How does a kid from rural Montana wind up trying to solve the problems facing higher education? Bridget Burns, Executive Director of University Innovation Alliance, shares her surprising background and ideas for moving higher education forward in this engrossing panel from 2018’s SXSW.

Burns says she was woefully unprepared for the realities of college: her undergraduate degree took seven years, and she took out numerous student loans. Higher education, she declares, is not designed around students.

Three Frame Media’s Jaye Fenderson, who directed First Generation, brings a unique perspective to the discussion, leading Burns through a wide range of compelling topics, including:

–  How to improve degree productivity
–  How to better serve low-income students
–  What can be done to address achievement gaps
–  Skewed admission value systems
–  Innovative ways to educate the public college preparedness (financial as well as academic).
–  Traditional vs. new education models

The problems in higher education are many, but Burns believes that the alliance she’s building with other schools is the most effective way to address them. Change on a massive scale is heading to America’s postsecondary institutions.