Small College America - Karin Fischer Chronicle of Higher Education
Today, we will be speaking with a senior writer for The Chronicle of Higher Education — Karin Fischer.Karin covers a variety of topics, including international education, the social and political divides around college, and the challenges faced by small colleges. She also publishes a newsletter on global education, Latitudes.
Her reporting has appeared on NPR and in The New York Times. She is a research associate at the Center for Studies in Higher Education at the University of California at Berkeley and an international education leadership fellow at the University at Albany. She is a recipient of the East-West Center’s Jefferson Fellowship for reporting in Asia and the International Reporting Project fellowship. She is a graduate of Smith College, where she studied government and political philosophy.
Interview Questions
Interview Questions
- Your article, "When Gown Leaves Town," captures the deep impact of college closures on small communities. What inspired you to investigate this topic, and what did you find most striking or unexpected in your reporting?
- You emphasize both the economic and cultural impacts of college closures. In small towns, which of these effects seems to have the most lasting impact, and why?
- Based on your observations, could you discuss some innovative or successful examples of repurposing campuses after a college closure? How might other communities apply these lessons?
- In your article, transparency emerged as a significant issue. What advice would you offer colleges to better communicate with their communities, especially when financial viability is uncertain or closure seems possible?
- What advice or practical steps would you recommend to small colleges and local leaders who are concerned about the future stability of their institutions and communities?
- You’re reporting frequently explores how American higher education engages globally—covering areas such as international student enrollment, study abroad programs, comparative education systems, and, increasingly, how geopolitics affect colleges. In your view, how do these global trends and geopolitical factors uniquely impact small colleges?
If you'd like to learn more about Small College America, go to our LinkedIn site, where you can find details on upcoming episodes, contact us, and suggest topics you’d like us to cover." Small College America receives underwriting support from Perspective Data Science, which develops cutting-edge AI tools and data solutions, including the Financial Compass
