As president and CEO of Jobs for the Future, Maria Flynn knows the importance of creating a strong and dynamic connection between higher education and the labor market. 

In this interview, Flynn tackles some of the biggest issues confronting the future of learning and work: adult learners, quality short-term credentials, competency-based education, and the need for colleges to develop closer partnerships with local employers.

Millions of high school seniors are currently picking colleges to apply to this fall, with applications due between November and January for enrollment in the 2023-24 academic year. 

But many people, including U.S. Department of Education Secretary Miguel Cardon, question how the media and other groups rank the nation's colleges, arguing that such lists help neither students nor their families and may obscure better ways of judging the quality of higher education. 

After a decade at the helm of Purdue University, Mitch Daniels is set to step down as president at the end of this year. His leadership at the West Lafayette campus has attracted national attention for a number of initiatives, including an unprecedented 11-year tuition freeze. 

In a conversation with reporter Ben Thorp, Daniels reflects on his time at Purdue—and what comes next.