The Future of Higher Education—One Conversation at a Time.
Join us on the third Tuesday of every month for lively, thought-provoking conversations about how we can reimagine higher education for a more just and inspiring world. Each episode offers practical insights, creative strategies, and real-world examples to advance equity and ignite innovation, transforming how we teach, learn, and lead, both inside and beyond the classroom.
What makes our show stand out is our focus on process—the how of creating meaningful change. Alongside visionary guests, we’ll dig into what it really takes to turn bold ideas into the public good, and to build futures that are more equitable, more inclusive, and more alive with possibility.
Ep. 1:9 - ""Riisearch & Blackqueer Placemaking at the People's Beach"
Episode 1:9 of the Futures Initiative podcast is rejoined by our Faculty Chair and host, Dr. Shelly Eversley. In this episode we bring you the brilliant and newly minted, Dr. jah elyse sayers for an inspiring, empowering, and tender conversation about their Riisearch and organizing work at the People’s Beach. Dr. sayers discusses Blackqueer placemaking, organizing as research, and moving beyond the confines of the institution in order to create more equitable and innovative spaces for knowledge production.
19 May 2026
Ep. 1:8 - “The Future of CUNY Peer Leaders”
Episode 1:8 of the Futures Initiative podcast will be hosted by CUNY Peer Leaders (CPL) Director & FI Academic Program Manager, Lauren Melendez. She will be joined by two CPL participants, Simridhi (Simi) Sharma an undergrad at John Jay College majoring in Coding, Network Security and Digital Forensics and Christopher (Chris) Arzu an undergrad and senior at Hunter College majoring in Political Science and legal studies.
CLP is a humanities and social justice leadership program that is part of the Futures Initiative. In this episode we will hear from undergraduate students and their perspectives on how they are planning, preparing, and managing obstacles as they move towards a path forward and continue to pursue higher education and enter the job market.
21 Apr 2026
Ep 1:7 - The Fellow to Faculty Transition
FI’s University Worth Fighting For series presents podcast episode 1:7, “The Fellow to Faculty Transition.” FI fellow and host, Tatiana Bertolucci is joined by former FI fellow and post-doc, Dr. Megan Henriquez to discuss her journey from student to colleague in her field of Biological Anthropology.
This episode will speak to you whether you're a first-generation college student just starting out, a graduate student navigating your career, a faculty member mentoring the next generation, or anyone who's ever wondered what it really takes to build a meaningful life in higher education.
This conversation is about transitions. How do you take skills built in one context and carry them into a new one? How do you position yourself when you're early in your career and the landscape feels uncertain? And what does it actually look like to do equity-centered work inside institutions that weren't always designed with you in mind?
16 Mar 2026
Ep.1:6 - The Campus Crisis Toolkit
What is a “polycrisis” in higher education—and what can faculty, students, and administration do about it? In this conversation, Drs. Lisa M. Di Bartolomeo and Kevin M. Gannon define and deconstruct what is at stake as universities are suffocated by political demands and the rise of corporate models to restructure non-profit higher education. They discuss their new book, The Campus Crisis Toolkit: Strategies and Solidarity for the Rest of Us, which offers insights on how collaboration and innovation are keys to moving our universities towards sustainable futures.
Subscribe to the Futures Initiative's YouTube channel or listen wherever you get your podcasts to catch this essential conversation about the future of higher education and why the classroom is where democracy learns to think.
16 Feb 2026
Ep. 1:5 - Teaching to Transform
What does it mean to center students in higher education—and why does democracy depend on it? In this conversation, Christina Katopodis and Jason Hendrickson make a compelling case for transformative teaching as essential democratic practice. Public higher education is infrastructure for democracy, but only when it centers students. Together, we explore what transformative teaching demands: rigorous pedagogical practice, commitment to ongoing learning, and recognition that how we teach is inseparable from the democratic futures we're building. From syllabus design to classroom exercises, they offer both practical strategies and a fundamental reimagining of higher education's purpose.
Subscribe to the Futures Initiative's YouTube channel or listen wherever you get your podcasts to catch this essential conversation about the future of higher education and why the classroom is where democracy learns to think.
19 Jan 2026
Ep 1:4 - “Learning from Bad Bunny and El Centro”
What can Puerto Rican Studies & Bad Bunny’s music teach us about the future of research?
Join us for Episode #4 of the Futures Initiative podcast, dropping January 20th, as Faculty Chair Shelly Eversley sits down with Director of the Center for Puerto Rican Studies (Centro), Dr. Yomaira Figueroa Brim and FI Fellow/PhD Candidate in English, Vallerie Matos for an insightful conversation on Puerto Rican and Diasporican cultural movements.
As a US colony, Puerto Rico offers genealogies of resistance, and models unrelenting efforts towards sovereignty, decolonization, and liberation.This episode explores how Puerto Rican history and cultural production can expand knowledge-making and scholarship in higher education. Guests discuss how the archival work at Centro and the artistry of Bad Bunny are exemplary projects of equity and innovation.
Subscribe to the Futures Initiative's YouTube channel or listen wherever you get your podcasts to catch this essential conversation about the future of higher education and why the classroom is where democracy learns to think.
16 Dec 2025
Ep. 1:3 - Queer Studies is for Everybody
Why does Queer Studies matter for us all?
Join us for Episode #3 of the Futures Initiative podcast, dropping December 16th, as Faculty Chair Shelly Eversley sits down with Professor of English and Director of CLAGS, Matt Brim and Distinguished Professor of Psychology, Kevin Nadal for a vital conversation about the integration of Queer Studies across academic disciplines and everyday life.
At a time when queer and trans communities are under direct attack by governmental policies and dangerous rhetoric, this episode explores why Queer Studies should be an integral component in all levels of education. Our guests make a powerful case for why Queer Studies is an essential field of study for everyone regardless of age, gender, and sexual orientation.
We'll also dive into the interdisciplinary possibilities of Queer Studies in the academy and beyond.
Subscribe to the Futures Initiative's YouTube channel or listen wherever you get your podcasts to catch this essential conversation about the future of higher education and why the classroom is where democracy learns to think.
17 Nov 2025
Ep. 1:2 - Academic Freedom
Join us for Episode #2 of the Futures Initiative podcast, dropping November 18, as Faculty Chair Shelly Eversley sits down with Professor and journalist Moustafa Bayoumi and Distinguished Professor Michelle Fine for a vital conversation about academic freedom in our current moment.
At a time when what we say, what we teach, and what we study on college campuses faces unprecedented challenges, this episode explores why our classrooms must remain spaces where we can engage the deep and difficult subjects that shape our world. Our guests make a powerful case for why academic freedom isn't just an abstract principle—it's essential for the kind of education that prepares students to think critically and to navigate complexity.
We'll also dive into why universities should protect students' rights to peacefully protest and what's at stake when we restrict the free exchange of ideas on campus.
Subscribe to the Futures Initiative's YouTube channel or listen wherever you get your podcasts to catch this essential conversation about the future of higher education and why the classroom is where democracy learns to think
20 Oct 2025
Episode 1:1 Why Innovation Requires Equity
The future of higher education? It’s happening right here. Every month, we bring you lively, no-jargon conversations that spark new ideas, challenge old systems, and show how innovation and equity can work hand in hand for the public good.
In our first episode, we dive right in. Futures Initiative Faculty Chair Professor Shelly Eversley talks with Distinguished Professor Cathy N. Davidson, the founder of FI, about why innovation needs equity—and how both come to life in higher education. Together, they share stories, strategies, and resources that show how real change happens.
Recorded at CUNY TV at the Graduate Center, City University of New York, the Futures Initiative Podcast brings curiosity, courage, and community to every conversation. Subscribe and watch on the Futures Initiative YouTube channel or listen wherever you get your podcasts.
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