My guest in this episode is Dr. Roger Parrott, the President of Belhaven University for more than three decades. Over the years, he has thought much about the value of a college education, how higher education has changed, in some cases drastically, and the real cost of a college degree. I’ve invited him to share some of his wisdom with us. 

In this podcast we discuss:

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• How higher education has changed over the three decades he has been a university president
  
• The four “S” features most public universities use to recruit students
  
• The four “C” features that define most Christian universities
  
• The causes of recent trends in public higher education
  
• The spectrum of colleges and universities identifying as “Christian”
  
• The difference between Bible departments and religion departments and what it says about a college or university
  
• How to cut through the PR and fancy brochures when considering schools
  
• The two essential questions to ask to choose the school that is right for you
  
• Answering a common objection to Christian higher education
  
• The downside of requiring students to sign a statement of faith to be admitted
  
• The real costs of college and how to navigate the financial challenges
  
• The problem with “tuition resets”
  
• The importance of calculating living expenses, textbooks, and fees into the total cost of college
  
• Understanding good debt and bad debt
  
• How important graduate-level education is today
  
• The number one quality employers are looking for, and how the college years can help prepare you for this
  

Resources mentioned during our conversation:

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• Roger Parrott, “The Real Cost of College: Insights of an Insider”
  
• Belhaven University