Shows
Higher Ed NowPeter Skerry: Embracing Uncomfortable Campus ConversationsACTA’s Doug Sprei interviews Peter Skerry, professor of political science at Boston College, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and research fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. He has been featured in a variety of scholarly and national media publications, and is the author of Counting on the Census: Race, Group Identity, and the Evasion of Politics (published by Brookings), and Mexican Americans: The Ambivalent Minority (published by Free Press/Harvard University Press), which was awarded the Los Angeles Times Book Prize.
Sprei first encountered Skerry while chairing a debate on immigration at the Braver Angels Convention at Carthage College in J...2024-12-1343 min
Higher Ed NowPeter Skerry: Embracing Uncomfortable Campus ConversationsHigher Ed Now producer Doug Sprei interviews Peter Skerry, professor of political science at Boston College, who has served as a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and research fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. He has been featured in a variety of scholarly and national media publications, and is the author of Counting on the Census: Race, Group Identity, and the Evasion of Politics (published by Brookings), and Mexican Americans: The Ambivalent Minority (published by Free Press/Harvard University Press), which was awarded the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. Sprei first encountered Professor Skerry while chairing a debate...2024-12-1343 min
When We DisagreeFree ExpressionDoug Sprei has organized hundreds of debates reaching thousands of college students since 2018. One stands out. When We Disagree is on holiday break until January 8, 2025. Tell us your argument stories! Email guest and topic suggestions to us at whenwedisagree@gmail.com Follow us on Instagram 2024-12-1118 minHigher Ed NowMark Dalhouse and Ari Miller: The Groundwork of Campus Civil DiscourseACTA’s College Debates and Discourse (CD&D) Alliance has launched more than 300 Braver Angels debates and workshops, engaging 11,000 students at colleges and universities across the nation. CD&D employs a highly collaborative approach that engages students and faculty to lead civil debates on controversial topics. In this episode of Higher Ed Now, CD&D Program Director Doug Sprei interviews professor Mark Dalhouse and student Ari Miller, who are leading CD&D programming at Duke University in conjunction with ACTA’s two-year research project funded by the John Templeton Foundation. Professor Dalhouse and Ms. Miller share what motivated them to become i...2024-07-1645 minHigher Ed NowThe Groundwork of Campus Civil Discourse: Mark Dalhouse and Ari Miller:ACTA’s College Debates and Discourse (CD&D) Alliance has launched more than 300 Braver Angels debates and workshops, engaging 11,000 students at colleges and universities across the nation. CD&D employs a highly collaborative approach that engages students and faculty to lead civil debates on controversial topics. In this episode of Higher Ed Now, CD&D Program Director Doug Sprei interviews professor Mark Dalhouse and student Ari Miller, who are leading CD&D programming at Duke University in conjunction with ACTA’s two-year research project funded by the John Templeton Foundation. Professor Dalhouse and Ms. Miller share what motivated them to becom...2024-07-1645 minHigher Ed NowTeaching Students to Find Their Voice in Civil DiscourseOn today’s episode, Higher Ed Now producer Doug Sprei interviews Jennifer Keohane, associate professor in the Klein Family School of Communications Design at the University of Baltimore, and Justin Eckstein, associate professor of communication at Pacific Lutheran University. Both of these remarkable professors advise and support the College Debates and Discourse (CD&D) Alliance, a joint initiative between ACTA, Braver Angels, and BridgeUSA. This conversation was captured in March 2024 during the Wang Center Symposium at Pacific Lutheran University, where the CD&D Alliance engaged more than 400 students and local community members in a dozen campus and classroom debates.2024-05-2843 minHigher Ed NowTeaching Students to Find Their Voice in Civil DiscourseOn today’s episode, Higher Ed Now producer Doug Sprei interviews Jennifer Keohane, associate professor in the Klein Family School of Communications Design at the University of Baltimore, and Justin Eckstein, associate professor of communication at Pacific Lutheran University. Both of these remarkable professors advise and support the College Debates and Discourse (CD&D) Alliance, a joint initiative between ACTA, Braver Angels, and BridgeUSA. This conversation was captured in March 2024 during the Wang Center Symposium at Pacific Lutheran University, where the CD&D Alliance engaged more than 400 students and local community members in a dozen campus and classroom debates.2024-05-2843 minHigher Ed NowMonica Guzman: "People Only Hear When They're Heard"Immediately after she delivered an electrifying keynote speech at Pacific Lutheran University's Wang Symposium on March 7, 2024, ACTA's Doug Sprei interviewed Monica Guzman, the bestselling author of I Never Thought of It That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times. Ms. Guzman's influential work in the civil discourse movement has been amplified by her leadership at Braver Angels for several years. More recently, she became the inaugural McGurn Fellow at the University of Florida, working with researchers at UF's College of Journalism and Communications and beyond to better understand ways to employ techniques described in her book...2024-04-2923 minHigher Ed NowMónica Guzmán: "People Hear Better When They're Heard"Immediately after she delivered an electrifying keynote speech at Pacific Lutheran University's Wang Symposium on March 7, 2024, ACTA's Doug Sprei interviewed Monica Guzman, the best-selling author of I Never Thought of It That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times. Ms. Guzman's influential work in the civil discourse movement has expanded through her leadership at Braver Angels for the past several years. More recently, she became the inaugural McGurn Fellow at the University of Florida, working with researchers at UF's College of Journalism and Communications to explore ways to employ the techniques described in her book...2024-04-2923 minHigher Ed NowRichard Haass: Education and the Obligations of CitizenshipACTA president Michael Poliakoff and Higher Ed Now producer Doug Sprei interview Richard Haass, president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations, an independent, nonpartisan think tank and educational institution dedicated to helping people better understand the world and the foreign policy choices facing the United States and other countries. Dr. Haass's extensive government experience includes service as special assistant to President George H.W. Bush and senior director for Near East and South Asian affairs on the staff of the National Security Council. From 2001 to 2003, he was director of policy planning for the Department of State, serving as a p...2023-07-2947 minHigher Ed NowRichard Haass: The Ten Habits of Good CitizensACTA's president Michael Poliakoff and Higher Ed Now producer Doug Sprei interview Richard Haass, president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations, an independent, nonpartisan think tank and educational institution dedicated to helping people better understand the world and foreign policy choices facing the United States and other countries. His latest book, The Bill of Obligations: The Ten Habits of Good Citizens, was published by Penguin Press in January 2023 and became a New York Times best seller. Dr. Haass's extensive government experience includes service as special assistant to President George H.W. Bush and senior director for Near East and...2023-07-2947 min
Higher Ed NowDialogue, Discourse, and Democracy: Lindsay Hoffman and Timothy ShafferHigher Ed Now continues its series of conversations with leading lights in the surging national movement to foster viewpoint diversity and free expression on college campuses. Today’s episode spotlights two leaders at the University of Delaware – a major institutional partner in the college debates and discourse work that ACTA is doing with Braver Angels and BridgeUSA.
On April 18 Higher Ed Now's producer Doug Sprei traveled to the University of Delaware to chair a Braver Angels debate for a classroom of 25 students led by Lindsay Hoffman, an associate professor of communication who serves as the research leader for ACTA's two-year Brav...2023-05-1842 minHigher Ed NowDiscourse and Democracy: Lindsay Hoffman and Timothy ShafferHigher Ed Now continues its series of conversations with leading lights in the surging national movement to foster viewpoint diversity and free expression on college campuses. Today’s episode spotlights two leaders at the University of Delaware – a major institutional partner in the college debates and discourse work that ACTA is doing with Braver Angels and BridgeUSA. On April 18 Higher Ed Now's producer Doug Sprei traveled to the University of Delaware to chair a Braver Angels debate for a classroom of 25 students led by Lindsay Hoffman, an associate professor of communication who serves as the research leader for...2023-05-1842 minHigher Ed NowTransforming Campus Culture With Civil DiscourseIn Fall 2022, at ACTA's ATHENA Roundtable in Washington DC, a remarkable morning panel was hosted by Doug Sprei, Higher Ed Now producer and ACTA's Vice President of Campus Partnerships and Multimedia. The session, titled "How Civil Discourse Can Change Campus Culture," was graced by a cohort of panelists who are truly leading lights in the national movement to bring respectful discourse to college campuses and classrooms. All are cherished colleagues and allies of ACTA, and they included April Lawson, Managing Director of Debates and Public Discourse at Braver Angels, who co-founded and co-directs the national College Debates and Discourse Program; M...2023-04-271h 13Higher Ed NowTransforming Campus Culture With Civil DiscourseIn Fall 2022, at ACTA's ATHENA Roundtable in Washington DC, a remarkable morning panel was hosted by Doug Sprei, Higher Ed Now producer and ACTA's Vice President of Campus Partnerships and Multimedia. The session, titled "How Civil Discourse Can Change Campus Culture," was graced by a cohort of panelists who are truly leading lights in the national movement to bring respectful discourse to college campuses and classrooms. All are cherished colleagues and allies of ACTA, and they included April Lawson, Managing Director of Debates and Public Discourse at Braver Angels, who co-founded and co-directs the national College Debates and Discourse P...2023-04-271h 13Higher Ed NowAdam Weinberg and Adam Davis: Igniting Civil Discourse on CampusHigher Ed Now producer Doug Sprei engages two academic leaders at Denison University: Adam Weinberg, the university's President, and Adam Davis, Professor of History and Director of the Lisska Center for Intellectual Engagement. Together they conceived a groundbreaking freshman orientation initiative - "Minds Wide Open" - which gave 700 incoming Denison students an immersive experience of civil discourse through Braver Angels campus debates. President Weinberg and Professor Davis elaborate on their vision and thinking behind this innovative program, which holds promise as an inspiring model for freshman orientation efforts around the nation.2022-10-311h 02Higher Ed NowAdam Weinberg and Adam Davis: Igniting Civil Discourse on CampusHigher Ed Now producer Doug Sprei engages two academic leaders at Denison University: Adam Weinberg, the university's President, and Adam Davis, Professor of History and Director of the Lisska Center for Intellectual Engagement. Together they conceived a groundbreaking freshman orientation initiative - "Minds Wide Open" - which gave 700 incoming Denison students an immersive experience of civil discourse through Braver Angels campus debates. President Weinberg and Professor Davis elaborate on their vision and thinking behind this innovative program, which holds promise as an inspiring model for freshman orientation efforts around the nation.2022-10-311h 02Higher Ed NowGreg Jackson: The Magic of "History That Doesn't Suck"Higher Ed Now producer Doug Sprei teamed up with Jack Golden, an ACTA summer intern and rising senior at Hillsdale College, to explore one of the nation's most compelling history podcasts. History That Doesn't Suck, the brainchild of Professor Greg Jackson of Utah Valley University, combines rigorous research with virtuoso production values and a dynamic approach to storytelling. With over 100 episodes available and new ones issuing every two weeks, History That Doesn't Suck has reinvented the genre and built a loyal audience of hundreds of thousands of listeners.
"We need to understand who our nation is," says Jackson. "What are our...2022-08-1555 minHigher Ed NowGreg Jackson: "History That Doesn't Suck"Higher Ed Now producer Doug Sprei teamed up with Jack Golden, an ACTA summer intern and rising senior at Hillsdale College, to explore one of the nation's most compelling history podcasts. History That Doesn't Suck, the brainchild of Professor Greg Jackson of Utah Valley University, combines rigorous research with virtuoso production values and a dynamic approach to storytelling. With over 100 episodes available and new ones issuing every two weeks, History That Doesn't Suck has reinvented the genre and built a loyal audience of hundreds of thousands of listeners. "We need to understand who our nation is," says Jack...2022-08-1555 minHigher Ed NowDeondra Rose: Galvanizing Political Education and Discourse for DemocracyJust an hour before they launched a Braver Angels student debate together on campus, ACTA's Doug Sprei interviewed Deondra Rose, Associate Professor of Public Policy, Political Science, and History at Duke University. As the Director of Polis: Center for Politics, Professor Rose leads research into higher education policy, American Political Development, political behavior, identity politics, and inequality. She is a dynamic scholar and leader who commands the respect of students, faculty and staff leadership across Duke University and beyond into American higher ed.2022-05-2328 minHigher Ed NowDeondra Rose: Galvanizing Political Education and Discourse for DemocracyJust an hour before they teamed up to launch a Braver Angels student debate on campus, ACTA's Doug Sprei interviewed Deondra Rose, Associate Professor of Public Policy, Political Science, and History at Duke University. As the Director of Polis: Center for Politics, Professor Rose leads research into higher education policy, American Political Development, political behavior, identity politics, and inequality. She is a dynamic scholar and educator who commands the admiration of students, faculty and staff leadership across Duke University and beyond into American higher ed.2022-05-2328 minHigher Ed NowNadine Strossen: Free Speech in the CrosshairsNadine Strossen is one of the nation's leading champions of free expression, a renowned author and educator, and a long-time close friend of ACTA. From 1991 to 2008, she served as the first woman and youngest person to lead the American Civil Liberties Union. Today she is a professor at New York Law School, and in 2018 she authored the book Hate – Why We Should Resist It with Free Speech, Not Censorship. In this episode she sits down for a far-reaching conversation with ACTA's Michael Poliakoff and Doug Sprei. .2022-04-1559 minHigher Ed NowNadine Strossen: Free Speech in the CrosshairsNadine Strossen is one of the nation's leading champions of free expression, a renowned author and educator, and a long-time close friend of ACTA. From 1991 to 2008, she served as the first woman and youngest person to lead the American Civil Liberties Union. Today she is a professor at New York Law School, and in 2018 she authored the book Hate – Why We Should Resist It with Free Speech, Not Censorship. In this episode she sits down for a far-reaching conversation with ACTA's Michael Poliakoff and Doug Sprei. .2022-04-1459 minHigher Ed NowPaul Carrese: Shaping Students into Citizens and LeadersACTA's Doug Sprei interviews Paul Carrese, Founding Director of the School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership at Arizona State University. Professor Carrese shares the underpinnings of this influential program, which aims to prepare the next generation of young leaders through the study of great works of civic, economic, political, and moral thought.2022-03-0654 minHigher Ed NowPaul Carrese: Shaping Students into Citizens and LeadersACTA's Doug Sprei interviews Paul Carrese, Founding Director of the School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership at Arizona State University. Professor Carrese shares the underpinnings of this influential program, which aims to prepare the next generation of young leaders through the study of great works of civic, economic, political, and moral thought.2022-03-0654 minHigher Ed NowJonathan Rauch: Unpacking "The Constitution of Knowledge"The acclaimed author, journalist, and activist Jonathan Rauch sat down with ACTA's Doug Sprei to explore the social and political vectors that led him to write his remarkable new book, "The Constitution of Knowledge." Rauch is a research fellow at the Brookings Institution and a contributing editor at The Atlantic; he's also a champion of civil discourse, and a longtime friend of ACTA who sparked our flourishing College Debates partnership with Braver Angels and BridgeUSA.2021-08-1052 minHigher Ed NowJonathan Rauch: Unpacking "The Constitution of Knowledge"The acclaimed author, journalist, and activist Jonathan Rauch sat down with ACTA's Doug Sprei to explore the social and political vectors that led him to write his remarkable new book, "The Constitution of Knowledge." Rauch is a research fellow at the Brookings Institution and a contributing editor at The Atlantic; he's also a champion of civil discourse, and a longtime friend of ACTA who sparked our flourishing College Debates partnership with Braver Angels and BridgeUSA.2021-08-0952 minHigher Ed NowAbraham Unger: A Conservatory Model for Liberal ArtsProfessor Abraham Unger has a unique vision for liberal arts education. Long before before spending a decade as Director of Urban Programs at Wagner College in New York, he was an undergraduate student concentrating on classical guitar at the prestigious Manhattan School of Music. In this episode of Higher Ed Now, he sits down with ACTA's Michael Poliakoff and Doug Sprei to reflect on the precarious condition of colleges and universities today, and explores the concept he is shaping for liberal arts education based on the conservatory model he experienced as an undergraduate.2021-07-1245 minHigher Ed NowAbraham Unger: A Conservatory Model for Liberal ArtsProfessor Abraham Unger has a unique vision for liberal arts education. Long before before spending a decade as Director of Urban Programs at Wagner College in New York, he was an undergraduate student concentrating on classical guitar at the prestigious Manhattan School of Music. In this episode of Higher Ed Now, he sits down with ACTA's Michael Poliakoff and Doug Sprei to reflect on the precarious condition of colleges and universities today, and explores the concept he is shaping for liberal arts education based on the conservatory model he experienced as an undergraduate.2021-07-1245 minHigher Ed NowThe Transformative Power of Braver Angels College DebatesSince 2018 Braver Angels has teamed with ACTA to launch civil debates for students across the nation. College leaders applaud the program's depolarizing, transformative effects on students as they learn to engage respectfully around divisive social and political issues. Program leader Doug Sprei unpacks the magic with college instructors David Dagan of The George Washington University; Mark Urista of Linn-Benton Community College; Manu Meel, CEO of BridgeUSA; Texas intern David Amaya; and April Lawson, Director of Debates and Public Discourse at Braver Angels.2021-01-1537 minHigher Ed NowThe Transformative Power of Braver Angels College DebatesSince 2018 Braver Angels has teamed with ACTA to launch civil debates for students across the nation. College leaders applaud the program's depolarizing, transformative effects on students as they learn to engage respectfully around divisive social and political issues. Program leader Doug Sprei unpacks the magic with college instructors David Dagan of The George Washington University; Mark Urista of Linn-Benton Community College; Manu Meel, CEO of BridgeUSA; Texas intern David Amaya; and April Lawson, Director of Debates and Public Discourse at Braver Angels.2021-01-1537 minHigher Ed NowSally Jenkins: College Sports Pushed to the BrinkFor acclaimed sports journalist Sally Jenkins of The Washington Post, the Covid-19 pandemic has blown the lid off excessive spending in college athletics and brought higher education to a reckoning point. She sat down with ACTA's Doug Sprei and Armand Alacbay for a probing conversation a few days after publication of her scathing article, College sports embraced reckless greed. With the Coronavirus crisis, the bill has come due.2020-08-1728 minHigher Ed NowSally Jenkins: College Sports Pushed to the BrinkFor acclaimed sports journalist Sally Jenkins of The Washington Post, the Covid-19 pandemic has blown the lid off excessive spending in college athletics and brought higher education to a reckoning point. She sat down with ACTA's Doug Sprei and Armand Alacbay for a probing conversation a few days after publication of her scathing article, College sports embraced reckless greed. With the Coronavirus crisis, the bill has come due.2020-08-1728 min
Main MenuMain Menu 13 May 2011What's in a name? On this week's edition of Main Menu after Chase Crispin's weekly Tech Update, we visit with Doug Sprei--media relations director with Learning Ally, formerly RFB&D--about the reasons why the company changed its name. Long-time member John Russo joins the discussion to give a user's perspective on the name change. Erin Edgar of Tech Access Weekly rounds out the show with a comparison of two currency identification apps for iOS devices: LookTel's MoneyReader and EyeNote.2011-05-1355 min