On Nov. 24, 2025, Brandeis President Arthur Levine continued to publicize his intentions for the future of liberal arts at Brandeis in the EdUp Experience podcast, a podcast focused on figures in higher education. The podcast episode was titled: “Why 88% of Faculty Voted to Blow Up the Liberal Arts Model (& How Your Institution Can Too).”
In the episode, President Levine was interviewed by Dr. Joe Sallustio. Levine spoke of the changes that higher education is currently going through, expressing similar sentiments as he did in our interview with him. Levine estimated that 20-25% of universities would close as they would be unable to cope with the changes. Levine described the various changes he plans to implement, such as competencies related to students’ careers and recorded on transcripts, as well as micro-credentials, which are currently being implemented (discussed elsewhere in this issue).
He further described how he spoke with faculty members in order to secure approval for his plans. According to Levine, he met with 160 faculty members during his first two months in office, resulting in 88% of the faculty voting in favor of these plans. Levine stated, “What I’ve been telling presidents for a very long time, and I’ve done a lot of consulting, is scare the heck out of your faculty, tell them the truth about what we’re really facing and then invite them to create the future with you. And that’s all I did.”
Levine concluded, “I’ve never worked with a faculty that was willing to work as closely with a president. I’ve never worked with a faculty that was willing to move this fast. It was like I walked onto a campus and they got it. They got it, they understood it, and they were ready to respond, and they helped me build something better than I would have thought of alone.”
