The Not Alone Podcast: Leaders in conversation
Welcome to Not Alone: Leaders in conversation — a collaboration between Elsevier and Prof Rafael Bras. We bring unfiltered perspectives on global issues by research and academic leaders.
Join us for fascinating insights from our esteemed guests, selected for their prominence and influence in higher education and related fields. Experts from MIT, Harvard, UCLA and beyond bring their conviction and passion to a wide range of topics, ensuring that our content remains relevant and impactful.
Every two months, we release a new episode — thought-provoking dialogues that inspire and spark meaningful conversation while illuminating the paths of academic leadership and innovation and fostering a community that thrives on shared knowledge and transformative ideas.
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The Not Alone Podcast: Leaders in conversation
In conversation with ... Robert A. Brown
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In this episode of Not Alone: Leaders in conversation, we trace how university leadership split between internal stewardship and external politics, and what that means for mission, trust, and culture. Robert A. Brown lays out why research finance is fragile, how immigration and AI shape the future, and where focus and courage will be required.
Topics include:
• Growth of constituencies and the provost–president divide
• Declining public confidence driven by cost, access and politics
• Research economics, indirects and the risk to Endless Frontier
• Subcritical departments and the culture of merit
• Teacher‑scholar model under pressure and reputational incentives
• Immigration as talent strategy and soft power
• Demographics, consolidation and institutional resilience
• AI shifting teaching from facts to judgment and identity
• Focused research priorities and harder leadership choices
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