former U.S. secretary of education. Former Michigan governors Jim Blanchard and John Engler also joined the program, highlighting bipartisan efforts to strengthen trust in democratic institutions.\nAcross the conversation, panelists explored growing public skepticism toward higher education, driven by concerns about affordability, job outcomes, transparency, and perceived political bias. While acknowledging these challenges, speakers emphasized that most students report feeling free to express their views—and that universities remain among the few...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/avlYo1jXv0acLZxbQFrkYqjxF0RRjWECeJppWZUMiM0/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9zaG93/LzY5MzQvMTU3ODY4/NTYzMy1hcnR3b3Jr/LmpwZw.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}