Ann Arbor Town Hall Meeting

Listen to Talk of the Nation's town hall meeting in Ann Arbor, Michigan at the University of Michigan, from Thursday, March 29

Talk of the Nation host Juan Williams at a town hall meeting broadcast

Hour 1:
Higher Education in the 21st Century

It's not your father's college campus anymore. While the vast majority of college students still attend traditional classes, technology has made it possible to be a virtual student and to communicate via e-mail and chat sessions with professors and other students. Nowadays universities and colleges are big enterprises, resembling corporations, and requiring the talents of MBA's to run them. And, increasingly, they face competition from for-profit institutions. All the while, the costs of college education are increasing. What will the college of the future look like? Will students congregate on campus quads or will they only interact with computers? Or might they receive a degree from UCLA after taking classes from Columbia and the University of Michigan via computer?

Hour 2:
The Future of Affirmative Action

Affirmative action has been one of the most divisive issues in the country for the past quarter century. More than 20-years ago the Supreme Court ruled that quotas are illegal. Currently, the University of Michigan is involved in two lawsuits filed by white students who claim they were denied admission and discriminated against because of their race. University officials say that diversity in education helps students learn better. Should affirmative action and diversity initiatives continue in the 21st century, or have they outlived their usefulness?

Guests:

Lee Bollinger
President, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan

Jerilyn McIntyre
President, Central Washington University, Ellensburg, Washington

Jacquelyn Belcher
President, Georgia Perimeter College, Atlanta, Georgia

Michael McPherson
President, Macalester College, St. Paul, Minnesota

John McWhorter
Associate Professor, Department of Liguistics author "Losing the Race"