We tell the stories about the innovators of today who will be the Game Changers of Tomorrow. Our guests come from a wide range of backgrounds, including scientists, engineers, researchers, entrepreneurs, investors and educators.
For generations, higher education has been described as the great equalizer. But for many families, the cost of tuition has quietly turned that promise into a barrier. What happens when a university stops debating access and simply takes tuition off the table? And more importantly, what has to change in the educational ecosystem to make that kind of promise actually work—not just to enroll students, but to help them persist, succeed, and graduate?
In this episode of Game Changers Silicon Valley, Jack Miner, Vice Provost for Enrollment Management at the University of Cincinnati joins me, to explore the Bearcat Affordability Grant—an ambitious effort to remove cost as the deciding factor in whether students from the community can attend UC. But this conversation goes deeper than free tuition. It looks at how universities must rethink retention, student support, co-op pathways, and early academic success if access is going to translate into real outcomes.
This is a candid discussion about what it takes to redesign opportunity at scale—and why simply opening the door isn't enough. If you care about the future of higher education, and social mobility, this episode offers a clear-eyed look at what change actually requires.
23 Feb 2026
The New Rules for Graduates in the AI Economy
College is no longer just about earning a degree—it's about proving you're employable in a world shaped by AI. In this episode of Game Changers Silicon Valley, Jim Connor speaks with Dr. Marianne Lewis, Ph.D., Dean of the Lindner College of Business at the University of Cincinnati, about the challenges facing universities on the following:
Training students to use AI models to conduct analysis and design strategies.
Training students to think creatively about how to apply AI to address specific problems.
How to articulate their strategy in designing an AI collaboration.
As AI reshapes business, expectations for new graduates are changing fast. This conversation explores how business schools are rethinking education—and what today's students need to succeed in their first job and beyond.
16 Feb 2026
The Science of Reading is Changing how Teachers are Trained
Despite extraordinary advances in technology—and even the rise of artificial intelligence—too many students are still not learning to read at grade level. Weak early literacy doesn't just affect test scores; it shapes a student's entire academic future and limits opportunity long before careers even begin.
In this episode of Game Changers Silicon Valley, Jim Connor sits down with Laura Saylor, Dean of the School of Education at Mount St. Joseph University, to explore the Science of Reading—an evidence-based approach that's changing how teachers are trained and how reading is taught. They discuss why reading is not a natural skill, how policy and research are driving real change, and why a new generation of teachers is giving reason for optimism.
This is a conversation about what's broken in literacy education, what's finally changing, and what it will take to make sure every child gets a real chance to learn to read—and succeed.
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