How can we future-proof college students when careers are changing faster than anyone can predict? And this isn’t just about college students; it’s about all of us.

AI is changing how people find jobs, how employers hire, and what the first rung of a career looks like. Meanwhile, universities are under pressure to prove their worth in job offers and salaries. So what is a university for now, and how should it prepare students for a future without a map?

I sat down with Dr. Andy Rich, president of Franklin & Marshall College, who is reshaping what a liberal arts education looks like.

We talk about why Andy believes developing the next generation of leaders is “the most consequential work a person can do,” why preparing good citizens matters as much as preparing for careers, and why he thinks liberal arts institutions are made for this moment.

Andy shares how F&M’s new Mehlman Leadership and Performance Institute puts leadership, an entrepreneurial mindset, and civic engagement at the center of the student experience, and why everyone benefits from learning to think like an entrepreneur. He also explains why asking new students what career they want makes them tense up, while asking what they’re curious about opens them up.

We also explore which human capabilities matter more as AI advances, what universities should teach that AI can’t, and how colleges have reinvented themselves before.

And for anyone still figuring out what comes next, at any age, Andy shares what he tells every graduating class.

I came away convinced that the capabilities we once called soft are the ones we can least afford to leave to chance.

Chapters

00:00 — What is a university really for?
02:15 — Why young people can see further than the rest of us
05:30 — Have we forgotten that colleges train citizens?
09:10 — Why liberal arts institutions are made for this moment
14:12 — Drawing new maps: leadership and an entrepreneurial mindset
17:28 — Ask students what they’re curious about, not what job they want
23:14 — If AI has the answers, what should universities teach?
29:05 — Why aren’t we using AI to solve our biggest problems?
35:37 — Universities have reinvented themselves before
41:00 — Success is never linear: Advice for every graduating class

About Andy Rich

Dr. Andy Rich is the 17th president of Franklin & Marshall College and a strong advocate for the liberal arts. He previously served as dean of the Colin Powell School at the City College of New York, CEO of the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation, and president and CEO of the Roosevelt Institute. A Truman Scholar himself, he holds a Ph.D. in political science from Yale.

Links & resources

https://www.fandm.edu/

https://www.fandm.edu/centers-institutes-and-initiatives/mehlman-leadership-and-performance-institute/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-rich/

Credits

Hosted by Janine Mathó. Produced by Janine Mathó and Richard Lewis.

Please listen, follow, rate, and review The LifeLong Leap on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Follow @janinematho on social media. Visit janinematho.com and send your questions or guest pitches to hello@janinematho.com.