The Innovating Together Podcast: Recent Episodes
University Innovation Alliance
Welcome to innovating together, a podcast produced by the University Innovation Alliance. This is a podcast for busy people in higher education who are looking for the “aha moments” that can propel their work forward. Innovating Together curates the best insights, research, and experts. To connect with us further, visit www.theuia.org.
Learn more about the UIA by visiting:
Website
YouTube
This week's episode is sponsored by Mainstay, a student retention and engagement tool where you can increase student and staff engagement with the only platform consistently proven to boost engagement, retention, and wellbeing. To learn more about Mainstay, click here.
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/innovationalliance/message
In today's episode of the “Innovating Together” podcast, host Bridget Burns from the University Innovation Alliance engages in a thought-provoking conversation with Ben Nelson, CEO and founder of Minerva. They discuss the significance of durable skills in education amidst the evolving landscape of AI. Ben emphasizes the need for education systems to move beyond binary and linear learning models, advocating for a focus on teaching students how to apply knowledge broadly. This approach ensures that learners can adapt to various challenges, including those posed by AI.
The conversation also dives into the practical challenges and opportunities of integrating these durable skills into traditional educational frameworks, addressing accreditation and policy constraints. Ben shares insights on the potential future impacts of AI on education, stressing the necessity of systematic reform to prepare students for an uncertain future.
"Effective communication skills are essential. Knowing your audience and modifying your message accordingly is a critical component."
What you will learn -
- Applying learned knowledge rather than just knowing it
- The importance of teaching students skills that are adaptable regardless of AI advancements
- Overcoming institutional barriers by reforming curriculums
- Encouragement to focus on teaching durable skills to students to prepare them for an uncertain future with AI
Learn more about Ben Nelson by visiting:
Learn more about the UIA by visiting:
Website
YouTube
This week's episode is sponsored by Mainstay, a student retention and engagement tool where you can increase student and staff engagement with the only platform consistently proven to boost engagement, retention, and wellbeing. To learn more about Mainstay, click here.
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/innovationalliance/message
Learn more about John B. King Jr. by visiting:
Learn more about the UIA by visiting:
Website
YouTube
This week's episode is sponsored by Mainstay, a student retention and engagement tool where you can increase student and staff engagement with the only platform consistently proven to boost engagement, retention, and wellbeing. To learn more about Mainstay, click here.
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/innovationalliance/message
Learn more about the UIA by visiting:
Website
YouTube
This week's episode is sponsored by Mainstay, a student retention and engagement tool where you can increase student and staff engagement with the only platform consistently proven to boost engagement, retention, and wellbeing. To learn more about Mainstay, click here.
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/innovationalliance/message
On today's episode of the Innovating Together podcast, Bridget Burns discusses the need for a structured approach to change in higher education institutions. She suggests having annual events where these organizations can reflect, set goals, and celebrate achievements. Bridget points out the lack of a collaborative space for these institutions to collectively focus on student success and innovation.
Drawing inspiration from other sectors and past summits, she proposes that regular retreats and events like the UIA National Summit can provide opportunities for higher education leaders to strategize and collaborate. Bridget encourages creating aspirational moments to motivate institutions to be bold and innovative in enhancing student outcomes.
"We need to consistently elevate stories of significant improvements because we need to remind ourselves that change is possible despite the stories we tell ourselves about how we can't."
What you will learn -
- Creating an aspirational environment
- The missing change architecture
- Annual retreat and reflection
- Suspending reality and collaboration
Learn more about the UIA by visiting:
Website
YouTube
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/innovationalliance/message
In today's episode of the Innovating Together podcast, Bridget Burns interviewed a 2018 UIA Summit Attendee about his experience, what made a lasting impact on his campus, and advice he would offer to those interested in attending the UIA's summit in the fall. Gill Hunter from Eastern Kentucky University shared about the indelible impact the UIA Summit had upon him and his institutions, recounting how EKU regularly uses design thinking from the skill building workshop at the summit to support their work. Gill provided context about the headspace of his campus currently and who he was thinking about including in his team he will invite to the Summit. He shared important memories and insights that remain with him, and the value the summit created for his campus.
"When universities collaborate, students win."
What you will learn -
- The UIA National Summit 2018
- Preparation for the UIA National Summit
- Process Mapping and Collaboration
Learn more about Gill Hunter by visiting:
Learn more about the UIA by visiting:
Website
YouTube
This week's episode is sponsored by Mainstay, a student retention and engagement tool where you can increase student and staff engagement with the only platform consistently proven to boost engagement, retention, and wellbeing. To learn more about Mainstay, click here.
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/innovationalliance/message
Learn more about President Pulsipher by visiting:
Website
Learn more about the UIA by visiting:
Website
YouTube
This week's episode is sponsored by Mainstay, a student retention and engagement tool where you can increase student and staff engagement with the only platform consistently proven to boost engagement, retention, and wellbeing. To learn more about Mainstay, click here.
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/innovationalliance/message
In this episode, Bridget Burns, CEO of the University Innovation Alliance, discusses the imperative to scale and innovate in higher education to improve access and outcomes for low-income and underrepresented students. She emphasizes the need for systemic change, the role of technology, and learning from failures to create a diverse and effective educational landscape. The conversation also touches on the potential of edtech companies to contribute to this transformation.
"Higher education needs to shift and change. I'm of the mind that it should change, it can change, and we work on that all the time."
What you will learn -
- Collaborative Efforts
- Innovation, Scale, and Diffusion
- The importance of scale in higher education
- Engaging with universities and accelerating learning with edtech
Learn more about the UIA by visiting:
Website
YouTube
This week's episode is sponsored by Mainstay, a student retention and engagement tool where you can increase student and staff engagement with the only platform consistently proven to boost engagement, retention, and wellbeing. To learn more about Mainstay, click here.
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/innovationalliance/message
Learn more about the UIA by visiting:
Website
YouTube
This week's episode is sponsored by Mainstay, a student retention and engagement tool where you can increase student and staff engagement with the only platform consistently proven to boost engagement, retention, and wellbeing. To learn more about Mainstay, click here.
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/innovationalliance/message
Learn more about the UIA by visiting:
Website
YouTube
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/innovationalliance/message
Learn more about the UIA by visiting:
Website
YouTube
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/innovationalliance/message
A common mistake that leaders make is misinterpreting their employees' resistance to change as a lack of willingness or obstinacy. However, the reality is often more complex. Employees may have legitimate concerns about job security, the stability of their careers, and the potential loss of progress they've made. These fears can manifest as resistance, but they stem from a very human need for safety and assurance.
In order to lead change effectively, leaders must first seek to understand these underlying concerns. It's not enough to push for innovation; leaders must also provide a sense of security and stability for their employees. Prioritizing human care and addressing fears head-on can lead to a more successful transition.
"Often, people in leadership misinterpret resistance to change as a lack of cooperation, when in reality, employees are just worried about feeding their families."
What you will learn -
- Scarcity Mindset
- Resistance to Change
- Importance of Human Care
Learn more about the UIA by visiting:
Website
YouTube
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/innovationalliance/message
In this episode of the Innovating Together Podcast, Bridget Burns and Doug Lederman interview Dr. Casey Sacks, President of BridgeValley Community and Technical College. Dr. Sacks talks about her journey in leadership, focusing on making decisions together and the importance of having a mentor. She gives tips on how to be a good leader, like getting advice from experts and using board member support. Dr. Sacks believes in always learning, networking, and how reading classic books can help you think critically. She suggests "The College Administrator" for people in higher education and stresses how having different viewpoints is key in leadership.
"My board is phenomenally great, and I am really lucky that I have some incredibly supportive board members who care so deeply about this community." - Dr. Casey Sacks
What you will learn -
- Collaborative Approach in Higher Education
- Influence of Personal Experiences on Leadership
- Proudest Leadership Achievement
- Professional Development and Networking
Learn more about President Dr. Casey Sacks by visiting:
Website
Learn more about the UIA by visiting:
Website
YouTube
This week's episode is sponsored by Mainstay, a student retention and engagement tool where you can increase student and staff engagement with the only platform consistently proven to boost engagement, retention, and wellbeing. To learn more about Mainstay, click here.
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/innovationalliance/message
Learn more about Dr. Charles Welch by visiting:
Website
Learn more about the UIA by visiting:
Website
YouTube
This week's episode is sponsored by Mainstay, a student retention and engagement tool where you can increase student and staff engagement with the only platform consistently proven to boost engagement, retention, and wellbeing. To learn more about Mainstay, click here.
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/innovationalliance/message
Stats don't lie – the gaps in bachelor's degree attainment are stark and speak volumes. On this episode of the Innovating Together podcast, hosts Bridget Burns and Doug Lederman provide an update on higher education trends, the UIA's goal setting process and Bridget shared the dates for the UIA National Summit.
Bridget also discussed some new data trends of concern, including: Why are men and boys less likely to pursue higher education? How do we bridge the urban-rural education divide? And much more. Listen in as we explore cross-sector solutions and the concerted effort needed to chart a new course for inclusivity in learning.
"We have to prepare teachers better, think differently about how we support them, and deal with the broader question's about the value of going to college."
What you will learn -
- Recent events in higher education
- Challenges and opportunities in higher education
-
Addressing social mobility, resilient graduates, gender gaps, and urban-rural disparities
-
UIA National Summit dates
Learn more about the UIA by visiting:
Website
YouTube
This week's episode is sponsored by Mainstay, a student retention and engagement tool where you can increase student and staff engagement with the only platform consistently proven to boost engagement, retention, and wellbeing. To learn more about Mainstay, click here.
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/innovationalliance/message
Learn more about the UIA by visiting:
Website
YouTube
This week's episode is sponsored by Mainstay, a student retention and engagement tool where you can increase student and staff engagement with the only platform consistently proven to boost engagement, retention, and wellbeing. To learn more about Mainstay, click here.
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/innovationalliance/message
On this episode of the “Innovating Together” podcast, Dr. Lisa Vollendorf, President of Empire State University, talks about her leadership journey and insights on higher education. She emphasizes the importance of continuous learning, resilience, and integrity, and stresses the need for access, fairness, and cooperation in education. President Vollendorf also shares her experiences in overcoming challenges and her involvement in student success programs.
"I think it's very important for people to show up as their authentic selves." - President Dr. Lisa Vollendorf
What you will learn -
- Career aspirations and finding meaning
- Working towards student success
- The importance of being authentic
- Knowing your north star
Learn more about President Dr. Lisa Vollendorf by visiting:
About
Learn more about the UIA by visiting:
Website
YouTube
This week's episode is sponsored by Mainstay, a student retention and engagement tool where you can increase student and staff engagement with the only platform consistently proven to boost engagement, retention, and wellbeing. To learn more about Mainstay, click here.
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/innovationalliance/message
Learn more about the UIA by visiting:
Website
YouTube
This week's episode is sponsored by Mainstay, a student retention and engagement tool where you can increase student and staff engagement with the only platform consistently proven to boost engagement, retention, and wellbeing. To learn more about Mainstay, click here.
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/innovationalliance/message
Join hosts Bridget Burns and Doug Lederman in an insightful episode of Innovating Together as they interview Ruth Watkins, President of Strada Education Network's Postsecondary Education. Delving into the importance of leadership and collaborative efforts in higher education, Watkins shares insights from her career and the University of Utah's student success journey. The conversation also addresses the gap between perceived and real value of bachelor's degrees for many Americans, emphasizing the need for honest self-assessment. Watkins recommends the book "Team of Teams" for its focus on trust-building and empowering local leaders. Don't miss this exploration of higher education challenges and solutions from a seasoned leader.
"Even if sometimes it is a bit of an attack, you can always say hmm what then must I do? What do we do to rebuild trust and confidence and support?" - President Ruth Watkins
What you will learn -
- The importance of tackling big issues
- Leadership and reflective leadership
- Recognizing the changing needs of America
- Rebuilding trust and confidence
Learn more about President Ruth Watkins by visiting:
About
Learn more about the UIA by visiting:
Website
YouTube
This week's episode is sponsored by Mainstay, a student retention and engagement tool where you can increase student and staff engagement with the only platform consistently proven to boost engagement, retention, and wellbeing. To learn more about Mainstay, click here.
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/innovationalliance/message
Learn more about the UIA by visiting:
Website
YouTube
This week's episode is sponsored by Mainstay, a student retention and engagement tool where you can increase student and staff engagement with the only platform consistently proven to boost engagement, retention, and wellbeing. To learn more about Mainstay, click here.
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/innovationalliance/message
On this episode of the Innovating Together Podcast, hosts Bridget Burns and Doug Lederman talk about the best ways to pitch ideas to other institutions if you want your ideas to scale. They discussed key steps any innovator should take when sharing about a solution, and emphasized the need to start by identifying the problem first. The conversation emphasizes how important it is to understand the audience's issues, focus on shared priorities, and admit to flaws in higher education. Finally, they stressed the importance of openness and honesty in addressing the failings of higher education and a dedication to making things better.
“Ensuring that every individual can reach their full potential in life, regardless of their family background or birthplace, is of utmost importance." - Bridget Burns
What you will learn -
- The challenge of scaling innovations
- The importance of vulnerability and sharing stories of failure
- Achieving full potential in life
- Sharing and validating topics in higher education
Learn more about the UIA by visiting:
Website
YouTube
This week's episode is sponsored by Mainstay, a student retention and engagement tool where you can increase student and staff engagement with the only platform consistently proven to boost engagement, retention, and wellbeing. To learn more about Mainstay, click here.
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/innovationalliance/message
Learn more about the UIA by visiting:
Website
YouTube
This week's episode is sponsored by Mainstay, a student retention and engagement tool where you can increase student and staff engagement with the only platform consistently proven to boost engagement, retention, and wellbeing. To learn more about Mainstay, click here.
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/innovationalliance/message
Learn more about the UIA by visiting:
Website
YouTube
This week's episode is sponsored by Mainstay, a student retention and engagement tool where you can increase student and staff engagement with the only platform consistently proven to boost engagement, retention, and wellbeing. To learn more about Mainstay, click here.
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/innovationalliance/message
On this episode of the "Innovating Together Podcast," Bridget Burns and Doug Lederman interview Bill Moses, the Managing Director of the Education Program at the Kresge Foundation. Bill discusses his journey as a leader and his philanthropic work, which focuses on improving access to and success in higher education for low-income, first-generation, and underrepresented students. He explores the role of philanthropy in addressing challenges in higher education, emphasizes the importance of visionary leadership, and highlights the need for institutions to prioritize student service. Additionally, Bill shares his experiences working in South Africa and Mexico, and reflects on his early career witnessing South Africa's transformation into a democracy.
"Without visionary leadership and empowerment, institutional reform and real change are unlikely to occur effectively." - Bill Moses
What you will learn -
- The Role of Philanthropy in Higher Education
- Balancing General Operating Support and Project Support
- Leadership Lessons from College Presidents
- Challenges in higher education
Learn more about Bill Moses by visiting:
About
Learn more about the UIA by visiting:
Website
YouTube
This week's episode is sponsored by Mainstay, a student retention and engagement tool where you can increase student and staff engagement with the only platform consistently proven to boost engagement, retention, and wellbeing. To learn more about Mainstay, click here.
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/innovationalliance/message
Learn more about President Kate Smith by visiting:
About
Learn more about the UIA by visiting:
Website
YouTube
This week's episode is sponsored by Mainstay, a student retention and engagement tool where you can increase student and staff engagement with the only platform consistently proven to boost engagement, retention, and wellbeing. To learn more about Mainstay, click here.
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/innovationalliance/message
On this special episode of the Innovating Together Podcast, Bridget Burns is a guest on the Ascend podcast with hosts Jared Tippett and Eric Kirby. Bridget talks about her career path and the idea of “tripwires” in higher education. These tripwires are small administrative obstacles that impede student success. She stresses the importance of universities listening to their students, comprehending their experiences and goals, and taking action based on their feedback. Bridget introduces the concept of the "Listening Lab for Transformation" and explores the significance of a supportive culture, effective student engagement, and the utilization of data to enhance student success.
"Your brain is going to lie to you, and it is going to exaggerate fear around anything that is new. You need to question your brain because it's going to tell you lies." - Bridget Burns
What you will learn -
- The Tripwires in Higher Education
- The importance of empathy and student perspective
- Measuring student success and the limitations of current metrics
- Supporting students through empathy and process mapping
Learn more about Jared Tippets and Eric Kirby by visiting:
Apple Podcast
Learn more about the UIA by visiting:
Website
YouTube
This week's episode is sponsored by Mainstay, a student retention and engagement tool where you can increase student and staff engagement with the only platform consistently proven to boost engagement, retention, and wellbeing. To learn more about Mainstay, click here.
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/innovationalliance/message
On this episode of the "Innovating Together," Bridget Burns and Ian Wilhelm interview Dr. Tim Renick, the founder of the National Institute for Student Success. The episode focuses on the issue of high DFW rates in higher education institutions and the need for better data and evidence-based approaches to solve this problem. Dr. Renick talks about the innovative practices that Georgia State University has implemented, such as the Accelerator Program, to improve student success. They also discuss biases within higher education institutions and the importance of recognizing and addressing them to promote innovation and effective solutions.
"We're literally failing these students in their classes, and we need to take this as a common responsibility to work out a cooperative solution across the whole institution, rather than saying this is on the faculty member teaching the class to figure out a problem that is a national in scope." - Dr. Tim Renick
What you will learn -
- The problem of DFW rates and the need for change
- Troubling trends in student performance
- The effectiveness of using AI-enhanced chatbots in academic courses
- Leadership and making tough decisions
Learn more about Dr. Tim Renick by visiting:
About
Learn more about the UIA by visiting:
Website
YouTube
This week's episode is sponsored by Mainstay, a student retention and engagement tool where you can increase student and staff engagement with the only platform consistently proven to boost engagement, retention, and wellbeing. To learn more about Mainstay, click here.
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/innovationalliance/message
On this episode of the Innovating Together Podcast, Mark Becker, President of Pacific Lutheran University (PLU), discusses the evolving expectations for university presidents. He emphasizes the significance of universities delivering value in terms of job prospects for students. President Becker also reflects on his own leadership journey and the challenges faced by university presidents in the current political climate. Bridget Burns, adds that the presidency in higher education should be elevated as a crucial leadership role, and presidents should be respected and learned from.
"Today, people want to know if I go to your institution, am I going to get a degree that is going to lead to a job in a career that I want?" - President Mark Becker
What you will learn -
- The importance of job placement for students
- Challenges Faced by Universities
- Listening and Communicating with Different Perspectives
- The need for a nuanced conversation about higher education
Learn more about President Mark Becker by visiting:
About
Learn more about the UIA by visiting:
Website
YouTube
This week's episode is sponsored by Mainstay, a student retention and engagement tool where you can increase student and staff engagement with the only platform consistently proven to boost engagement, retention, and wellbeing. To learn more about Mainstay, click here.
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/innovationalliance/message
Weekly Wisdom Interview with EVP & COO at ASU Dr. Chris Howard
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/innovationalliance/message
In today's episode, Bridget Burns and Doug Lederman preview the next season of weekly wisdom and review the interviews from the past season that they each found most compelling. They also discussed the challenges and opportunities facing higher education in this moment, particularly the elements that will challenge leadership in the chapter ahead. They emphasize the importance of leaders taking the initiative to shape the future of higher education, rather than being reactive to external pressures. They highlight the need for authenticity in leadership and reflect on some of the most valuable conversations from previous episodes. They also discuss the issue of turnover in leadership positions and the impact it has on innovation, while stressing the importance of leaders having a clear vision and the ability to inspire and bring people together.
"There's a level of candor and accessibility that is needed in this next chapter, like you and I see all the time, the skepticism about higher ed and the public, skepticism about higher education by the public.?" - Bridget Burns
What you will learn -
- The defense versus offense analogy
- Reflection on past episodes and interesting conversations
- The pivot and potential constraint
- Turnover and transition challenges
Learn more about Doug Lederman by visiting:
Website
Learn more about the UIA by visiting:
Website
YouTube
This week's episode is sponsored by Mainstay, a student retention and engagement tool where you can increase student and staff engagement with the only platform consistently proven to boost engagement, retention, and wellbeing. To learn more about Mainstay, click here.
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/innovationalliance/message
In today’s episode of the Innovating Together podcast, hosts Bridget Burns and Doug Lederman talk with Vincent Rougeau, a former law dean, and the current President of College of the Holy Cross. President Rougeau spent a good part of his career in legal education, and was a law dean prior to taking the Holy Cross job. Today, he shares his insights on how his legal training and experience leading in a law school has affected how he leads.
President Rougeau believes that in order to be an effective leader, it requires a deep understanding of oneself. To be an authentic leader, you must be able to recognize your strengths, weaknesses, values, goals, and interests and use them to your advantage. He believes that it is just as important to see those in others. This means that as the leader, you should focus on serving the needs of the team and the organization, rather than your own personal needs and desires. President Rougeau stated that this can be difficult, as the natural instinct of a leader is to focus on their own needs and desires first. However, by focusing on the needs of the team and the organization, the leader is able to create an environment of collaboration and trust. This allows the team and the organization to thrive and grow.
“I was fortunate enough to have a role model in my life who taught me the importance of leading with service. My father was deeply devoted to principles, often making serious sacrifices to benefit many people beyond himself. He was involved in the civil rights movement and was jailed for his work. From him, I learned that if you lead primarily to gain something for yourself, it may not be the best motivation. Instead, if you lead to improve an organization or institution on behalf of many, then you will be more successful.” - President Rougeau
What you will learn -
- Authentic leadership is key
- Diverse leadership in institutions
- Building a Positive Community
- Many pathways to success
Learn more about President Rougeau by visiting:
About
Learn more about the UIA by visiting:
Website
YouTube
This week's episode is sponsored by Mainstay, a student retention and engagement tool where you can increase student and staff engagement with the only platform consistently proven to boost engagement, retention, and wellbeing. To learn more about Mainstay, click here.
Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/innovationalliance/message
Weekly Wisdom Interview with SNHU President Paul LeBlanc
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/innovationalliance/message
In today's episode of the Innovating Together podcast, Bridget Burns and Dr. Candice Staples welcomes Dr. Becky Takeda-Tinker, President of Colorado State University Global, as the guest. Dr. Takeda-Tinker discusses her extensive career and shares insights on leadership. As the president of the nation’s first 100% online and fully accredited state nonprofit university, Dr. Takeda-Tinker discusses her extensive career and shares insights on leadership. She emphasizes the importance of connecting with others on a human level and uniting people as a leader. Dr. Takeda-Tinker also highlights the fast-paced nature of the industry, the need for data tracking and understanding student outcomes, and the importance of partnerships with industries. She discusses her leadership style, emphasizing accountability, transparency, and open communication. Dr. Takeda-Tinker encourages leaders to embrace failure, continuously adapt, and prioritize happiness in their careers. The episode concludes with appreciation for Dr. Takeda-Tinker's perspective.
"If it's not making you happy, why are you doing it?" - Dr. Becky Takeda-Tinker
What you will learn -
- The importance of human connectedness in leadership
- The unique leadership style required for online institutions
- The speed of industry and the impact of AI
- The importance of trying new things
Learn more about Dr. Becky Takeda-Tinker by visiting:
Website
Learn more about the UIA by visiting:
Website
YouTube
This week's episode is sponsored by Mainstay, a student retention and engagement tool where you can increase student and staff engagement with the only platform consistently proven to boost engagement, retention, and wellbeing. To learn more about Mainstay, click here.
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/innovationalliance/message
Weekly Wisdom Interview with Howard Community College President Daria Willis
Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/innovationalliance/message
In this week’s episode of Weekly Wisdom, Bridget Burns and Doug Lederman announced that Virginia Commonwealth University has joined the University Innovation Alliance (UIA) as a new member. Bridget explained, “The University Innovation Alliance is a collection of institutions who are scaling innovation to eliminate their equity gaps and actually improve outcomes and produce more high-quality graduates across the country.”
Michael Rao, the President of Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and VCU Health, a research and teaching institution and comprehensive healthcare system, was this week’s guest. A few of the main topics discussed were the partnership between UIA and VCU, collaborative endeavors, and how the COVID-19 pandemic has shifted VCU’s role in the community.
Doug began off the conversation by asking, “What attracted VCU to UIA?” and “What does your institution gain from this partnership?”
President Rao said, “We have a lot in common. We are motivated to make a difference. We are geared to research that matters to people.” He shared that he likes having regular contact with colleagues to learn from each other.
Bridget added that “VCU shares UIA’s values.” She said, the UIA president is willing to talk about the hard stuff. President Rao continued to answer Doug’s question by sharing that when he started as President of VCU the graduation rate was under 50% in terms of their 6-year graduation rate and now the graduation rate is around 70%.
He feels there is more that can be done to reach diverse populations. He thinks colleagues can learn from each other – and what works and doesn’t work for different groups of people. “What we as presidents expect to gain from each other is sharing positive energy about what’s possible.”
Bridget asked President Rao to share examples of collaborative endeavors he has experienced. He shared that when he was on the NCAA board, he discovered, “it was worth every second I put into it because I got so much back.” He found chatting with other presidents in between board meetings about similar issues they were both dealing with and asked, “What do you think?”
He also said that when he was chair of the statewide council of presidents, along with the president of the University of Virginia, they were connecting two to three times a week via phone and eventually via video during COVID-19. It helped to not be a “lonely island.”
“Putting people in the right place” is critical for a president, said XXX. Strategies are shaped by conversations with other presidents.
Doug asked, “How has VCU’s role in the community shifted during the pandemic?”
President Rao responded, “a lot of the changes are focused on more inclusively engaging with people who have not been a part of what has been going on.” He shared an example of how they switched their freshman convocation from an indoor event to an outdoor event with more than 4,000 people there.
Several students expressed appreciation for not canceling the in-person event and not being in front of a screen. There were also many students who asked, “Can you get more stuff online for us? We really like that option.” He shared with the freshmen, “There is more information out there than there has ever been, but also more agenda’s than there have ever been. You’ve got to develop your own sense and your own gut of what you believe in. What are your values? Decide whether what you are hearing matches that.”
He believes it’s important that public universities be disciplined to be places where people can look to for the truth
Learn more about President Rao by visiting:
Website
Learn more about the UIA by visiting:
Website
YouTube
This week's episode is sponsored by Mainstay, a student retention and engagement tool where you can increase student and staff engagement with the only platform consistently proven to boost engagement, retention, and wellbeing. To learn more about Mainstay, click here.
Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/innovationalliance/message
In this episode of the “Innovating Together” podcast, host Bridget Burns and co-host Doug Lederman are joined by Mark D. Milliron, President of National University in California. President Milliron discusses his experience serving on various boards and how it has shaped his understanding of building great board relationships. He emphasizes the importance of servant leadership and involving board members in strategic and policy work. President Milliron also highlights the need for collaboration in higher education, particularly in improving the success of low-income, first-generation students. He shares valuable career advice, including the importance of playing to one's strengths and creating an authentic and mission-driven environment.
"I've absolutely fundamentally dedicated my life to helping more, and more diverse, students be more successful in the world of higher education so that they have more opportunities in their lives." - President Milliron
What you will learn -
- The power of grace and understanding
- Creating a meaningful environment
- The core elements of good leadership
- Taking care of oneself as a leader
Learn more about President Mark D. Milliron by visiting:
Website
Learn more about the UIA by visiting:
Website
YouTube
This week's episode is sponsored by Mainstay, a student retention and engagement tool where you can increase student and staff engagement with the only platform consistently proven to boost engagement, retention, and wellbeing. To learn more about Mainstay, click here.
Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/innovationalliance/message
Weekly Wisdom Interview with Georgia State University President Brian Blake
Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/innovationalliance/message
Weekly Wisdom interview with Chancellor Cindy Larive from UC Santa Cruz
Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/innovationalliance/message
As a third generation faculty member, President Taylor Randall has always been passionate about the University of Utah. President Randall served as a professor for over 10 years and Dean for over 12, before becoming the university's President last year. While making that transition, President Randall said he tried to assume that he didn’t know as much as he thought he did, and focused on listening. This strategy enabled him to tap into the heart, soul, and values of the campus. President Randall says coming into the presidency on the tail end of Covid wasn’t easy, but it taught him to communicate and empathize differently. It also reinforced the role of a leader in identifying and focusing the attention of the institution toward an optimistic future. President Randall was able to give staff and students the facts, while still keeping them moving towards the light. He says it’s all about balancing optimism and transparency.
President Randall was able to position the University of Utah for inclusion in the University Innovation Alliance. Through this partnership, the University of Utah will collaboratively work to increase student success and improve outcomes for graduates. President Randall believes we are at a point where we need to redefine what it means to be a public institution. We have to redefine our obligations to stakeholders; state, public, and most importantly, students. President Randall's goal is for the student experience to be one that creates extreme passion and confidence among graduates.
What You’ll Learn:
- What it means to be a member of the University Innovation Alliance.
- What University of Utah students value.
- What Dean’s need to understand about being President.
- How the transition from Covid has been.
Favorite Quote:
“We’re irrationally passionate about the University of Utah.” -Taylor Randall
How to Connect with President Randall:
Learn more about the UIA by visiting:
Website
YouTube
This week's episode is sponsored by Mainstay, a student retention and engagement tool where you can increase student and staff engagement with the only platform consistently proven to boost engagement, retention, and wellbeing. To learn more about Mainstay, click here.
Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/innovationalliance/message
In this week’s episode of Weekly Wisdom, Bridget Burns and Doug Lederman announced that Virginia Commonwealth University has joined the University Innovation Alliance (UIA) as a new member. Bridget explained, “The University Innovation Alliance is a collection of institutions who are scaling innovation to eliminate their equity gaps and actually improve outcomes and produce more high-quality graduates across the country.”
Michael Rao, the President of Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and VCU Health, a research and teaching institution and comprehensive healthcare system, was this week’s guest. A few of the main topics discussed were the partnership between UIA and VCU, collaborative endeavors, and how the COVID-19 pandemic has shifted VCU’s role in the community.
Bridget asked President Rao to share examples of collaborative endeavors he has experienced. He shared that when he was on the NCAA board, he discovered, “it was worth every second I put into it because I got so much back.” He found chatting with other presidents in between board meetings about similar issues they were both dealing with and asked, “What do you think?”
He also said that when he was chair of the statewide council of presidents, along with the president of the University of Virginia, they were connecting two to three times a week via phone and eventually via video during COVID-19. It helped to not be a “lonely island.”
“Putting people in the right place” is critical for a president, said XXX. Strategies are shaped by conversations with other presidents.
Bridget asked President Rao to expand about why it is helpful for presidents to team up. He shared an example, “One of my big jobs was to start a new medical school at the other institution from which I had come. I teamed up with a president who had started a new medical school. He was literally just a year or two ahead of me. I went and visited him and his team, and I came back with a very clear plan.”
Several students expressed appreciation for not canceling the in-person event and not being in front of a screen. There were also many students who asked, “Can you get more stuff online for us? We really like that option.” He shared with the freshmen, “There is more information out there than there has ever been, but also more agenda’s than there have ever been. You’ve got to develop your own sense and your own gut of what you believe in. What are your values? Decide whether what you are hearing matches that.”
Learn more about President Rao by visiting:
Website
Learn more about the UIA by visiting:
Website
YouTube
This week's episode is sponsored by Mainstay, a student retention and engagement tool where you can increase student and staff engagement with the only platform consistently proven to boost engagement, retention, and wellbeing. To learn more about Mainstay, click here.
Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/innovationalliance/message
Weekly Wisdom Interview with UIC Interim Chancellor Javier Reyes
On today's episode of the Innovating Together Podcast, hosts Bridget Burns and Doug Lederman interview Javier Reyes, interim chancellor at the University of Illinois at Chicago. We discussed his experience as an interim chancellor and the importance of collaboration and teamwork in leadership.
Chancellor Reyes emphasized the need to gather input from all team members and to maintain collegiality, even when there are disagreements. He acknowledged the challenge of being the ultimate decision-maker and taking responsibility for those decisions. He mentioned some surprising elements of the chancellorship, such as the singleness of being the decision-maker, the need to balance the demands of the role with maintaining a sense of humanity and empathy for those affected by the decisions being made.
Chancellor Reyes also shared his advice for those earlier in their careers, suggesting that they not only listen to the person speaking, but also to others who may have heard different perspectives.
Two books that have been particularly helpful in Chancellor Reyes leadership journey have been: “The Speed of Trust” by Stephen M.R. Covey and “It's Your Ship” by Captain D. Michael Abrashoff.
"Being a president or chancellor requires complete focus and attention for the institution, and is a lifestyle rather than just a job." - Chancellor Reyes
What you will learn -
- The Role of an Interim Chancellor
- Challenges of Interim Leadership
- The Importance of Collaboration and Trust in Leadership
Learn more about Chancellor Reyes by visiting:
Website
Learn more about the UIA by visiting:
Website
YouTube
This week's episode is sponsored by Mainstay, a student retention and engagement tool where you can increase student and staff engagement with the only platform consistently proven to boost engagement, retention, and wellbeing. To learn more about Mainstay, click here.
Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/innovationalliance/message
Weekly Wisdom Interview with Doug Lederman of Inside Higher Ed
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/innovationalliance/message
Weekly Wisdom Commencement Special Episode With Bridget Burns & Doug Lederman
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/innovationalliance/message
Weekly Wisdom interview with Howard Community College President Daria J. Willis
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/innovationalliance/message
Weekly Wisdom Interview With College of the Holy Cross President Vincent Rougeau
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/innovationalliance/message
Weekly Wisdom Interview With Paul Quinn College President Michael Sorrell
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/innovationalliance/message
Weekly Wisdom Interview with Fordham University President Tania Tetlow
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/innovationalliance/message
Weekly Wisdom Interview with Dr. DeAngela Burns-Wallace
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/innovationalliance/message
Interview with Dr. DeAngela Burns-Wallace
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/innovationalliance/message
Innovation Spotlight Interview with Andrew Magliozzi, CEO of Mainstay
--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
In today's episode of the "Innovating Together Podcast”, Doug and Bridget are speaking with Dr. Jolene Koester, who is the interim Chancellor of the California State University System. She is also the former president of California State University, Northridge.
Dr. Koester discussed the importance of building trust. This is especially true when it comes to leadership. Leaders must build trust in order to lead effectively. Without trust, people will not follow, and the leader will not be successful. She also discusses the importance for leaders to recognize the divide between the system and the campus. This is why it is essential for leaders to spend time with the system office and understand how it works and who the people are. Overall, leadership is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Leaders must be willing to recognize the differences between the system and the university and adjust their approach accordingly.
Leaders need to be willing to take risks and make decisions that will benefit their organization. They need to be prepared to face challenges and failure and learn from their mistakes, as well as be open to feedback and criticism, as this can help them become more effective and successful. This will help ensure that the team is working towards a common goal and can achieve success.
One of the books that Dr. Koester recommends most often is “The Advantage” by Patrick Lencioni, which discusses the importance of having a small leadership team and avoiding the temptation to add people just to avoid making people feel bad. He also emphasized the importance of finding joy in leadership, as it can be a challenging and demanding role.
What you will learn -
- Build trust to lead effectively
- Why you should seek advice
- Leadership requires understanding
- Why it is important to lead from your values
Learn more about Dr. Jolene Koester by visiting:
Website
Learn more about the UIA by visiting:
Website
YouTube
--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Innovation Spotlight is a new show UIA created in partnership with The Chronicle of Higher Education. Ian and Bridget are the cohosts of the show, and Ian interviewed Bridget about the challenges she is observing on campuses across higher education, as well as the solutions she sees as useful to support advancing change.
She talked about the challenge of turnover and transition as being the key challenges impacting institutions at the moment, she recommended that always selecting co-captains and cross-functional teams to shepherd any new initiative on campus.
She also suggested that institutions should focus on their process for supporting new ideas to ensure that they have a protocol to cultivate creativity, and innovation. This can be done in a number of ways, such as brainstorming sessions, white-boarding, and “Yes-And” exercises.
Bridget and Ian then went on to introduce and interview Peter Temes, the President of the Institute for Innovation in Large Organizations (ILO), which brings together members from different industries to share their experiences and best practices.
Peter shared that the ability to learn from the successes and failures of others is an invaluable tool for organizations. By doing so, organizations can reduce the cost of failure and increase their success rate. This is especially important for small teams and organizations who may not have the resources to experiment with new ideas. In addition to learning from others, organizations can also create their own experiments and test their ideas quickly. By testing ideas quickly and looking for early signals, organizations can lower the cost of failure and continue to experiment without harm being done when the experiments fail. This will lead to more learning and a higher success rate. Small teams can also benefit from learning from other people’s failures in order to lower the cost of failure and continue innovating and achieving their goals.
What you will learn -
- Why you should prioritize new ideas
- How to lower the cost of failure
- Why it is important to embrace discovery and change
- Trust and humility are key
Learn more about the ILO by visiting:
Website
YouTube
Learn more about the UIA by visiting:
Website
YouTube
--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Interview with University of LaVerne President Devorah Lieberman
--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Interview with CSU Fullerton President Framrose "Fram" Virjee
--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Special 100th Episode of the Innovating Together Podcast Featuring Bridget Burns & Doug Lederman
--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Not even a year into her presidency role at UMBC, President Valerie Sheares Ashby feels right at home. The privilege of serving so many students, staff, and faculty is not lost on President Sheares Ashby. Always having had a central value around leadership, she has said if you turn a triangle upside down, the leader should be the point at the bottom. Everyone above you, you should be in service to. This is just one quality that President Sheares Ashby has learned from the many good examples in her life, including her parents. Her father was a minister as well as a math and science teacher. Her mother, who was an English teacher, went on to run a homeless shelter after retiring. Through their compassion and dedication, President Sheares Ashby learned that service should feel like a privilege.
While President Sheares Ashby shares that every job she has held has been her favorite job at the time, she says the UMBC presidency was the right role at the right institution with the right values at the right time.
If you are comfortable in your own skin, and you show up authentically, it’s easy to find the job you’re supposed to be in, she explains. When you find that perfect fit, President Sheares Ashby says you should spend everyday working to make it better than you found it. That way, when it’s your time to leave, you can do so well. President Sheares Ashby appreciates how former UMBC President Freeman handed over the reins. He introduced her to the people, the city, and helped her make connections, and then handed it off for President Ashby to lead.
To stay grounded as a leader, President Sheares Ashby relies on her people: a leadership coach and 4 mentors. Beyond that, she prioritizes self-care because she knows everyone she meets deserves the best version of herself. She utilizes exercise, church, time with friends, music, and more to take care of herself. Sometimes, she admits, self-care means saying no to requests. On her desk you’ll find ‘20 Ways to Say No’. While your job should bring you joy, it should not be everything to you, she notes, asserting that it’s important for leaders to have a whole life.
At the end of the day, leadership isn’t for everyone. President Sheares Ashby reminds us that you need a servant's heart and the right assets for the role. When it comes to keeping her leadership strong, she turns to her mentors and a few good books. For anyone who is looking at how to be an authentic leader, President Sheares Ashby recommends the books- The Advantage by Patrick Lencioni and Leading With Heart by John Baird.
What You’ll Learn:
- Why self-care is so important for leaders.
- What inclusive excellence means and why it’s important.
- Why everyone should have a mentor.
Favorite Quote:
“It is a privilege to be in leadership, and we are indeed in service to people.”
-President Valerie Sheares Ashby
--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
As Secretary of Education for the state of Virginia, Dr. Dietra Trent had a lot of colleges, universities, and departments underneath her. All of those colleges and universities were independent, with no system tying them together. At the end of the day, Dr. Trent was working with the governor to convey his vision for higher education, while helping agencies to see how they fit into that vision. She’s since transitioned into the role of Executive Director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). While her focus has narrowed, her impact has not. Dr. Trent uses her bully pulpit not as a way to hammer her ideas, but as a way to collaborate with others to deliver on behalf of HBCUs. Working with 37 agencies, Dr. Trent finds opportunities for the advancement of HBCUs as a whole.
With a hundred plus colleges and universities relying on her, Dr. Trent ca not solve every issue for everyone, but instead must pick 2 or 3 issues that will move the needle forward for all of them. With HBCUs having their moment following George Floyd, Dr. Trent is working to turn that momentum into a movement. HBCUs have been historically underfunded and underappreciated. They’ve been around for a long time, with the first HBCU being established 28 years before slavery ended. In that time, they’ve produced a lot of leaders, with 85% of federal judges, 75% of MDs and dentists, and over 50% of teachers and engineers coming from HBCUs. With a lot of universities showing a decline in applicants, HBCUs are seeing an incline. Dr. Trent believes this is because people not only want a quality education, but they want one where they will be nurtured for who they are.
So, why is it that in 2018, all 101 HBCUs combined received less than $400million in federal funding, while John Hopkins received $2.6billion? It’s not just about money, though. Dr. Trent would like to see support through access to resources. If philanthropists have expertise in things like systems or going after grants, that knowledge could put HBCUs in a position to go after more research dollars. Dr. Trent says HBCUs have a lot of catching up to do with things that predominantly white schools take for granted. It’s truly amazing how much they do with so little.
What You’ll Learn:
- The differences between working for the state and the federal government.
- How philanthropists can support HBCUs outside of money.
- What it really means to support black students.
- And much more!
Favorite Quote:
“Leadership is not about title or position; rather, it's about posture. And it's only in assuming a posture to serve can you truly lead others to bring their best.”
-Dr. Dietra Trent
--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
As a licensed psychologist with more than 40 years of experience as an academician, scholar clinician, and administrator, Dr. Thomas A. Parham is well known for his work in African psychology and multicultural counseling. After serving faculty and students at the University of California, Irvine campus for over 30 years, President Parham took the presidency position at California State University, Dominguez Hills. His previous roles as vice chancellor for student affairs, adjunct faculty member, assistant vice chancellor for counseling and health services, Counseling Center director, and director of the Career and Life Planning Center, and an Ivy League professor before that at U Penn, have given President Parham a plethora of knowledge and skills.
President Parham’s goal was, and continues to be, producing excellence across multiple domains. He feels this not only prepared him for the rigors of the presidency, but also of life. He feels like the Cal State University system is a perfect fit for him. As one of the most diverse and inclusive systems of higher education in the nation, President Parham is happy that CSU makes education a right for many, rather than a privilege for the few. With a tremendous, dedicated staff, it feels more like a calling than just a job or a title. As someone that’s motivated by ideas, President Parham says staying engaged, inspired, and committed to the mission is easy for him.
What You’ll Learn:
- How President Parham prepared for the presidency role.
- What President Parham’s mentor told him regarding the key to mental health was.
- What President Parham’s term ’T-squared’ means.
- How CSU ranks in terms of diversity and inclusion.
Favorite Quotes:
“ Life at its best is a creative synthesis of opposites in fruitful harmony”
“You will never find out how strong you can be until your moment of greatest vulnerability.” -Dr. Thomas A. Parham
--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Bridget Burns’ Guest Appearance on An Educated Guest Podcast
--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Dr. Reyes had only been Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at the University of Illinois for a year before he was given the position of Interim Chancellor in July of this year. It was a position Dr. Reyes didn’t expect to be in for a while. He went into it thinking it would be more of a team effort, but has quickly learned that, at the end of the day, the responsibility is on his shoulders. He’s managed the position by having a lot of conversations and gathering a lot of input before making decisions, but ultimately the decisions are his.
Having looked a lot at how leaders collect information, Dr. Reyes makes sure to never close a door to another opinion. He’s made a commitment to his team to gather all the available information before making decisions. In return, he’s held his team to the standard of not disconnecting if they don’t agree with the decision that is made. Dr. Reyes knows it’s important to display a unified front.
When he was serving as vice chancellor, Dr. Reyes says they were preparing to reorganize how they approached student success. During that time, he began to form his provost leadership group. That proved useful as he moved into the chancellor role and needed to appoint others that he could work with successfully. It’s a major priority of Dr. Reyes’ to stay present with other faculty and staff members.
Having experienced both the provost and chancellor roles, Dr. Reyes believes he has a much better understanding of how a provost can support a chancellor and work closer with all the vice chancellors. Through his insights, he’s learned the demands on time and sense of urgency at the chancellor level is much greater. Provosts are there to help chancellors, and yet sometimes they’re not utilized because they’re on different timelines. Dr. Reyes is committed to getting them on the same page going forward so that they can achieve more together.
What You’ll Learn:
- How Dr. Reyes goes about making big decisions.
- How to be considerate of all input, but still decisive.
- The dangers of having a team not on the same page.
- The value of being able to shadow another leader.
Favorite Quote:
“We wanted to reimagine how we were interacting with all the different proponents surrounding higher ed for the last 2-3 years.” -Javier Reyes
How to Connect With Dr. Reyes:
University of Illinois Chicago
--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Interview with University of Utah President Taylor Randall
--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Dr. Stephen Percy became the full time President at Portland State University in 2020. President Percy said the most surprising part of his career was “It was not linear and certainly not what I was planning.”
When asked about what change you see are needed in higher education. President Percy said, “higher education has been changing rapidly and then you throw in the pandemic which led to a lot of instability.” Three areas he thinks is important in education are to advance racial justice and equity, instructional pedagogy and modality with flexibility that online learning provides and packaging with “stackable degrees” and finally relevant in today’s world.
President Percy gave an example on how he creates change. He read a New Yorker article about “the Big One” and the importance of being prepared for a future earthquake at 9.0 in the Pacific Northwest. He built a multi-disciplinary Emergency Management degree at PSU to address this future concern. Recently he invited staff to collaborate to put together a new degree for Climate action work. President Percy said he manages to bring about change by creating “connectivity without disrupting everything else.”
Bridget asked President Percy what he is most proud of. He responded, “I believe there’s a lot of ways we can come together (with the community) and learn…mutuality of knowledge, learning, sharing, and growing. The tremendous power of knowledge creation and instruction and opportunity creation that universities bring” to the community. He mentioned the pandemic was surprising and unusual. This unexpected disruption created more flexibility in modality with online learning.
The best advice President Percy ever heard was, “You have to listen.” Listening to people’s pain with empathy goes a long way. Advice he consistently gives others is to “develop your own sort of equity lens. A set of internal questions that relate to whatever you are thinking about creating, implementing, or evaluating. What is the impact on people who are traditionally marginalized?” Empathy skills help a lot to “understand where people are coming from” and find problems to solve.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Interview with University of Texas San Antonio President Taylor Eighmy
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Interview with Institute for Higher Education Policy President & CEO Mamie Voight
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Interview with Paul LeBlanc, President of Southern New Hampshire University
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Academic Advising Panel
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Interview with Arne Duncan, Former Secretary of Education
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Interview with NVCC President Anne M. Kress
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Interview with UHD President Loren J. Blanchard
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Bridget Burns, Executive Director of the University Innovation Alliance, and Jeff Selingo, author, columnist, and special advisor at Arizona State University, are inviting insight and experiences from presidents and chancellors of universities navigating the challenge in real-time. Today's guest is Michael Sorrell, who is the president of Paul Quinn College. President Sorrell is one of the 10 most innovative college presidents in the country and one of the world's top 50 leaders.
How is He Holding Up, and What is Keeping Him Positive? President Sorrell stays positive because of the gratitude for the amount of family time he gets to have; the sight of his family sharing his office and going in-and-out of it makes him happy. Part of his career involves being a crisis manager, so he feels like he is at an advantage and could plan to send students home on time.
What Kind of Leadership Principle is Serving Him? President Sorrell`s leadership principle is on the base of love, and he is more concerned about the wellbeing of his staff and students. He has created a safe space in staff meetings to encourage staff members to open up to boost their productivity.
How Does He Separate and Manage the Day's Work, Today's Chaos, and Plans? President Sorrell said the best course of action is to be honest about being overwhelmed because nobody has ever lived through a pandemic. Accepting his vulnerability and acting to minimize regrets, being cautious, and analyzing the situation carefully.
How is He Still Optimistic About the Future of His School?
President Sorrell shares his story about how his school was at a rough patch when he took over, and they came out and kept going irrespective of the sad odds. He likened the experience of Paul Quinn at that point to the current pandemic and said the difficulties would provide room for growth. Sorrell quotes lessons from his faith, saying, “without the test, you will never get a testimony” and says this is the time to be resilient as leaders to raise resilient students. He advises: if you pray, pray, then get up and believe in the inevitability of your success.
Is there any book he has read in the past that is helpful now? He said there is a need for a message of hope, and focusing on other people helps him. He is reading Just Mercy by Stevenson, On Duties, and Building an International University. Family time, exercising, and a positive mindset have kept him going so far.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Bridget Burns, Executive Director of the University Innovation Alliance, and Jeff Selingo, author, columnist, and special advisor at Arizona State University, are inviting insight and experiences from presidents and chancellors of universities navigating the challenge in real-time. Michael Crow, president of Arizona State University since 2002 and a recognized leader in higher education innovation.
How is He Holding Up and Does he have any Advice for Other Presidents? President Crow notes that neither he nor his staff have worked this hard but are working to give their best. He states that holding up is a function of working in the speed of the current fashion, driving as hard as you can, picking up the pace of innovation, advancing new ideas, and trying to adjust to recent encounters.
The Analogy of Leadership as Sailing President Crow explains a sailing analogy that portrays all the people in academia as sailors at sea, experiencing varying wave conditions. President Crow said a time like this is like 30-40-foot waves as opposed to the regular, stable seas because of many challenges that are occurring at the same time. He said the key is maintaining seaworthiness while being prepared for damages that come with the storm and adapting, adjusting, and preparing to make alterations to move forward regardless of the tides.
How Does He Stay Focused on Leadership as Opposed to Surrounding Changes? According to President Crow, staying focused on the outcome which is maintaining an environment for learners to learn and advance is vital, because education is essential to the country's success. Being able to focus on what you can control in whatever the changing circumstance is the principal notion.
How Does He Deal With Plans That Are on hold? President Crow said you have to deal with a back and forth between planning and adjusting because planning is useless when the battle begins. They have tried to implement alternative plans, carry out projects, and add dimensionality in implementing visions.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Interview with Georgia State University President M. Brian Blake
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Today on the Innovating Together podcast, we interview Chancellor Cindy Larive from UC Santa Cruz. When asked to share her journey from chemist to chancellor, she said, “I started my academic career at the University of Kansas, and I’m a chemist. When I was about 40, I was asked if I wanted to go to a leadership academy. I thought about it. I talked to my husband. I thought, I don’t think that’s for me. I really liked doing science. I was running a big lab. So I turned it down. A couple of times along my journey, I wondered maybe I should have done that. When I became department chair, I discovered I could make things happen that were good for my department, colleagues, and students. That changed my perspective a little. I still continued my lab right up until I came to UC Santa Cruz. Now I’m not a practicing chemist anymore. I really enjoy making the university a place where other people can succeed and focus on research and teaching.”
Doug asked what the positives are in administration? Chancellor Larive responded, “Faculty is a leadership role. Administration connotes bureaucracy. By leading, you actually empower others to join you in transformation. That’s a reason to get engaged. We can do more together to work on behalf of our mission. How do you accomplish things all by yourself? The way you do it is by partnering with other people and being able to move an agenda forward.”
Discussion about the impact of the pandemic ensued. Chancellor Larive shared an example of how budget cuts brought the team closer together and helped them appreciate the contributions of others. She also said they brought together teams of different expertise to make decisions in real time in order to operate in speed and scale.
Chancellor Larive shared her experience with wildfires that approached the campus during the pandemic. The wind shifted, and luckily the campus was spared, but the whole process of evacuating was fraught, "and the trauma to the people in our community remains. We had 1,000 people lose their homes. We had staff members who were working to evacuate students while their own families were evacuating. Then the process of bringing everybody back to campus — that was hard. That experience helped me get in touch with my own feelings, how I felt about our campus and how valuable it is.”
When Doug asked Chancellor Larive how she is inspiring and leading people in the midst of burnout, she said, “for me, it’s the transformational power of higher education. Higher education changed my life from a low-income first generation college student. We do that every day. It is that mission of access, of opportunity. Our work really matters.” She discussed the hybrid model and helping staff feel valued.
Bridget followed up with discussing the “burnout epidemic” and expressed she feels “it’s about lack of purpose, inspiration, and community in our work.” Technology is a modality that can help you get those. In general, I don’t think we spend enough time prioritizing those three things. They felt soft and squishy when we are talking about life or death.” Chancellor Larive shared, “It won’t be the same for every person.”
“The best advice I got came from a mentor of mine from the University of Kansas. He was a senior faculty member who took me under his wing. He said, ‘You have to remember. It’s not about the science. It’s about the people.’ It was good advice.”
“Be open. Let other people know you are interested. We have several programs around collaborative leadership. There are a lot of opportunities to show you are interested and get those opportunities. Focus on making a difference. Volunteer, step forward. Show you are a solutions-oriented partner.”
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Dr. Bridget Burns and Dr. Tiffany Polite from University Innovation Alliance (UIA) interviewed Dr. Amelia Parnell from NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education.
Dr. Parnell wrote a book titled “You are a Data Person: Strategies for Using Analytics on Campus.” Her target audience is anyone who works in higher education in any position. She gathered context for the book by interviewing 40 professionals from a variety of roles to learn about their uses of data in their daily work. The book reflects themes from those discussions and introduces the Data Identity Framework, which describes six core competencies that are key to making data-informed decisions. The six areas are:
- Curiosity and Inquiry
- Research and Analysis
- Communication and Consultation
- Campus Context
- Industry Context
- Strategy and Planning
Dr. Burns reflected that the book sounds like it gives the reader confidence to use data to be an informed decision maker. Establishing the appropriate sequencing, timing, and pace using big data is doable for anyone in a collaborative environment, according to Dr. Parnell.
The most popular question, especially from graduate students, is “which is better, quantitative, or qualitative?” Dr. Parnell likes both. “Almost every conversation comes back to strategic communication.” Dr. Parnell said the book is not meant to be a one-time read. “I think the goal is to convince the reader… to have a lifelong commitment to building out a set of skills.” It’s a quick read, but a book you can come back to over and over as you develop these skill sets.
Dr. Burns recommends the book as a holiday gift or pass around the office, and asked for Dr. Parnell’s background. Dr. Parnell shared that her experiences in legislative policy, student affairs, research, and graduate teaching all reflect her passion for making complicated topics easy to understand and accessible.
Dr. Parnell responded to an audience question regarding how to brief one’s boss with data. She said, “For example, if you received a question from a senior leader who is curious about the number of transfer students who come to the campus from more than 500 miles away, a good first step is to probe to clarify what the senior leader is trying to accomplish. A key question to ask in doing so is how the requested data would be used. After ensuring that the desired use of the data is clear, the next step is to complete the analysis and provide the results.” Parnell suggests that a good approach for sharing results is to start by providing brief bullet points, which can help the colleague clearly identify relevant information.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
“I have never been more excited,” said UMBC President Freeman Hrabowski in a recent Weekly Wisdom interview with UIA Executive Director Bridget Burns and Inside Higher Ed Editor and Co-Founder Doug Lederman. Dr. Hrabowski was reflecting on his plans to retire in June 2022 after thirty years as president of UMBC. He is excited because the University is doing so well. Students, faculty, and staff are excelling and are sustaining UMBC’s supportive community, and the legislature is continuing to invest in higher education across the state. His next chapter will involve talking about the UMBC model, and further supporting the success of all students, with leaders across the country.
Bridget asked Dr. Hrabowski to share the most surprising thing about his career. He shared, “The challenges of humankind are always there. You have the same feelings you had when you were 25 or 30. The other part is the wonderful experience of drawing on life to help you get through the next period. And most important, the few words we give to people of encouragement can make a big difference. I’ve seen that over and over again. How do we support each other as we go through these challenging times? We connect to other people. We either elevate them or bring them down.”
Doug asked, “What skills and attributes do future presidents need to have?” Dr. Hrabowski responded with authenticity, honesty, and humility. He shared the importance of being “humble enough to own mistakes and know when we need help. We are going through a period of time when people are questioning the truth. Optimism says we can be realistic, but we can get through this.”
“Is there anything you recommend people do to help them be successful in their career?” Bridget asked. Dr. Hrabowski responded, “I talk about one's health: physical, emotional, mental health.” He acknowledged leadership positions can be stressful. He has seen what happens to leaders who did not take care of themselves physically or mentally. “We need to take the time to look at everything from nutrition to physical health to having people to talk to about the challenges that affect one's mental state. The more secure one is, the more one can say, ‘I need help’ given what we go through.”
Active listening is something Dr. Hrabowski has learned through the course of his career. As a young college president, he felt an expectation to be at the center of conversations and always have something illuminating to say. But over time he came to focus on asking questions, listening, and bringing in new voices. That active listening approach became core to his leadership style and how he mentors emerging leaders. He appreciates the phrase, “smile more, talk less.”
Discussing the broader national landscape, he noted the important role of colleges and universities in helping people learn how to understand different points of view and be comfortable with discomfort. These skills, he suggests, will help our future leaders productively communicate across differences and collaborate to solve our biggest challenges.
Bridget was curious about the things Dr. Hrabowski will miss at UMBC. He said, “I will miss walking around the campus, hearing people speak French to me… being in the midst of it.”
He also shared helpful advice he heard years ago from civic leader and philanthropist Walter Sondheim, who told him, “Live life seriously, but don’t take it seriously.”
Change is bittersweet, he summarized, but laughter and an optimistic attitude help leaders connect in a meaningful way to other people. He closed the interview with one of his favorite phrases: “Keep hope alive!”
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Interview with U.S. Under Secretary of Education James Kvaal
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Background
Today on the Innovating Together Podcast, we are interviewing President L. Song Richardson. President Richardson is the 14th President of Colorado College. She started in that position in the summer of 2021. Most recently, she was the Dean and Chancellor’s Professor of Law at the University of California, Irvine School of Law. During this interview, we addressed leading during COVID, compared her position as dean with her current position as president, and the importance of students having access to higher education and the removal of barriers to success.
Leading during COVID
Bridget asked President Richardson to share what it was like to start as a new leader during COVID in a remote world. President Richardson stated that it has been an opportunity to “hone her skills of communication and just being present.” She shared that it is important to be deliberate in getting to know people. In a digital world, she observed she cannot be as spontaneous as she can in person. Seeing 40 people in little boxes on Zoom, she had to make a more conscious effort to pay attention to who was communicating and who wasn’t and to make sure she engaged with everyone on the call. However, she also noticed Zoom and the chat function made it easier for some people to communicate who might not feel comfortable speaking up in public in a group. “It provides a variety of different ways for people to engage with each other and with me.”
Contrasting positions as President vs. Dean
President Richardson reflected on the enormity of being the final decision maker as president, whereas when she was dean, there was a chancellor to address the most important decisions. She finds that the enormity of being president is humbling. She was surprised that her career path in law led her to become the president of a college, but said that she is guided by those times when her values and beliefs intersect with a wonderful opportunity. The Colorado College presidency was a match with her values.
Access and removing barriers to success
Bringing people of a broad range of backgrounds and experiences in and creating an environment where they can be successful is essential to President Richardson.
The cost of higher ed is a top challenge. “If I could wave a magic wand, I would make tuition free for all students. But even with free tuition, it does not mean everyone is set up for success. How do we encourage those courageous conversations?” In addition, she tries to create a healthy culture where people acknowledge failure, learn from it, and apply that growth toward innovating. She is open and vulnerable with her team about changing decisions she has made that were not good decisions. She also likes to ask her senior leaders to share mistakes that they have made and what they learned from them. Modeling that is especially important for students, she said. “How do we encourage resilience and grit and being comfortable with failure?” When people approach her about the challenges and obstacles we are facing today, she feels optimistic because they are invested: They care enough to want solutions.
Advice
“The best advice I like is from Brene’ Brown about ‘being in the arena. Taking the armor off and knowing you are in the arena fighting the good fight, trying to move forward. Don’t be so worried about armoring yourself. True leadership is being vulnerable, showing what that looks like. Not everyone is going to like you, and that’s OK.’ ”
She said self-reflection, and self-leadership, are more important than criticizing others.
“Ask yourself, are you leading yourself the way you want others to lead?”
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Background
Today on the Innovating Together Podcast, we interview Dr. Harrison Keller. Dr. Keller previously worked as Deputy to the president for Strategy and Policy and as a faculty member at UT Austin. Earlier in his career, he was heavily involved in the Legislature at the Texas Capitol. As Texas Commissioner of Higher Education, he leads the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, the state agency that coordinates across multiple University systems, fifty different community colleges, and private higher education institutions throughout Texas. Dr. Keller sees the agency's mission to serve as a resource, partner, and advocate for students and institutions. He spends much of his time working with chancellors, presidents, the Texas Governor, the Legislature, chambers of commerce, and employers. Most recently, Dr. Keller led development of a new higher education strategic plan for the state, which is called Building a Talent Strong Texas.
When Bridget asked Dr. Keller what skills, he was surprised he has leaned on in his current role, Dr. Keller responded with, “Besides wit and self-deprecating humor, the most surprising thing would be that I found my dissertation was even more useful than I ever expected. My education is in philosophy and specialized in moral and political philosophy. I wrote my dissertation on respect for persons. I think drawing on those years of serious study in philosophy was great training for the kind of work I get to do every day as Commissioner.”
Aligning with workforce needs
Dr. Keller discusses some of the fundamental workforce needs everyone can get behind. One specific example he talked about was the difficulty that employers are currently having when it comes to finding the talent they require in an employee. After COVID when the Texas economy came roaring back, there are more jobs than pre-pandemic, “but the jobs look different. Almost all the new jobs require education beyond a high school diploma.” Many displaced workers have found that additional training is required just to get a similar job in the same industry. Strengthening work-force education will be essential for Texas to be competitive in the future. Dr. Keller said they will be working with employers and institutions to get a sense of what employers are looking for and what drives the variance in earnings in different disciplines. “We want to make sure credentials have value as reflected in wage premiums. We are listening to and paying attention to the signals from the job market about what translates into value for individual students.”
Career Advice
Dr. Keller often gives upcoming leaders the following advice. “Don’t get too focused on obtaining a specific position. Think about the kind of problems that you’re compelled to work on, and whether different kinds of career opportunities give you a platform to do that kind of work in the world.” He also shared, “As a leader, your most important job is to build an excellent team.” There are three qualities he looks for when it comes to his team members. First, he looks for people who are competent and get things done. Second, he looks for people who fit into the team dynamic. Third, he looks for people who have ambition for the work, who are constantly thinking about how the work can be better.
Book Recommendations
Michael D. Watkins, “The First 90 Days: Proven Strategies for Getting up to Speed Faster and Smarter” about “accelerating your learning” when transitioning into a new role.
Jay Lorsch and Thomas J. Tierney’s “Aligning the Stars: How to Succeed when Professionals Drive Results” on building high performing teams.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Jackson State University President Thomas Hudson, J.D., joined Bridget Burns and Doug Lederman in this week's episode of the Innovating Together Podcast. There have been 12 presidents in JSU’s 144-year history, and President Hudson is only the second alumnus president, which he believes is an advantage. President Hudson said, “It shortens the learning curve when it comes to alumni relations.” He has been affiliated with JSU all of his life before taking on several roles in the administration. He was appointed interim president at JSU when the pandemic was just on the horizon. President Hudson said, “Maintain the focus on your core mission, your core constituency, handle the business of the University and keep your focus there. As long as you are doing that, I don’t think you can go wrong. You always have to have the future of the University in mind, even when you are in a role that may very well be temporary.”
Evolution of decision-making
“One of the things that I talk to my colleagues and members of my administration often is this concept of getting to the solution quicker, not staying so much in assessment mode. When you’re in a leadership position you are constantly evaluating, you’re constantly in some level of assessment, but you cannot stay in that mode. You have to get to solutions. You have to make decisions. So, if anything, the response time and response rate in terms of how soon you get to the solution when you are confronted with problems. You just don’t really have a lot of time to linger. You have to be willing to make mistakes… We have to understand if it doesn’t work, you have the flexibility to pull back and rethink… That’s probably the biggest change I have seen in terms of my leadership.”
Keeping your team resilient
“During the pandemic, you learn different ways to communicate. We all learned to use Zoom effectively and all of these virtual spaces… I meet monthly with my faculty senate, my staff senate. I meet bi-weekly with my administrative team individually. And once a week of course we meet as a body. When I first started, I had four specific priorities of the presidency. And really just pushing those things and as we go forward we released our strategic plan this past September… That requires constant communication to make sure we are all on the same page.”
Communicating with Optimism and Confidence
President Hudson explained it is important to communicate with optimism and confidence. Being the senior person in the room at all times, he has learned there is power in your words, what you say matters, and people act on it. You have to be careful what you say. When asked by Bridget how he decompresses, he shared that if there are problems he wants to process orally, he calls a previous president who understands the job, rather than venting to his staff.
President Hudson's favorite book on leadership is called The President's Club, written by Michael Duffy and Nancy Gibbs. It discusses the transition of power with US Presidents going back to the Hoover administration. “We all build on the great work that was done before us. We are just here for a time. It’s our job to make sure we leave it better than we found it and hand it off to the next leader.”
The best advice that President Hudson has received was by Dr. Page, “Finding yourself in your role and responsibilities you’ve been given and staying true to yourself and staying true to the mission of the University.” Another piece of advice was from Dr. Nelson, “Never forgetting the business of higher education. The nuts and bolts of what we do here, how we deliver our product, how we market our product, and how we pay for our product. Your first responsibility is to make sure the University has the resources it needs to act in accordance with its mission.”
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
In this week’s episode of Weekly Wisdom, Bridget Burns and Doug Lederman announced that Virginia Commonwealth University has joined the University Innovation Alliance (UIA) as a new member. Bridget explained, “The University Innovation Alliance is a collection of institutions who are scaling innovation to eliminate their equity gaps and actually improve outcomes and produce more high-quality graduates across the country.”
Michael Rao, the President of Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and VCU Health, a research and teaching institution and comprehensive healthcare system, was this week’s guest. A few of the main topics discussed were the partnership between UIA and VCU, collaborative endeavors, and how the COVID-19 pandemic has shifted VCU’s role in the community.
Doug began off the conversation by asking, “What attracted VCU to UIA?” and “What does your institution gain from this partnership?”
President Rao said, “We have a lot in common. We are motivated to make a difference. We are geared to research that matters to people.” He shared that he likes having regular contact with colleagues to learn from each other.
Bridget added that “VCU shares UIA’s values.” She said, the UIA president is willing to talk about the hard stuff. President Rao continued to answer Doug’s question by sharing that when he started as President of VCU the graduation rate was under 50% in terms of their 6-year graduation rate and now the graduation rate is around 70%.
He feels there is more that can be done to reach diverse populations. He thinks colleagues can learn from each other -- and what works and doesn’t work for different groups of people. “What we as presidents expect to gain from each other is sharing positive energy about what’s possible.”
Bridget asked President Rao to share examples of collaborative endeavors he has experienced. He shared that when he was on the NCAA board, he discovered, “it was worth every second I put into it because I got so much back.” He found chatting with other presidents in between board meetings about similar issues they were both dealing with and asked, “What do you think?”
He also said that when he was chair of the statewide council of presidents, along with the president of the University of Virginia, they were connecting two to three times a week via phone and eventually via video during COVID-19. It helped to not be a “lonely island.”
“Putting people in the right place” is critical for a president, said President Rao. Strategies are shaped by conversations with other presidents.
Bridget asked President Rao to expand about why it is helpful for presidents to team up. He shared an example, “One of my big jobs was to start a new medical school at the other institution from which I had come. I teamed up with a president who had started a new medical school. He was literally just a year or two ahead of me. I went and visited him and his team, and I came back with a very clear plan.”
Doug asked, “How has VCU’s role in the community shifted during the pandemic?”
President Rao responded, “a lot of the changes are focused on more inclusively engaging with people who have not been a part of what has been going on.” He shared an example of how they switched their freshman convocation from an indoor event to an outdoor event with more than 4,000 people there.
Several students expressed appreciation for not canceling the in-person event and not being in front of a screen. There were also many students who asked, “Can you get more stuff online for us? We really like that option.” He shared with the freshmen, “There is more information out there than there has ever been, but also more agenda’s than there have ever been. You’ve got to develop your own sense and your own gut of what you believe in. What are your values? Decide whether what you are hearing matches that.”
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
California Competes is a policy research and advocacy organization focused on driving system-level change to improve the state's higher education and workforce outcomes. Dr. Su Jin Jez said, “Our work sits at the intersection between higher education, equity, and the economy. We spend a lot of time thinking about what are the problems in our state and then doing research to come up with evidence-based solutions.” The discussion centered around non-traditional learners such as working adults and online learning, as well as leadership books she recommends and advice for leaders.
The COVID pandemic has been changing the economy. As a result, there are a couple top issues that are current priorities of California Competes. Dr. Jez sees the need for Higher ed to be more responsive to general workforce needs, such as retraining adult workers in new career fields. The second issue is the need for improving online learning with higher quality and improved access. “Online ed - we think it’s here to stay, and we need to figure it out,” stated Dr. Jez. She also sees the progression from K-12 to community college to four-year colleges and the workforce as inefficient because each entity is being run separately. She thinks coordination between the entities would make them more efficient. She feels the COVID pandemic has made us more conservative in our planning. Dr. Jez shared how she is more nimble in her planning, “This could all change tomorrow, and we have to be okay with that.” She also said, “You can go faster alone, but you can go further with a team.”
Bridget Burns asked Dr. Jez to share some books she recommends on leadership. Dr. Jez suggested “Policy Paradox Art of Political Decision-Making” by Deborah Stone. She says the author has a great analysis of what’s fair and what’s equitable. For example, if
your underlying assumption for a complicated issue is x and mine is y, then it unpacks more clearly how to move forward. For example, how does security vs. liberty challenge each other or compliment each other? Her second favorite book is a textbook, “Understanding and Managing Public Organizations” by Hal G. Rainey. She explained, “As a leader when you’re thinking about the changes you want to make to think about what is the H.R. perspective around this? What are the cultural perspectives on this? It builds a nice frame for thinking through the different sort of aspects of leading an organization.”
Doug Lederman asked Dr. Jez, “What is your favorite piece of advice?” Dr. Jez likes the four paths one can take, “Do, Defer, Delete, Delegate.” This advice helps her not feel overwhelmed and reminds her that not everything needs to be done immediately. “It’s like a deep breath around demands.” Another favorite piece of advice she learned from a mentor and shares with her team, “You have to write something twenty times in order to have an impact. Don’t give up.” It has to be reframed for different audiences. Bridget acknowledged that she has observed the most effective leaders who repeat themselves are the ones who get where they need to go. Dr. Jez also said she shares with up-and-coming leaders, “Find your reason for wanting to lead.” She also said, “Find your helpers.”
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
“Where does hope come from?” Paul Quinn College President, Michael Sorrell pondered in today's interview. President Sorrell unpacked his optimistic and honest message in the midst of extended COVID-19 variants affecting higher education. “We don’t know when it’s going to be over. What I can tell you is if this is our new reality, we will create a way to fly.”
We were told the pandemic might be a sprint. Then it might be a middle distance race. “Then it became apparent this might be a marathon,” President Sorrell shared, as he compared the pandemic to a race. He continued, “Folks are now beginning to ask, “Is this now my life? If this is my life, I don’t like it.” “Americans don’t like being told, “No,” or “to sacrifice.” We have to make peace with the fact that we have to be vaccinated. None of us have lived through a sustained national crisis. Pandemics evolve. We had no context for that. The CDC has been overwhelmed. Just when we think we can breathe, here comes Delta. We are going to function to preserve health and safety, and that’s going to make some people uncomfortable. We are going to delay the in-person meetings and make some compromises, but we will not compromise on tough decisions.”
Bridget asked President Sorrell, “Over the past two years as a leader, what strikes you the most in terms of change?” He responded, “My background was in crisis management. Crisis management is a very lonely place. What this sustained crisis has allowed me to do is to invest in my cabinet differently. For example, I created a chief administrative officer. She’s been with us for over a decade. I moved a significant segment of things under her authority. She is our “COVID-19 Czar.”
According to President Sorrell, COVID-19 has even changed the reasons people go to college. “There are many reasons people come to college. I can provide for my family better than if I don’t go.” Another reason why people used to go to college was for the “huge social dynamic with parties, fraternities, clubs, etc. but we can’t do that the same way now. This changes how people look at going to college. A different set of decision-making parameters. How do we, as institutions, respond to that? This is the third year that has been impacted by COVID-19. We are looking at a class of Seniors that COVID-19 is all they know. How you communicate why you should come is very different now.”
President Sorrell went into great detail with examples of the political upheaval in a divided America. He encouraged even small colleges to speak up to our legislatures regarding “fights that matter.” He summed it up by saying, “Given the pandemic, people don’t have the emotional bandwidth to manage. That’s where you need your leaders to provide the emotional bandwidth. I don’t think we’ve seen that at a level that would bring many people comfort.” Bridget asked, “How do you stay optimistic and focused as a leader with all of this noise?” President Sorrell responded, “We are going to win. Together we can create a plan to win. You don’t have to have a five point plan. I’m sitting on ideas that acknowledge the landscape has changed. Things aren’t coming back any time soon the way they were. By the time they do come back, students won’t remember. Staff will remember how it used to be. You build it, so people feel they can still win. ”
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Today on ‘Weekly Wisdom’ Bridget Burns from University Innovation Alliance and Doug Lederman from Inside Higher Ed sit down with California Community College Chancellor, Eloy Oakley. Many educational leaders had to step up during 2020 because of the pandemic and all that it brought with it, and Chancellor Oakley is no different. He discusses the struggles of leading through not only a pandemic but an economic crisis, racial reckoning, and a crisis in democracy.
Chancellor Oakley says resilience is vital in the evolution of leadership. As a leader that prefers running toward the problem and dealing with it face-to-face, Chancellor Oakley had to rely on his military experience to help him to keep moving forward. The most significant opportunity was making sure students didn’t get left behind in this constant sprint with an ever-moving finish line.
The Chancellor also discusses the enrollment decline they’re seeing because of this pandemic, especially among disadvantaged students. Prior to 2020, there was significant momentum that is now slowing or reversing. Food and housing insecurity are at the top of many student’s lists of concerns. Chancellor Oakley is proud of Governor Newson's work in securing emergency aid for the 2021-2022 budget, and hopes even more support will come from the Biden administration.
Incidentally, there have been talks of Chancellor Oakley becoming the Secretary of Education under a Biden administration. The Chancellor shares that if he were to be placed in this position, his priority would be a student's basic needs. He wants to better serve adult students that have lost their jobs and say that community colleges are potentially the best place to reach these individuals.
Beyond emergency aid, Chancellor Oakley would like to see major policy initiatives in the arena of democratizing college access, as we are in a time when a high school diploma is no longer enough to be successful in this economy. We need to see colleges move away from being selective to being inclusive. Secondly, Chancellor Oakley says student debt needs to be addressed as we have an entire generation of students being crushed by it.
Chancellor Oakley touches on the California College Promise, which aims to help underprivileged students, and his hopes for all states to do something similar. To connect with Chancellor Oakley, find him on Twitter or email him at eoakley@cccc.edu.
Welcome to innovating together, a podcast produced by the University Innovation Alliance. This is a podcast for busy people in higher education who are looking for the “aha moments” that can propel their work forward. Innovating Together curates the best insights, research, and experts. To connect with us further, visitwww.theuia.org.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Today we’re speaking with the Educational Administrator for higher, adult, and lifelong education, Kristen Renn from Michigan State University.
How Do You Introduce The Work That You Do?
Kristen states that she studies college student learning, development, and identities. Further, she says she specifically looks at how students of color, LGBTQ students, and low-income students experience higher education.
What Have You Found Surprising Because Of The Pandemic?
Kristen shares that she grew up in higher ed and always noticed it was resistant to change. At the beginning of the pandemic, she recalls she and other staff received a text that the whole school was going virtual in 19 minutes. Kristen says that if you had told her a year ago that all these teachers could make the switch to online learning in days or weeks, she wouldn’t have believed you. Kristen was floored by what higher ed could do but says it came at the expense of certain demographics.
How Have Students Been Affected?
Already being prone to more mental health issues, Kristen shares that the LGBTQ community has seen a further spike. However, she’s seen some good come to the LGBTQ community as well, one example being the chosen name initiative. In an attempt to not out transgender students, students can identify their chosen name and pronouns to be addressed by. This is something Kristen would like to see implemented when students return to campus.
What Can We Learn From The Pandemic?
There have been positives from COVID-19 that Kristen hopes to continue with. One being compassion. In a time when students could see into their teachers homes, see their cat for example, there has been a bigger sense of connection. Kristen hopes we can bring that more personal touch to students even after they’re back on campus. Also, Kristen points out that we need to understand that many students may have lost someone to COVID-19 and will need all the compassion they can get.
What Do Administrators Get Wrong And What Are Successes?
While we can attune ourselves to more overt transgressions, it’s harder to see how everyday things affect students. We can find these areas of opportunity through a campus climate audit. Kristen says we should be walking through processes, looking at forms, looking at programs and services, etc to look for signs of welcoming and inclusion.
--
Welcome to innovating together, a podcast produced by the University Innovation Alliance. This is a podcast for busy people in higher education who are looking for the “aha moments” that can propel their work forward. Innovating Together curates the best insights, research, and experts. To connect with us further, visit www.theuia.org
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Most Popular Episode of 2020
Bridget Burns, Executive Director of the University Innovation Alliance, and Jeff Selingo, author, columnist, and special advisor at Arizona State University, are inviting insight and experiences from presidents and chancellors of universities navigating the challenge in real-time. The eleventh guest is Mark P. Becker, president of Georgia State University since 2009.
--
"Sponsored in partnership with Inside Higher Ed. "
Welcome to innovating together, a podcast produced by the University Innovation Alliance. This is a podcast for busy people in higher education who are looking for the “aha moments” that can propel their work forward. Innovating Together curates the best insights, research, and experts. To connect with us further, visit www.theuia.org.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Michele Siqueiros, President of the Campaign for College Opportunity, was interviewed for University Innovation Alliance on December 13, 2021. Co-host, Doug Lederman introduced the Campaign for College Opportunity as, “a non-profit based in California that does advocacy and research focused on ensuring more students can go to college and succeed through them.” The interview progressed from Siqueiros’ personal story, to how the pandemic has impacted higher ed, and finally helpful advice.
Being the daughter of immigrants, Siqueiros was the first in her family to go to college. As a low-income kid, she gave credit to school counselors, teachers, UCLA students who went to her high school and helped her fill out college applications, financial aid, affirmative action, and policies that helped her get into college and complete graduate school on a full-ride fellowship. She said, “it was a mix of what institutions were doing and the policies that were in place. I firmly believe that the policies we support, the way we set up student services, that's what helps make college a reality for those of us who aren’t born into wealth and privilege.”
Siqueiros has been with the Campaign since its founding in 2004 and has been leading the organization since 2008. She acknowledged, “the pandemic has been very difficult for all of us.” She sees the innovation and resourcefulness demonstrated in higher ed during the pandemic as transformative for underrepresented students. Michele gave an example of how flexibility and removal of hurdles in higher ed by providing laptops and higher broadband access for students without those resources was helpful for low-income students to be included in the System. She is hoping some of those innovations will stay in place by intentionally closing gaps that persist for Black and Latin students. Unfortunately, there has been a decline in graduation rates and college enrollment in community colleges of 20-30% since the COVID pandemic. When co-host Bridget Burns asked Siqueiros what she is most proud of, she said, “the elimination of placement into remedial courses at community colleges. Remedial courses are where college dreams go to die. That single policy change across the California Community College System has given incredible access to students and Black and Latino students.”
Wrapping up the interview, Burns and Lederman asked her what advice she has received and what advice she gives to others. She mentioned how leaders and board members supported her and taught her, “it is only worth doing if it is hard and difficult.” Then she shared that letting go of staff members is hard and difficult, but humility and vulnerability helped her treat “everybody with the respect they deserve.” When talking to new leaders, she said, “I recommend they get comfortable not knowing everything” and that they don’t have to do everything by themselves.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Chancellor of the California Committee of Colleges Eloy Oakley recently spent some time in November 2021 in Washington, D.C. with the U.S. Department of Education to help with the BBB - Build Back Better vision of the current administration. He discussed the bureaucracy in the Department of Education, how his visit impacted his leadership style, and policy perspectives.
Oakley was most surprised by the many layers of red tape and how big the bureaucracy is in D.C. when compared to California’s large bureaucracy. He expressed that although higher education and getting people back to work are bi-partisan issues, the lingering issues such as the first year of an administration coming into a pandemic and a lot of people who believe the election was illegitimate makes it frustrating trying to get things done on top of all the red tape and bureaucracy. People who helped him navigate the vastness of the Department of Education were Ted Mitchell and John King, who helped him understand who’s who, which departments he needed to rely on, and which departments he needed to keep communication open with. “It was like a foreign country, walking into the Lyndon B. Johnson building.” He shared that the building was basically empty because of COVID, so it was “critically important for me to understand the organization chart there at the Department of Education.”
When asked how his experience in DC will impact his leadership style going forward, he explained how not being in charge and being a support member for the Secretary of Education was a humbling experience. By supporting someone else, it gave him a perspective of what his team goes through trying to support him as a leader. He said, “I saw myself as a resource. I see myself as trying to help something that’s bigger than me.” This exercise in humility helped him realize what looks the leader gives and who the leader says “hello” to or not say “hello” to impacts team members. He said, “I think it will help me to make more space and time for each individual member of the team, so that they all feel connected to the work.”
With regard to policy, Oakley stated, “The other thing that surprised me with the turmoil we have experienced with COVID is how different all 50 states are. Once I got to understand how federal policy would work in a state, it became exceptionally obvious how difficult it is for the Department of Education to try to craft federal policy for the entire nation given how different our states are and of course states are primarily responsible for higher education in their states. The final thing is how much online education stretches across states, so it makes it even more complex to develop federal policy.” He felt his perspective on how policy actually works on the ground was helpful to the administration. He gave examples of policies that impact students directly, like America’s College Promise, completion grants, consumer protection, and loan forgiveness.
Bureaucracy, leadership styles, and policy issues addressed during his visit gave him an overall positive experience. His drive to go to D.C. was from a sense of urgency since “we have a President, certainly a first lady and administration who is willing to put attention on universities that serve the majority of Americans.”
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Today we are interviewing Lafayette College President, Nicole Hurd. President Hurd founded a non-profit organization called College Advising Corps. She spent fifteen years fundraising and collecting data to help bring college access to a variety of diverse students. She transitioned to Lafayette College as President, where she could have more depth and impact. President Hurd said, “I wanted to have those deep relationships again… to see, hear, and value each other.”
President Hurd shared delight that students were back on campus. At Lafayette College, the student: faculty ratio is 10 to 1. She sees each small liberal arts college as part of a bigger engine that all work together to protect democracy. “Our students go out and graduate and change the world in really important ways.”
President Hurd referred to herself as a “constructive irritant” when she was in the college access sector. Her data analysis showed that one of the barriers which low-income students face is consistently having to prove their low-income status, which can demoralize the student and derail them from pursuing higher education. As a result, she got rid of the CSS profile, which is another form in addition to the FAFSA. Instead, she has her admissions staff utilize high school data that reveals if a student used free reduced lunches 75% or more. “Let’s think about the journey and not just the four years.” She suggested Presidents talk to their financial admissions office and ask, “Do you really need this data?” She explained, “by focusing on the high school data instead of putting pressure on the individual students, it helps the students feel valued and part of the college family.”
Summing up the interview, President Hurd shared, “My favorite words are grace, humility, and accountability. Stop doing things that don’t work and scale things that do work. Not believing you have to be gigantic to be transformative. It’s not about managing time. It’s about energy management.”
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Today we are interviewing President David A. Thomas, President of Morehouse College, one of only three all male colleges in the United States. President Thomas shared how Covid-19 impacted Morehouse College, how they adapted, his thoughts on digital learning, and qualities and character traits he believes are important to develop in his students. With nearly 2300 students on campus, 25% of students were taking classes remotely during the fall, and 75% were in person or hybrid. Because Morehouse has kept very strict COVID-19 protocols, they have been able to keep the infection rate below 1%.
Prior to COVID-19 emerging, digital learning was already a discussion, and they were in the strategic planning process to make it a reality. Morehouse created a program called, “Morehouse Beyond Borders.” For the last 152 years, the world came to Morehouse. Now, Morehouse is providing alternative ways to deliver teaching and learning in higher education. Now, Morehouse goes to the world. President Thomas shared that they launched their first online degree program for non-traditional students in Fall 2021. Morehouse is the first historically black college to have a globally available undergraduate degree (Business Management). More degrees will be offered in the future.
In order to develop character qualities, Morehouse students are required to attend Crown Forum. Students apply what they learn in their classes where common touchstones of spirituality, integrity, and being a global cosmopolitan with themes of leadership, social justice, and ethics are taught. Morehouse has also created a program called “Partnerships of Purpose.” For example, a partnership with Spellman called the “Black Economic Alliance” has created the “Center for Black Entrepreneurship.” Fundraising has been very successful to make this new venture sustainable in the future with a foundation of faculty and resources. President Thomas summed up the one of the benefits of receiving a Morehouse education, “Come as boys, leave as men.”
When asked what advice he lives by, he said, “two critical skills of being a leader are knowing how to ask the right question and knowing how to listen. If you put those two qualities together, you are probably speaking less than everybody else because you are asking questions and listening.” He then shared some stories about how he is often seen as just one of the guys, and later people will apologize for not treating him like the President.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Today we are talking with University of Maryland Global Campus President Gregory Fowler. With deep experience working with various online learning institutions throughout the years, President Fowler has a lot of personal experience with online learning, while many others are just learning the ins and outs of it. With many students in hybrid environments, UMGC has had to develop and implement various protocols.
President Fowler believes we need to go back to the fundamental basics of who you are and what you do well. He says reacting too quickly will not serve you. He reminds us that activity and progress are not the same thing. Too many people get wrapped up in feeling busy, but they lack a sense of direction and the steps needed to get them where they need to go. A clearly defined path can make all the difference when it comes to achieving your objectives. President Fowler says to make sure all your hard work isn’t in vain.
When asked what advice he has been given that’s served him well, President Fowler gives credit to his former boss as SNHU. President Fowler was told that if you are not measuring, then you're just practicing. He stresses the importance of putting KPI’s in place that will truly hold them accountable for what they’re trying to accomplish. You have to understand the metric that will tell you if you’re meeting your goal. It’s so important to understand the various ways that all the pieces of higher ed come together.
When President Fowler was asked for his best advice, he says he often passes along some insight he got from his mother. He reminds people that God gave you two ears, two eyes, and one mouth for a reason. He says leaders need the ability to truly listen and to speak only when they need to. President Fowler says it’s imperative to be comfortable with both your superpower and your kryptonite. You can’t be good at everything, and it’s critical to build a team that supports you in your areas of weakness. Beyond that, you have to empower that team and let them do what they’re good at.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Today, we are talking to Oregon State University interim President, Becky Johnson. After the last president stepped down after only nine months on the job, OSU needed someone to step up and restore confidence. With 37 years of involvement at OSU, President Johnson was the ideal candidate to take up the reins. She’s known for being humble and having the ability to project calm. She credits this with a strategy of standing back and accepting the situation. Likewise, she says nothing is ever as bad as it seems at the moment. Even in the worst of times, a calm presence is needed more than ever.
Coming through the pandemic, President Johnson believes focus needs to be on resources for getting more students into college. It’s important that we help kids to start thinking about college starting in middle school. Waiting until their juniors and seniors in high school doesn’t do them any justice. She believes it’s time for K-12 partnerships to be updated.
President Johnson credits her involvement in team sports for teaching her leadership. She says team sports taught her how important confidence is and that it’s important for leaders to display confidence if they expect others to follow them. She also learned to look closely at who is on her team and where their strengths lie. Getting people in the positions they’re best suited for is critical. She’s also found importance in having a vision and reverse engineering to see what is needed to realize that vision.
When others come to President Johnson for advice, she’s quick to ask them to be authentic. Don’t get in the habit of saying what you think needs to be said because of your position; be honest, so people can trust in you. When it comes to leading in a difficult time such as COVID-19, President Johnson tells others to listen and assess. Find out what people are worried about, what the challenges are, and then assess what you can realistically do about it. Focus on moving forward where you can.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Today we are talking to Everett Community College President, Dr. Daria Willis. Only 6 months into her presidency, COVID-19 hit, which she says made it a very interesting experience. She says they are now up to about 30% face to face or hybrid and that number will trickle up as they get into the Spring quarter. They’re currently focusing on their strategic plan and looking to the future. Dr. Willis says she has found that some students really love online learning and want to keep it, while others are looking forward to being back in person. They’re working on a balance of the two, so students can do what works for them.
When it comes to burnout, Dr. Willis says that was an issue even pre-pandemic. She refers to it more than initiative fatigue that was exasperated by the pandemic. She says they’re trying to get back to the mission of who they are, and to say here are some things we can’t do anymore. Her message to the college is that they can’t be all things to all people. One way they’re managing burnout is by looking at telecommuting policies. The pandemic has shown us that it’s possible to run a college from a home computer, and so flexible scheduling for their employees will be in the works.
In Washington state, the legislature has put a lot of focus behind guided pathways. She says that while they get a considerable amount of funding, they also get many coaches who are all there to do the same thing. She’s found herself asking which of these coaches they actually need, and they’ve gone from 6 to 2. This is just one decision that gives them room to breathe. In a tight-knit community, people want the college to do everything, but Dr. Willis says that ‘no’ is a complete sentence occasionally.
Dr. Willis says the best advice she was ever given was in kindergarten, and that was to treat others the way you want to be treated. It’s simple advice, but it’s often hard for people to do. When asked for her best advice, she tells others to say yes more. The more opportunities you take, the further you’ll go.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Today we have two guests, Dr. Bradley Custer from the Center For American Progress, and Jenna Sablan from the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association. They’re here to talk about student success and college completion. Right now, congress is trying to pass President Biden’s bill that would include a college completion fund worth $62 billion over 10 years. The house currently has the bill down to $9billion over 7 years. This new proposal for a federal pot of money would benefit states and institutions in funding student success. The popular name for this idea is the College Completion Fund. A big part of the bill focuses on free community college, but it also goes a step further in focusing on getting through college. In a sense, we’re moving from access to completion. The higher ed field should be excited because of the many options available for the funding and the spotlight on evidence-based programs.
The bill calls for 30% of the funds to be dedicated to evidence-based programs. The rest of the funding can be spent on a wide range of things like comprehensive support services and emergency grant programs. Institutions and states will have to make their case as to why these programs are worthy of federal funding. The program would be run through the state, and they would be responsible for distributing funds and evaluating programs. The states would report back to the Department of Education in order to chart data and see how programs are progressing and making an impact. This bill gives priority to less resourced institutions as well as institutions with minority groups. Having the states in the driver's seat ensures a focus on replication and scale. States can decide to keep money at the state level for programs and practices, or can be distributed down to individual institutions. In order to take advantage of these funds, the state has to participate in the free community college side of the bill and in doing so would have to match funds for that.
If you want to signal your support for this, use the hashtag #collegecompletionfund. We also encourage college students to contact their own representatives in congress about free community college, increases to Pell Grants, and the College Completion Fund.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Today, we are talking with the Ohio State University President, Kristina Johnson. Having just started at Ohio State last year, during the pandemic, President Johnson is happy to see things starting to get back to normal. When she first started they were limiting gatherings to less than ten people, which President Johnson says made it hard to get to know members of the college. By late May, just after graduation, they started to have in-person meetings again. Throughout the year President Johnson made sure to come into the office every day to be as visible as possible. When it comes to leadership, President Johnson says she looks at it as being both a coach and a team player. She says you have to be able to do both the little and the big things well. Sometimes you’re the coach, and sometimes you’re a player.
President Johnson says for new students coming in, they’re excited about this new chapter after having their senior year of high school mostly remote. When it comes to Sophomores, they feel like it’s their first year for a second time. President Johnson reflects on a graduation celebration they had in August for those who graduated virtually in 2020. She says it was great to see the excitement for all the students and their families on overcoming such a difficult year.
Recently, Ohio State announced a $20million investment in campus public safety. President Johnson says safety is her number one priority. These funds will help do things like expanding their free Lyft ride that gets students safely to and from campus. It will add more lighting and cameras not just on campus but in surrounding areas. They’ll also use these funds to expand their security. In addition to funding public safety, Ohio State is focused on investing in hiring faculty because they are who will be guiding and teaching the next generation.
When asked what the best advice she’s ever been given was, President Johnson says the former President of Ohio State told her to ask for help. He said it was too big, complex, and difficult of a job to do by yourself. She says she’s taken this advice to heart and asks for help often. When it comes to the advice she likes to give to others, President Johnson says she tells her students to be servant leaders. She says it’s important to serve the people you wish to lead.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Today we are talking to Dr. Bryan Brayboy from Arizona State University. Dr. Brayboy is known for his research on race and diversity in higher education, as well as experiences of indigenous students and staff in universities. Today, he discusses the misunderstandings that exist regarding indigenous people in higher ed. He says the first misconception is that those students don’t exist in this space. Another misconception is that indigenous people get their education paid for, when in fact finances are the primary barrier for these students. Dr. Brayboy says people also mistakenly believe that the transition from tribal community to university is easy. There are some things that have been done in the name of serving indigenous students that simply miss the mark. Land acknowledgments, for one, feel more performative with little to no follow up. Dr. Brayboy says when we talk about land, we should understand that we’re talking about a physical space and that it should be more about a place, or a space with meaning. Dr. Brayboy says we need to recognize history and do something about it.
Indigenous people have been in the news lately because of the boarding school survivors, which brought up a history of indoctrination. Dr. Brayboy says it’s impossible to not acknowledge past wrongdoings in regard to assimilation and tearing culture away from indigenous people. Institutions need to get clear about who they are in regard to these matters. We need to be asking indigenous people how we can address these past issues and then develop a plan to move it forward. The key is to include indigenous people’s perspectives.
There’s been a national conversation about critical race theory, or CRT. Dr. Brayboy says the broader public isn’t getting much right about CRT, which emerged from critical legal studies in the late 70s. It was meant to take a look at how we think about the law and institutional barriers rooted in race. Dr. Brayboy says we haven’t done a great job being clear about civics education, and most people don’t know a lot about how the government works. We need to get a clear sense about the history of founding documents and structure of government. In regard to CRT, we need to stop thinking it’s about who should be ashamed of who they are and focus back on institutional structures and how race affects that.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Today, we are talking with the Chancellor of California State University, Joseph Castro. CSU announced last December that it would be mostly in person this year. While it’s been challenging, they’re at about 80% in person this fall (with variability among the 23 campuses), and Chancellor Castro is extremely proud of the students and staff for making that happen. One thing they’ve done to make this happen was to put a vaccine mandate in place. He spent a lot of time listening to students and faculty when deciding how to navigate these times. Students' experiences are incredibly important, especially those with lower- income backgrounds. Chancellor Castro says emergency grants have made a big difference for those students, as well as their basic needs program. Another issue that’s come to the forefront is that of mental health. A lot of students had a hard time with the isolation that came along with virtual learning. On the other hand, students would like to keep the option of virtual learning. CSU became one of the largest online universities overnight, and many educators are seeking certification to continue teaching virtually.
In these trying times, Chancellor Castro has seen the issue of burnout among university staff and faculty. He tries to combat this by being as flexible and compassionate as possible. He says he’d also like to see more invested into counseling for students and employees alike. One thing that’s been hard for many education leaders is to not jump to conclusions if you don’t have to. Chancellor Castro says to try to listen to as many perspectives as possible before making a decision, if you can. As a leader, Chancellor Castro is also focused on equity gaps. He says they’re sharing data in new ways, coming up with new strategies, and aligning resources. Luckily, the state governor and legislature has been investing more in these areas.
Chancellor Castro says the best advice he’s ever been given is that as a leader, it’s important to do the right thing even if you get knocked over. He says you must decide what is the right thing to do and then connect it with values and mission. On the other hand, the best advice he gives to potential Chancellor’s is to just share what it’s like. He likes to share the deep meaning of the job as well as the challenges to give an accurate picture of what the job is really like.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Today we’re talking with Dr. Don Pope-Davis, dean of the College of Education and Human Ecology at The Ohio State University. Dr. Pope-Davis has led research focused on religious attitudes, multicultural competence and unintentional racism. He shared about cultivating a diverse faculty and what his team has learned after a successful cycle of the Dean’s Diversity Postdoctoral Fellows Program. Dr. Pope-Davis realized many institutions continued to use the same methods over and over without taking barriers into account. He reminds us that we need to look at environmental factors and take a solution based approach rather than just rehashing the challenges. Dr. Pope-Davis uses his psychology background and empathy when committing to diversity and inclusion. He says that making that commitment means being ready to change the climate and environment in which you work. All too often, people don’t understand that commitment.
The College of Education and Human Ecology has seen success to the tune of close to 35% faculty of color. They’re committed to engaging these faculty members daily and continuously. The program wasn’t without its hiccups. In order to make these changes, you have to pay attention to the culture of the college, and culture is one of the most difficult things to change. In order to combat this, they had various seminars and encouraged the fellows to center their own research rather than just what a senior scholar was already doing. There was also some earlier work in the College that focused on hiring senior scholars of color.
Dr. Pope-Davis believes that in every institution you have individuals who typically fit into four categories. There are the traditionalists that say things are fine the way they are. Those who are complacent who just want to be left alone. There is the hubris that think everything is already great. Lastly, there are the ones that say “I’m in, but what’s in it for me?” The key is finding the people that are ready for change and work with them. Dr. Pope-Davis says he doesn’t need everyone to be on board with a great idea.
For any institutions interested in implementing a similar program, they can connect with Dr. Nicole Luthy, Chief of Staff and Director of Strategic Operations, at luthy.22@osu.edu or Dr. Noelle Arnold, Senior Associate Dean and director of the program, at arnold.1040@osu.edu.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Today we’re talking with Amarillo College President, Russell Lowery-Hart. He touches on the hardships caused by Covid, including experiencing depression for the first time. He says there are no right answers when it comes to dealing with Covid, just a sea of wrong answers to choose from. On the other hand, President Lowery-Hart says they’re doing better work than they ever have before. People have truly been stepping up to the plate, but they’re exhausted. He says it’s important to acknowledge that we’re experiencing a hard time and to admit when you don’t have the answers. Covid has created an environment where people crave authenticity. President Lowery-Hart says they were approaching Fall semester as a move back to normal, but it’s been anything but. He says students are scared to come back, but are also scared to not come back. People seem to be more worried about the present day and week over the future, making it harder to sell a long-term degree. They’ve had to rethink entire degree programs, and that’s been hard to embrace because of burnout.
Amarillo College was one of the recipients of the Mackenzie Scott award. President Lowery-Hart says the initial email was so cryptic that he didn’t think it was real and almost didn’t follow through. He went ahead and scheduled the phone call and was told that they knew what the college had accomplished and believed they would know best how to help their community. Within a week, Amarillo College had a $15 million gift wired into their account. President Lowery-Hart was speechless and emotional as he knew what this gift would mean for their community. The plan is to use a small portion to immediately benefit the community and will put the rest in an endowment and spend the next year planning long-term plans to combat poverty in the community. One thing President Lowery-Hart did was to talk to past recipients of the award to find out what they had learned in applying the funds.
When asked for the best advice he’s ever received, President Lowery-Hart remembers his late boss, who told him to never bring up a problem that you don’t already have a solution for. On the other hand, the advice he would give is to be your authentic self and to say yes as often as you can.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Today we’re sitting down with Dr. TJ Stewart from Iowa State University. Dr. Stewart’s research interests include college students with stigmatized identities, anti-Black racism and non-Black communities of color, identity based student activism, creative and critical qualitative methodologies, and more. He says once we think we have our arms around major issues around gender, race, class, etc. our job is to ask who is still missing and why? Fatphobia is one example we can examine and ask how students are experiencing fat phobia?
Another group we don’t often think about is students that are engaged in sex work as a labor choice. We know hyper marginalized students exist, but they’re not in our everyday equity conversations. Dr. Stewart says it’s important to remember that these students are sometimes not visible because they choose not to be. Some would like to be visible, but they don’t know if they can trust their institutional leaders. Being in the margins sometimes operates as a protective feature. So we have to ask, what are the experiences students are having that have corresponding stigma? For example, with fat students, in society and on campus, the prevalent and problematic thought process is that fatness is something you can and should change, so why should I think about it as a justice issue?
We see research emerging around homeless students, students who are food insecure, students transitioning from foster care, former gang related youth, etc. There’s more work we can do in all of these groups and others. There have been a lot of conversations in mainstream media about critical race theory. It's important to note that CRT was created 40+ years ago by legal scholars. It’s a framework that allows us to think about inequities that exist in laws and legal structures. CRT is concerned with outcomes. It’s not new or uniquely or suddenly a threat. CRT is also not a catch-all for all things diversity and inclusion related. Another myth is that CRT is dangerous and divisive. It’s safe to say we’re often obsessed with equal opportunity, but we have to ask why aren’t the outcomes proportionate to the opportunities? It’s because there are structural barriers in place that limit students. What would it mean if we took a step back and all agreed that racism is normal? If everyone were on board with that idea, it would be a useful tool.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Today we’re talking to University of Central Florida president, Alexander Cartwright. UCF is fully back in person and President Cartwright says it’s remarkable to see how much students and staff care about each other and what they’re trying to do this semester. UCF was fortunate enough to receive a large boost this summer in the form of a $40 million gift from MacKenzie Scott and Dan Jewett. The award will go far at the university. He says it’s a reflection of what UCF has been able to accomplish. He also says they will use the money to invest in endowments that will benefit student success, faculty and staff, and all the great research they’re doing.
President Cartwright started at UCF just 16 months ago, so his entire time there has been during the pandemic. He has taken away some valuable lessons though, with the biggest lesson being around the ability to be adaptive and innovative. To be a successful leader during these times, President Cartwright says you have to be able to show compassion. There needs to be a willingness to listen and address concerns. He says it’s also very important as a leader to know that you can’t do everything, and you should empower others to make decisions. President Cartwright also says it’s important to return to the principle of community.
Seeing the partnerships between universities and community colleges has been powerful. At the end of the day it’s about putting the students' best interests at the forefront. President Cartwright says it means taking the long-term perspective. Something that he says has served him well is ‘thinking gray’. This means listening to an argument to see if your mind can be changed. It means thinking about how you hear what people are saying, thinking about it without a bias. Thinking gray takes practice, but can really serve you well.
The best advice President Cartwright has ever received was about empowerment, helping the people around you, and valuing the people around you. He’s a firm believer in the power of recognition. When he offers others advice it all comes back to how do you show people respect? How do you show that you value individuals? He says it’s important for people to know you care, and it’s incredible what people will do when they feel valued.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Today we’re talking with Achieving The Dream president and CEO, Karen Stout. She’s been president and CEO since 2015 and was previously the president of Montgomery Community College for 14 years. Being tuned into many community college presidents, President Stout has an understanding of where they’re at currently. She says the perspective changes day to day with the shifting news around the Delta variant. She also thinks we’ve learned a lot in the last year and a half. President Stout says campuses are focused on safety and support for faculty and students. Beyond that, they’re focused on reconnection and trying to find the students that left last Spring and didn’t return in the Fall.
Achieving The Dream is a national, nonprofit leader in championing evidence-based institutional improvement. For this work, they recently were awarded a grant from philanthropist Mackenzie Scott in the amount of $20 million. Achieving The Dream was one of a few out of 700+ non-profits chosen for this award. With an annual operating budget of $16-20 million, President Stout cried when she received the news. The gift will give them some breathing room and help to build a reserve fund. Beyond that, they plan to invest in some infrastructure support, especially around providing professional development and staffing. They also want to be generous with the gift and are looking at ways to re-grant some of the money to the field to bring more community colleges into their network.
As they use COVID-19 relief dollars to support low-income students, community colleges are really looking at debt and affordability. President Stout says looking at the basic needs of the students is really important, and they’re seeing more creative ways to support low-income students. Because of Covid she also sees many colleges thinking differently about partnerships. On the other hand, President Stout says many college presidents are worried about how the pandemic has deepened racial equity gains that they were making in their student success work. They continue to try to build perspective around racial equity.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Today we’re talking with WASC and WSCUC President, Jamienne S. Studley. She’s worn many hats, from being a civil rights and education lawyer to a senior official in the Obama administration. President Studley describes herself as mission-driven and says the job of education is excellence and humanity, with quality and equity being priorities as well. She says the hardest position she’s held was as a college president because it’s a singular spot that receives a lot of focus and attention. There’s a certain amount of isolation to the presidency, and she values the teamwork that came with working for the Department of Education.
The year 2020 was a difficult one, but President Studley has found the silver linings. People are more able to see the needs of students and are rolling up their sleeves to get things done. She’s also noticed that people are finding and embracing the need to collaborate. Her leadership in particular has evolved as a result. She’s been reminded that people are hungry for clarity. President Studley says she tends to think big and broad, and while people do want the big picture, they also need to know the steps, the specifics.
When it comes to the best advice she has received, President Studley says that it is to be very clear about what matters and repeat it over and over again. The advice she most gives to others is usually with regard to picking jobs. She says to choose based on purpose, people, and the part you want to play. Some advice she has trouble taking is to give people room and let them fail. She also admits having a hard time with spending money to staff up the people needed and not worrying so much about the bottom line.
President Studley just came back from her first in-person event in over a year, and she was impressed that the event organizers found ways to keep attendees safe. Studley says people came with a lot of ideas, and she was amazed at how much being in-person matters. She usually defines herself as an extrovert but found her inner introvert through her time away. Furthermore, Studley discovered that her balance of people-time and reflection-time has changed a bit. She has a need to hear other people and their ideas, and she says it is different in person.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Today we’re talking with the president of Virginia Commonwealth University, Dr. Michael Rao. He has been a president since age 28 from community colleges to research universities, with VCU being his fourth presidency. He was always interested in higher education, as he viewed it as a great enabler of the American dream, and he wanted to be a part of that.
Dr. Rao says higher ed collectively isn’t meeting student’s needs. He has been impressed with the enormous leaps forward he sees students making. He sees kids from small towns whose parents didn’t go to college doing things like curing disease or creating innovative solutions for housing problems. Dr. Rao says this is why it’s so important to put in place a warm, welcoming pathway for everybody.
The best colleges aren’t necessarily colleges with the highest SAT scores. What ultimately matters is what you’re doing after college. Dr. Rao remembers a conversation with two young men eight years ago. They asked if college could be less about sitting in a classroom, listening to a talking head, memorizing info, and then regurgitating it. They said they wanted to be more engaged with a sense of why they’re learning what they’re learning and how it will benefit society.
When it comes to preparing for the demands of a university president, Dr. Rao says he likes to know what's coming a few days in advance. He says his daily routine consists of meditation and breathing time. He likes to create a space where nothing can get in, where he can just breathe and connect with his own soul, bringing himself closer to his values. Dr. Rao says there’s a lot of things that can create stress if you let them. With a mission of transforming lives, Dr. Rao says leadership is about organizational movement.
The best advice Dr. Rao says he’s ever been given was by a university president, and that was to not let others control your emotions. He also remembers a late friend that encouraged him to delegate more, to focus on the future, and to focus on his unique value. Dr. Rao admits he used to try and do it all himself, but in her honor, he’s tried to follow her advice more.
--
Welcome to innovating together, a podcast produced by the University Innovation Alliance. This is a podcast for busy people in higher education who are looking for the “aha moments” that can propel their work forward. Innovating Together curates the best insights, research, and experts. To connect with us further, visit www.theuia.org.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Today we’re talking to founder and chancellor of Minerva, Ben Nelson. Minerva was founded in 2012 and was an approved program of an accredited institution, but was not accredited itself. Ben says Minerva chose to pursue the accreditation route to prove that they have all the same constraints as other institutions, but are still way more effective. Having just announced its accreditation last week, Ben says he didn’t expect to feel the way he did. He says he found himself thinking, ‘Okay, that’s it, now there’s nowhere to hide’. But he reminds himself that just means they have to constantly up their game. Ben says he’s not here to disrupt the education system, he’s here to reform. He doesn’t think higher ed is broken beyond repair. He just thinks it needs to be recentered on wisdom, not only on the transmission of knowledge.
Ben says they admit 100% of qualified students, but that their qualifications are extremely high. With 80% of its students unable to afford the already low tuition, Minerva has to raise a lot of money. Ben says they’re happy to raise the funds and still don’t plan to tap into any federal funds that are now available to them. Title IV funds have many issues, with a main one being the cost of compliance. Ben says when you actually look at the small amount available for Pell grants, the cost of compliance doesn’t seem worth it. Not to mention, Minerva serves a global population, with only 12% of its students being from the US. The federal aid would only be available to those students. So it was compliance costs and the different experiences for global students that kept Minerva from wanting to accept federal money.
Minerva is different in many ways, but the core thing that sets them apart is their intentional education model. Everything in the four years is designed intentionally and builds upon itself. For example, in your first year you have no choice for your classes, everyone must learn metacognitive tools. Your influence on your courses grows each year, with your fourth year being completely customizable. With other institutions, all classes are independent and vary by instructor; sometimes they don’t line up. At Minerva, there is purpose from the beginning through the end in both curriculum and experience. Ben says it’s an intellectual journey and the professors are there to make sure students are optimizing that journey.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Today we’re talking with University of California-Riverside Chancellor Kim Wilcox. In addition to being UCR Chancellor, Wilcox is one of the founders of University Innovation Alliance. He’s been happy to announce that UIA schools have surpassed their founding degree goals, but he says there are other dynamics just as important as helping more students to achieve university success. He’s been very proud of the simple visibility of the task, having universities come together for something other than athletics, and creating a cohort of people that are committed to a shared mission. Chancellor Wilcox says the UIA was an early example of a group of institutions coming together to attack a problem.
UC campuses have made a very clear statement on reopening campuses this fall, while many other states and systems have not been as assertive. Despite strong leadership from the UC system, there are still worries. Chancellor Wilcox says the public health dynamics and nuanced advice from the CDC have caused concerns. He says the political overlay has also been divisive. With different expectations across different counties, there is confusion about the right approach to learning safely. Chancellor Wilcox says everyone wants normalcy, but we’ll take semi-normal. He says he worries about shifts that could come up now. Earlier in the pandemic it was very black and white, things were one way, then they were another. Now there are more nuances and uncertainties to worry about.
Chancellor Wilcox says when he first came to UCR, it was odd being a division one school without a football team. There were even talks of moving down a division or getting rid of athletics all together. Chancellor Wilcox says there is a lot that athletics brings to a university, and he doesn’t think they should be done away with, but he does think we should look at a different way of managing them. We’re all okay with ‘coach’s rules’ but if one professor had his own set of rules, we wouldn’t stand for that. Something’s gotta give.
The best advice Chancellor Wilcox said he’s received was from his wife, and that was to take a vacation, if for nothing more than the fact that other people watch him and if he doesn’t take a vacation they might think they don’t deserve one either. He says when people come to him for advice, he tells people to always look for the good listener. You’ll never know everything and should always be seeking answers from others, like a good listener.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Today, we’re talking with UC Davis Chancellor, Gary S. May. UC Davis is a broad institution with a distinguished history. They made national headlines with their approach to navigating Covid. Chancellor May says that when everything was shutting down fifteen months ago and everyone was uncertain, there were a lot of concerns about returning to campus in the Fall. UC Davis combined resources, including money from the Cares Act, to develop a program that would address their own students as well as the surrounding community. Healthy Davis Together was a program that offered free Covid testing and public health messages.
Chancellor May came on as Chancellor in 2017 and is said to have played a very calming role. Many say he has steadied the ship and instilled a lot of confidence back in the institution. When asked what advice he would give other presidents or chancellors, Chancellor May says it would be to be accessible, visible, and approachable. He tries to over communicate and has a weekly newsletter as well as a strong social media presence. Chancellor May says to show them you're a real person, get them to view you as one of them, and be humble about it because you never have all the answers.
The UC Davis system is often seen as the system of systems and has many defining characteristics, according to Chancellor May. He says in UC all the chancellors meet bi-weekly, share best practices, and all campuses are viewed as equals. On the other hand, the thing that surprised Chancellor May the most when he joined UC Davis was the amount of mistrust and negativity. He went from being a beloved member of his last community to someone that had to prove himself. A lot of that has dissipated by now, and Chancellor May has come to accept that not everyone is going to agree with every decision he makes.
The best advice Chancellor May has been given was as a youth, and that was that the two most important things in life were to learn to listen and to learn to wait. He says empathy is critical in leadership, and you must be able to resist the temptation to jump in too soon. There will be times you have to make decisions quickly, but the long view is very important also. Chancellor May says above all, work hard, play hard, and pray hard.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Today we’re talking with Dr. Chantal Levesque-Bristol from Purdue University. Dr. Levesque-Bristol leads Purdue’s Center for Instructional Excellence. She has primary interests in teaching and learning, faculty development, and institutional change. She researches motivation, with most applications being in the domain of education. Dr. Levesque-Bristol has worked with hundreds of instructors to help create environments that are positive and engaging for students. Her goal is to create a space where students can be more productive and happier. She says they use self-determination theory to define student center practices by focusing on three basic psychological needs. Those three needs are autonomy, competence, and relatedness. We often focus on competence but forget about the other two. Relatedness is important as it is your connection with others. Autonomy is all about choices and options within context. Dr. Levesque-Bristol says you need all three. This allows for exploration and experimentation. Students will feel more engaged and like the instructor is alongside them for their journey of learning.
It can be difficult to be autonomy supportive, as it requires a more time and energy. Dr. Levesque-Bristol says controlling practices are common in higher education, and we often set up policies based on efficiency, not necessarily what's best for the student. When a course has students competing for grades, that's a controlling practice. Especially if grading is done on a curve, you’re pitting students against one another to compete for A’s. We see this especially in STEM courses. Students can find it difficult to collaborate when they're competing.
Instructors need to ask themselves why they’re teaching the way they are and how they want their students to learn and grow. Dr. Levesque-Bristol says many try to implement student centeredness but do it poorly, using practices like group work. Dr. Levesque-Bristol says active learning doesn’t necessarily mean activity. If it’s not student-centered and meeting the three needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Active learning can be found in a large classroom if done correctly.
Student centeredness is a mindset shift and doesn’t just focus on teaching. For example, a strict attendance policy might be thought to be student-centered. ‘If you’re late, the door will be locked’ isn’t student centered. What if your car broke down or your sitter showed up late, but you still made an effort to get to class and were penalized and kept from learning that day. This prioritizes students in the room, but doesn’t consider those negatively impacted by the policy’s implementation.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Today we’re talking with President and CEO of Jobs For The Future (JFF), Maria Flynn. JFF is a national non-profit that drives transformation between higher education and the workforce. Maria says JFF is called upon by foundations looking for a non-profit to lead or manage major initiatives. The federal government utilizes them also, and they’re now hearing from more and more corporations. Maria says the space is becoming increasingly important and changing rapidly.
Oftentimes, people will get too insular, talking only to the people in their corner of the ecosystem. Maria believes to get the impact and transformation we want, we need to start connecting dots in different ways. She says the skills that the workforce needs and that higher ed isn’t focusing on enough are decisiveness and confidence. Higher ed does a great job around critical thinking and problem-solving, but how are they preparing them to be decisive leaders? We have to teach these skills through applied learning, taking the concepts and putting them into practice.
Maria was part of the leadership team at JFF for nine years before she became CEO five years ago. They’ve been able to scale the nonprofit into an organization that’s having a global impact. They knew in order for them to scale and have the impact they want, they need to be relevant to this moment and the moments in the future. Furthermore, they looked closely at what the skills and competencies were in order to meet the needs of the companies coming to them for help. Maria says you also have to focus on raising money and investing it into the systems you use. She feels many nonprofits don’t know how to emphasize the importance of unrestricted, or flexible, dollars. You have to be intentional about how you’re operating in the market.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Today we’re talking with the Executive Director of the National Institute for Student Success at GSU, Tim Renick. Tim was voted one of the fifty greatest leaders in the world by Fortune Magazine. Tim says it’s been a challenging year, but that he sees the light at the end of the tunnel. He says plans for Fall look a lot more normal. He just helped to launch the National Institute for Student Success last November and has had a steady stream of colleges coming to campus to learn about student success. Not only that, but he says they use evidence based practices for removing barriers to success.
Tim has built his whole career on student success and on carrying that through higher education. He’s had the opportunity to be a college president in the past, but says he turned it down because he thought he could make more of a difference in his current role. Tim says he knows a lot about student success and if he were president only about 5% of his time would go into that. He feels his voice would be a lot louder in his current position. He does speaking engagements about 100 times a year and has had over 500 institutions visit GSU to learn from him.
Growing up, Tim lived in a wealthy community because that’s where his military father was stationed. Tim’s family wasn’t really wealthy, though, so he didn’t feel like he fit in. When he went to Princeton he felt more of the same, the kids around him lived in a world he’d never seen before. Tim had to work in the dish room at Princeton to make ends meet. It wasn’t until he came to GSU that he felt at home. With 75% of students being non-white and 60% low income, everyone seemed to have to work to get through college.
The pandemic has changed a few things, some for the better. While the pandemic has impaired some student success, it’s also shined a light on student services. Tim says we need to be much more intentional in delivering services to students without them even having to ask. When GSU received their Cares Act money, they gave out 20,000 micro grants. While some students have applied for aid, he says there’s many they just put money in their account without them asking when they see a deficiency.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Today we’re joined by North Carolina A&T Chancellor Harold L. Martin. North Carolina A&T is the newest member to join the University Innovation Alliance, a leading national coalition of public research universities committed to increasing the number and diversity of college graduates. Chancellor Martin says we have to meet the challenge of providing students an excellent educational experience and the support they deserve. He’s excited to connect with exceptional colleagues that he can share best practices with. It’s a great way to ask the tough questions, collaborate, and come up with the best answers.
Chancellor Martin says institutions working on their own will have a hard time achieving results for students. The UIA gives you strength and resources you wouldn’t have otherwise. Together they’re all focused on the same area of need, growing and increasing success in graduating students. Chancellor Martin says North Carolina A&T used to be very insular, often feeling like they had to protect their history, their mission, even their turf. However, they’ve found that in today's age, the demand for talented graduates requires collaboration. So Chancellor Martin is excited to unite with institutions that are committed to the same goals and objectives of increasing graduation rates for first generation, low income, and students of color.
Our current presidential administration has deployed additional resources to historically black colleges that are increasing their visibility. Higher ed has received critical money to enhance infrastructure and invest in academic programs. Chancellor Martin says this administration is also elevating the conversation around the importance and value of science. Institutions will play a critical role in driving innovation in science research, and Chancellor Martin is excited to add value to this collaboration. A&T is committed to creating well-prepared graduates that will work on important issues like climate and infrastructure.
When it comes to giving advice to future chancellors, Martin says that experience is invaluable. Chancellor Martin feels very fortunate to have had opportunities for advancement in his career. These opportunities allowed him to expand his leadership skills and experiences. It was experience that taught him to manage change and lead teams through change. He says he encourages prospective chancellors not to be so impatient, to take the time to gain experiences along the way.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Today we’re talking with special guest UMBC President and newest member of the University Innovation Alliance. Freeman Hrabowski. The goal of the University Innovation Alliance is to help every student to achieve success. They aim to produce more graduates of color and more graduates across the socioeconomic spectrum. They do this through innovating together, scaling ideas that work, transparently sharing data, and holding down costs. In just six years they beat their ten-year goal and graduated 73,000 additional students. Alliance members are now graduating 36% more low-income students each year, and they are graduating 73% more students of color each year. President Hrabowski agrees that when universities collaborate, students win. He says he’s been impressed by the synergy that builds as well as the inclusivity of different groups.
During COVID-19 it was especially important to collaborate. President Hrabowski says it’s nice to have a platform to see how universities around the country are handling things so that you can decide what the best practices are. We should always be learning from each other; President Hrabowski quotes, “success is never final”.
President Hrabowski reflects on one of his proudest moments at UMBC and that’s producing a student that was the first black woman to create a vaccine. It can be inspiring to others what a young, black woman from rural America can achieve. President Hrabowski says that UMBC is the largest producer of blacks that go on to get a PhD in any STEM area. UMBC prides itself on taking students from all backgrounds and creating excellence. President Hrabowski encourages anyone to check out UMBC.edu/rippleeffect to learn more about scholarship opportunities.
Currently, President Hrabowski is working on writing a book with his colleagues. He says in it, they discuss how the pandemic is just part of a larger picture of challenges such as race and social justice. In a previous book that he collaborated on, The Empowered University, President Hrabowski says the very first sentence reads, “it’s not about me, it’s about us”. President Hrabowski spent many years leading up to his presidency learning from other leaders. He’s learned to be honest with himself and says the group approach shaped who they are. Especially during these challenging times, leaders need to be more vulnerable while still being able to lead and lift others up. To lead a university, you have to be passionate about education. At the same time, President Hrabowski says you can live life seriously, but don't take it too seriously.
an live life seriously, but don't take it too seriously.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Today we’re talking to Michigan State University President Samuel Stanley. He has a depth of experience and expertise. In addition to being a university president, he is an infectious disease specialist. President Stanley says he knows Dr. Fauci, and he’s honest, direct, and we couldn’t have been in better hands during this pandemic. It’s been an unprecedented year, but President Stanley says we’ve adapted well, and he’s been very impressed by his colleagues. He thinks this Fall will look a lot more normal as the tools are there, it’s just a matter of applying them correctly. President Stanley says it was challenging to wear two hats as president and infectious disease specialist, and only time will tell how well he did. As an infectious disease specialist he was narrowly focused on the disease but also had to lead rapid change within the university. He says trust and transparency were key in addition to a very supportive board.
When asked the best advice he’s ever been given, President Stanley says it was to understand the decision-making process. He was mentored that when it came to big decisions he needed to gain trust, lead, and help build consensus in the decisions made. Another piece of advice he was given is that you only occupy the chair for a short period of time, it’s not about you, it’s about the university. When asked what advice he would give himself if starting over, President Stanley says that’s tough to answer because he’s had so many great experiences. He says he would tell himself to be patient, that the goals will be achieved, and to maybe set goals earlier.
The most surprising thing for President Stanley's career is the pathway he took to get there. He says he had a great career as a faculty member, leading infectious disease research. He had fun teaching and seeing patients. It wasn’t until the administration approved a large grant for President Stanley’s research that he realized how impactful administration could be. He ended up taking a job in administration and then made the huge jump to university president. He says one of the biggest responsibilities as a leader is to be willing to stick your neck out for things that are important to the university.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Today we’re talking with Georgia State University President Mark Becker. Getting ready to leave the presidency this summer, President Becker shares his perspective looking back. He says change is a slow process, and it’s hard to imagine who he was twelve and a half years ago. He does know that he has a much deeper understanding and appreciation for the complexity of these roles. President Becker would say he’s much less judgmental. To prepare for a role such as the presidency, President Becker says there’s a lot you can do from reading books and higher ed publications to taking short courses. He says it’s important to seek out education wherever you can.
President Becker warns that the presidency is not for people that think it’s all about the title, awards, etc. If you want to help your institution continue to evolve and adapt you have to have courage of your own convictions. President Becker came to GSU with plans for big changes. He had watched other urban, private institutions evolve with the city and wanted to know if GSU could do the same. He reminds that with certain levels of status comes fear of taking risks. You need a different type of mindset if you’re to lead big change. You can’t have negative thinking and focus on what you can’t do. President Becker had $40 million in cuts in his first year but still managed to do so much by making strategic investments. He says he’s comfortable with change and in order for higher ed to achieve the best possible results people have to get out of their comfort zones.
Especially in the last year with the pandemic there have been a lot of balls in the air President Becker says. You have to be able to manage them all and execute on all fronts at all times. President Becker says to not get too fixated on any one thing and keep the forward progress. There will always be people that have negative things to say about how higher education does things. To this President Becker says that they don’t know the political side of campus, the city, the state, or the competition for resources. He says 99/100 the speculators are way off base. It always amazes him when he knows the truth and the disconnect is so huge.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Today we’re talking to Dominican University of California President Mary Marcy. Having spent many years at an array of public and private institutions, she’s retiring after ten years at Dominican University. It’s the last week of the semester and Dominican has been virtual for the whole last year and a half. President Marcy says last week they did their drive-through graduation ceremony, and it was powerful to be back together. This is President Marcy’s last commencement as well, and she says it’s bittersweet. Through this pandemic, President Marcy says her learning curve and relationship with the board has improved. She says, in fact, the whole community has strengthened because of this pandemic. They still don’t know what things will look like next fall, but they are more certain about their mission of supporting students than ever.
President Marcy says that before the pandemic she saw her biggest strength as gathering more facts and voices before making decisions. However, for purposes of the pandemic, this approach didn’t really work. President Marcy says people need answers now, even if they’ll change in the future, they need something to go off of. While her leadership has evolved, President Marcy says not all changes will remain after the pandemic ends. For example, the ways in which they made decisions at the beginning of the pandemic won’t be how they continue. Some things that will remain are how much energy they’re putting into student support. That’s the biggest positive from the pandemic, is the institution is now absolutely focused on student success. President Marcy says to keep up student success, they also need to focus on staff and faculty success. One of the biggest learning experiences they had been in taking all their energy and putting it into technology.
As President Marcy wraps up her time at Dominican, she has some advice for the next president. With a school of 1800 students, President Marcy says the real accomplishment has been in trusting each other and building each other's strengths. She’s prepared a piece for her final board meeting that reflects on her time and outlines what's next. She wants the next president to know how they were positioned, what allowed them to continue, and what key choices were made. One such choice was that one time losses will be handled with one time funds. Where they’re headed is a lot of program innovation.
--
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
This is the one-year anniversary of Start The Week With Wisdom and to celebrate we have our original guest, ASU President Michael Crow, back in the hot seat. When we first spoke to President Crow last year about what it was like to lead, he used a metaphor equating leading to sailing. He talked about how you had to adjust for the different winds. After a year of gale force winds, President Crow says it’s been a constant adaptation of the ship. He says his crew is always present and engaged and that his senior crew now meets every day. He noted the detailed accuracy we can have when we put our minds to it. Furthermore, he says the last year has also taught him to wait as long as possible to make a decision; understand as much as you can first.
When asked about upending the establishment, President Crow says it’s not about replacing, it’s about adding to. He says we need more universities devoted to social outcomes as markers for success. We need more universities driven by technology that can meet students where they are. The technologies and opportunities we have been phenomenal, yet we’re outperformed by other countries in education. President Crow says we need to embrace technology, to change our indicators of success, and to stop thinking we can do it by ourselves.
When it comes to returning next fall, President Crow says he aims to use the constitution as an aspirational document. He says we need to be accountable for our objectives and that it’s not all about the discussion but about the actual performance of the institution. Institutions tend to follow the rewards or incentives, but President Crow says we need to throw out the notion of operating as a public agency and embrace operating as a public enterprise. More enterprise behavior would give chancellors more meaning behind their titles.
When asked what has surprised him most about the last year, President Crow says it’s been the media searching for clicks and not doing a good job of keeping us informed but instead perpetuating fear. President Crow says there are good things out there too to report on, especially when it comes to students.
--
Welcome to innovating together, a podcast produced by the University Innovation Alliance. This is a podcast for busy people in higher education who are looking for the “aha moments” that can propel their work forward. Innovating Together curates the best insights, research, and experts. To connect with us further, visit www.theuia.org.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Today we’re meeting with the president of AASCU Millie Garcia. Millie has been the president of multiple institutions and now finds herself in a role of leading leaders with the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU). While at it’s core AASCU is about the students, they work to help presidents and their teams to be as successful as possible. Millie says the pandemic has brought about a sense of urgency and clarity to what students need. Immediate concerns were helping staff and students to teach and learn online. Another big thing presidents were eager to learn is how to have the tough conversations, such as racial inequality.
The crisis has brought people together, but Millie says we need to continue with the collaboration even after things return to normal. Luckily, Millie says she sees leaders eager to work together because they know it’s the right thing. It shouldn’t be about competition, it should be about collaboration to best serve your region. Millie has mentored many people that have gone on to become presidents, and she always recommends they learn how to handle a crisis because it’s not about if a crisis will happen, it’s when.
When mentoring others Millie instills that collaboration is your biggest asset. She says you have to know your team, build trust, set goals together, and hold each other accountable. When a person can’t work together with others, Millie says they get three strikes, and then they’re out. Millie welcomes constructive criticism because she says you have to hear where you’re not perfect in order to change and become better.
Millie has read many leadership books over the years, but one of her favorites is on servant leadership. She reminds us that the job isn’t about accolades, it’s about serving people. She recommends any leadership books about how to have deep discussions. Furthermore, she says it’s imperative that we learn how to have these discussions and engage the community.
Millie welcomes anyone to email her at presg@aascu.org and she says if you’re interested in a future as a president to check out their Millennium Leadership Institute and all their professional development programs.
--
Welcome to innovating together, a podcast produced by the University Innovation Alliance. This is a podcast for busy people in higher education who are looking for the “aha moments” that can propel their work forward. Innovating Together curates the best insights, research, and experts. To connect with us further, visit www.theuia.org.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Today we’re talking with Nashville State Community College President Shanna Jackson. She discusses a teaching experience that she had that caused her to understand the power of education. Many of the students were the first in their family to go to college and Shanna saw the hardships students were facing. Shanna says education is one of the strongest ladders and that she had to be a support. Shanna says her job is to prepare students to be successful whether that be going to a four-year college or entering the job market.
When she became president of Nashville State Community College, Shanna says she had to remind herself to let people know when she was just thinking out loud. She says every word she said people were trying to do. You have to understand the strength of your words when you’re in a leadership position. Shanna says it’s also important to show people what you’re looking for, you can’t just assume that they know. She puts a strong emphasis on making sure her team understands each other.
Being in an urban market, Shanna saw the issues students had with things like transportation, child care, and textbooks. She realized they didn’t have a lot of support in place for students and the pandemic really highlighted that. Because of the pandemic aid they’ve been able to open food pantries and help with childcare and textbooks. It’s something she says she plans to find a way to continue. The pandemic brought a new challenge of technology that we hadn’t focused on before. Many people needed devices, Wi-Fi connections, and help to learn new programs. Shanna says they’re working on identifying students' needs earlier.
In terms of student success redesign, Shanna says you can look at indicators, but it can still be hard to have a clear sense. There’s not one thing she looks for to know their work is making a difference. She does see that conversations are changing and people are working together in different ways. As they begin to focus on completion and the whole student life cycle, they’re also looking ahead to post-completion and how to best serve students. Shanna tries to not just look at how far they have to go but to look at how far they’ve come. She says you have to celebrate the good and give yourself a break.
--
Welcome to innovating together, a podcast produced by the University Innovation Alliance. This is a podcast for busy people in higher education who are looking for the “aha moments” that can propel their work forward. Innovating Together curates the best insights, research, and experts. To connect with us further, visit www.theuia.org.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Today we’re talking to California’s Senior Policy Adviser Dr. Lande Ajose. She works with the Governor of California to see what they can do to shape the higher education system in their state. Since she represents higher education as a whole she works hard to get colleges to view themselves as pieces of a puzzle.
California is often known for its Master Plan for Higher Education. The problem with this plan is it doesn’t include how to finance. California has recently created the Recovery With Equity Task Force to fill this role. Together with college leaders and government officials, they ask the tough questions. Dr. Ajose says they are currently thinking about things like capacity, innovation, and equity.
At the start of the pandemic higher education was working more as a triage, but they still needed to plan for the future when we recover. The Equity Task Force met for six months and even included individuals from other states to get other perspectives. Together they discussed the questions they need to ask themselves to position students for ten or twenty years out. Some questions asked were what the appropriate role of technology is, and how do we think about basic needs and affordability?
--
Welcome to innovating together, a podcast produced by the University Innovation Alliance. This is a podcast for busy people in higher education who are looking for the “aha moments” that can propel their work forward. Innovating Together curates the best insights, research, and experts. To connect with us further, visit www.theuia.org.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Today we’re talking to Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Ed Chancellor Daniel Greenstein. Chancellor Greenstein is feeling optimistic about where we are in the pandemic, and is proud of what Pennsylvania institutions have overcome and achieved despite everything happening this past year. When deciding about the kind of role he was interested in pursuing after leaving his post as the Director of Postsecondary Education for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Greenstein says he was looking for universities and systems that served large numbers of the students he’s passionate about: low-income, first generation and students of color. Since arriving in Pennsylvania, Chancellor Greenstein says he and his team has spent a lot of time putting operational levers in place.
The declining state investment by Pennsylvania has driven increases in tuition and negatively impacted affordability for Pennsylvanians. He raised the complex challenges the state is facing and voiced his appreciation for the faculty, staff, administrators, board members, and students banding together to identify the path forward. He shared that there was clear urgency to make some design changes given the current realities of the state, the system, and higher education trends. With a 21% decrease in student enrollment and a 62% increase in net average cost of attendance, Pennsylvania is facing significant pressure that will likely be experienced by other states very soon. Chancellor Greenstein says from a leadership standpoint you need to be ruthlessly transparent. By not acting we’re sacrificing the future of the state and students. We can’t afford to point fingers or look back, we need to keep looking forward.
--
Welcome to innovating together, a podcast produced by the University Innovation Alliance. This is a podcast for busy people in higher education who are looking for the “aha moments” that can propel their work forward. Innovating Together curates the best insights, research, and experts. To connect with us further, visit www.theuia.org.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Today we’re talking with Dr. Gaye Theresa Johnson from UCLA. Dr. Johnson has done meaningful work in the areas of racism, cultural history, and political economy. Dr. Johnson describes herself as a lifelong learner and a teacher in the broadest sense. As a community engaged scholar she’s been part of movements for the new role of education in society. She said she’s aware of the history of education in society and continues to be in conversation with those that have been there.
Dr. Johnson says as a scholar of race and power, inequalities have always been an emergency. The unrest of the last year has been a manifestation of an ongoing crisis. This unrest isn’t a surprise and beautiful things can come out of protests and movements. To do impactful work during these times, Dr. Johnson says you need to have perspective and grounding as well as knowing all the possibilities. Institutions can help by creating new language and delivering on promises made. Dr. Johnson says that the institution likes to get back to business as usual, so we have to take advantage of this window while we have it.
To engage meaningfully you must maintain relationships with the people in the communities that are doing the visionary work. Dr. Johnson reaches out directly to the community and asks what they need. It can be something as simple as Hunger Action LA, a program that put together a 70-page guide for food and other resources. They’ve had students help by simply accompanying low vision seniors to the farmers market. When we’re a part of a system that cares about the bottom line, what is your actual engagement? Dr. Johnson says you can’t teach community engagement without being engaged yourself.
Dr. Johnson touches on her work with spatial entitlement. She says if given the opportunity she would use a different word than entitlement as it ignores the land back movements. Dr. Johnson says over the past few decades we’ve been seeing more people of color in the pamphlets, but we’re not actually represented the way it’s portrayed on campus. She says if we’re going to use people of color to show racial equity, we must provide an environment where we can strive. Resources for people of color or other marginalized individuals are established out of struggle and are not what they need to be.
--
Welcome to innovating together, a podcast produced by the University Innovation Alliance. This is a podcast for busy people in higher education who are looking for the “aha moments” that can propel their work forward. Innovating Together curates the best insights, research, and experts. To connect with us further, visit www.theuia.org.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Today we’re talking with Pomona College President Gabi Starr. She just received her second COVID-19 vaccine and feels like they’re turning a corner with all the vaccines going out over campus. She looks forward to bringing people back to work and students back to campus. When COVID-19 hit President Starr was in the midst of hiring new members of her leadership team, and they had to get to know each other over Zoom. President Starr has found ways to utilize Zoom such as weekly check-ins with faculty, or taking time out of Zoom classes to really connect with students.
President Starr says the pandemic has reminded her that you can’t do everything, and she hopes to reinforce this idea. She tells students to pick and choose how you engage and that it’s not healthy to try and do everything. We all need to keep our sense of self-regulation. She hopes to also continue all the outreach efforts that have been started under COVID-19, reminding us that programs should start where the students are.
Schools shouldn’t be in competition, President Starr says we should be collaborating to enhance curriculum and share resources. Each school has an individual strength, and we’re all stronger when we bring them all together. President Starr reminds us again that we can’t do everything on our own. There are plenty of students to go around, we should be more focused on how to best serve the students once they're here rather than competing for them.
No matter how prepared you think you are to be a college president, you have no idea what you’re getting into. President Starr says it’s empowering to recognize that and to not take things personally. She says you have to remember that people see you as the institution. She would tell others to hire the best people for the job and then get out of their way and let them do it. Another piece of advice that President Starr would offer is to live like death is on your shoulder. Make decisions to the best of your ability, do the best that you can, and then realize that the outcome is not always up to you.
--
Welcome to innovating together, a podcast produced by the University Innovation Alliance. This is a podcast for busy people in higher education who are looking for the “aha moments” that can propel their work forward. Innovating Together curates the best insights, research, and experts. To connect with us further, visit www.theuia.org.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Today we’re talking with Berkeley City College President, Angelica Garcia. Angelica is just finishing up her first year in the president role, one that she took on during COVID-19. She says she’s mostly been working from home, maybe visiting campus two dozen times, and can’t wait to get back on campus fully. With 116 colleges, in 72 districts, the California college landscape is all about communities. Angelica says being part of a community is what fuels her, and she will remain relentlessly focused on what students need.
During these trying times, Angelica says constant communication has been key. She says there’s a level of urgency, and we can’t let up in certain areas. Angelic explains that she likes to be briefed with all relevant information so that she can show up in the capacity that she needs to. If there’s a crisis going on, Angelica wants to know who’s being impacted and everything about them, as well as understanding who’s mitigating the conversation. She asks colleagues to make it easy for her to know what they need from her. Then after the crisis is over she likes to have a post-op conversation to discuss what they did well and what they could have done better.
Angelica’s leadership style is to understand and uplift. To be prepared she likes to look at her calendar one to two weeks in advance, having one day a week that she makes sure to catch up on everything. She says it takes a village for her to show up the way the community needs her to and that she can’t afford to not be informed. Angelica says a mentor once told her to make sure you’re excellent at the job you have now. Whatever is currently in front of you, show up as your best. Angelica’s mom keeps her humble by reminding her that it doesn’t matter if you're a custodian of a college president, it takes everyone to run a college smoothly.
Whether as a college president or in her personal life, Angelica says her role will always be to advance equity, racial justice, and to make sure anyone interested in higher education has access. Angelica says the advice she would give a new college president is to get an executive coach, figure out who your group of critical colleagues are, and be excellent at the job you have in front of you.
--
Welcome to innovating together, a podcast produced by the University Innovation Alliance. This is a podcast for busy people in higher education who are looking for the “aha moments” that can propel their work forward. Innovating Together curates the best insights, research, and experts. To connect with us further, visit www.theuia.org.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Today we’re talking with Dillard University President Walter M. Kimbrough. President Kimbrough is recognized for his research on African Americans in college and has written the book Follow The Leader: Lessons in Social Media Success From Higher Ed CEO’s.
President Kimbrough says they have been in some hybrid form all throughout the year and expect even more classes in person this next semester. In a survey they found that 85% of students preferred an in-person experience. President Kimbrough says they’re trying to make the best of the situation and that he can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
While the total number of applications is down, President Kimbrough says they’re still on track to make class, with a high number of students committed to returning. He also predicts that the enrollment cycle will simply be delayed and more people will apply throughout the summer as they see things are starting to open back up.
Known for his strong social media presence, President Kimbrough likes to connect as a real person that dares to show up as himself. He’s aware that social media is a public place, and you can’t take stuff personally. He says if anyone has an issue over social media it doesn’t affect him, if they choose to reach out in person he’s very accessible. One such time that President Kimbrough experienced backlash was when he sent out a letter encouraging more African Americans to be involved in research studies for the COVID-19 vaccine as they weren’t being adequately represented. The backlash was strong but President Kimbrough held his ground.
Before the pandemic there was some real headway being made on equity issues and Dr. Kimbrough is positive that momentum can be restored. With people concerned that enrollment is dropping, the real concern should be the rate at which African American enrollment is dropping. President Kimbrough says we need to create communities that are responsive to all students. We need to have intentional conversations and institutions that represent the student body. Present Kimbrough touches on Ohio State University recently saying that their retention issue with African American students is tied to little to no African American staff, so they plan to rectify that.
If you’d like to learn more about President Kimbrough, he’s available on all social media platforms as either @hiphopprez or @walterkimbrough.
--
Welcome to innovating together, a podcast produced by the University Innovation Alliance. This is a podcast for busy people in higher education who are looking for the “aha moments” that can propel their work forward. Innovating Together curates the best insights, research, and experts. To connect with us further, visit www.theuia.org.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Today we talk to California State University Chancellor Dr. Joseph I. Castro. The former President of Cal State Fresno took on his new role just two months ago. Even as it can be an awkward time to make a transition because of Covid, Dr. Castro says it’s been pretty smooth and that he feels very fortunate to serve at such a consequential time.
With California State University being the nation’s biggest four-year public university system, Dr. Castro loves to be doing things on such a scale that can make a huge difference not just in California but in the nation. With close to half a million students, Dr. Castro says CSU has the opportunity to make a change and transform the lives of people from all different backgrounds. He says that without higher ed so many students and families would have much fewer opportunities, and he looks forward to expanding those opportunities even further.
To prepare for this transition, Dr. Castro has reflected on his own experiences, has done a lot of reading, and has conversed with a huge number of mentors. Surprisingly, Dr. Castro is the first Californian to serve as Chancellor at CSU and he’s very aware of the uniqueness of his position. Dr. Castro says he learned from his grandparents to listen carefully before you speak or make big decisions, and this ability has served him well in his transition. As a chancellor, Dr. Castro says you often find yourself dealing with highly contested issues, but even if people don’t agree with his decisions, they always know he listened thoughtfully before making them.
As someone with a policy background, Dr. Castro has enjoyed working with legislators and the governor. He says he’s also been getting to know CSU’s trustees better and appreciates the opportunity to serve in a new way. One thing Dr. Castro is already proud of is their budget and the ability to have no tuition increases and no layoffs. He says he always tries to make decisions that will lower the stress level so that students can focus on learning and teachers can focus on teaching.
Dr. Castro hopes to remain as flexible and transparent as possible going forward. He’s impressed with student’s resilience and says the potential impact they can have together is enormous. He encourages everyone to stay reasonable and to be optimistic.
--
Welcome to innovating together, a podcast produced by the University Innovation Alliance. This is a podcast for busy people in higher education who are looking for the “aha moments” that can propel their work forward. Innovating Together curates the best insights, research, and experts. To connect with us further, visit www.theuia.org.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Today we’re joined by Chancellor Elwood Robinson with Winston-Salem State. With students back on campus, Elwood says his institution is doing great amidst this pandemic. They’re learning a lot and are glad to meet the various challenges.
Elwood has always tried to lead from the heart and has found that approach has served him well during these trying times. He can’t say enough about his staff and the true leadership that has risen during this pandemic. All involved have learned they could push themselves into spaces they didn’t realize they could. Elwood thinks they’ll be more successful in the long run because of the challenges they’ve had to overcome. For instance, he says before, it would have taken them 3-5 years to get a substantial online program going, but they’ve been able to rise up and make that a reality in less than a year. Another success was in raising $27.1 million during a pandemic when their goal was only for $11 million. Elwood says his staff has been extremely productive, and he has a greater appreciation for them.
Elwood believes that the work of the institution is about equity, yet only about 10% of students get the best possible experience. Five years ago, he found himself asking what would happen if we could give every student that experience. He says it’s about creating spaces where everyone’s voice can be heard. Institutions need authentic spaces where everyone feels like they belong, are valuable, and are important. Elwood has a goal that by 2025 not only will every student get a diploma, but every student will be able to create their own job.
When in a crisis, we tend to focus only on managing the crisis and aren’t thinking about the future. Elwood hoped to combat this by putting together a team to focus on what the future will look like. Further, he’s created a show called Future Focus Now that even had Dr. Fauci as a guest. Thinking about the future, Elwood has taken a strong stance on the importance of the Covid vaccine, which he hopes will reduce skepticism.
Looking to the future, Elwood hopes everyone can stay laser-focused on diversion, equity, and inclusion. He thinks institutions should look at things student by student and aim to leave no one out. He continues to be hopeful that everyone will have access to the best possible college experience.
--
Welcome to innovating together, a podcast produced by the University Innovation Alliance. This is a podcast for busy people in higher education who are looking for the “aha moments” that can propel their work forward. Innovating Together curates the best insights, research, and experts. To connect with us further, visit www.theuia.org.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Today we’re talking with President Brian Noland from East Tennessee State University . Brian was previously the Chancellor of West Virginia Higher Education Policy Division, giving him a unique perspective.
Brian says TSU is doing optimistically well, hoping for a somewhat normal return in the Fall. He says no one was prepared for the intensity of the pandemic issue or the weight of daily decisions. As power has shifted to the individual university, they’ve been working on rewriting all policies, having been aggressive on social distancing and moving things online. He said on their worst day they had 50 students on quarantine, compared to 1000 at other institutions with less control.
As an advocate for innovation across the state, Brian says it was a great honor to serve on the cabinet and lead policy change. As President of TSU, Brian wasn’t prepared to be the face of the community but says it’s an extremely humbling opportunity. With 75% of regional healthcare providers having graduated from TSU, the regional universities impact is driving economic force.
From a policy perspective, Brian says challenges are as pronounced as ever. They’re having to work hard on adjusting their portfolio of aid. With a lot of talk around loan forgiveness, Brian says the best way to look at student loan debt is to ensure it doesn't happen. As a tuition dependent university, 70 cents on the dollar to run the institution comes from non-state sources. With a need in the area for engineers and nurses, TSU is saving resources by partnering with other colleges in the area.
There is some fear that competition for students can be a deterrent to collaboration. Brian suggests schools focus on the region, not on the campus, as he says we’ll get further faster by working together. Cross institutional collaboration is more important than ever in the time of COVID-19. Brian says for inspiration during these trying times he’s turned to many great books including How Colleges Work by Robert Birnbaum, The Soul of America by Jon Meacham, and Promise Land by Barack Obama.
As we begin 2021, Brian says the college’s focus is on celebrating successes. It’s a time to refocus on what they’ve been able to accomplish and to remind themselves of the beauty of hope. As we continue to battle a pandemic, Brian will focus on hope and transformation.
--
Welcome to innovating together, a podcast produced by the University Innovation Alliance. This is a podcast for busy people in higher education who are looking for the “aha moments” that can propel their work forward. Innovating Together curates the best insights, research, and experts. To connect with us further, visit www.theuia.org.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Today on Start The Week With Wisdom, Bridget and Paul are speaking with Oregon State University President F. King Alexander. Having been President of Murray State University, Cal State Long Beach, and Louisiana State University, Mr. Alexander has a broad perspective on higher education.
As an advocate for vulnerable students, Mr. Alexander has seen the pandemic bring unique challenges. Luckily he says they’re doing okay enrollment-wise, where a lot of universities are down, they are staying flat. However, because of the pandemic, the door has been shut on new international students coming in. They’re down approximately 96% from China, 94% from India, and 85% from Germany and Brazil. Mr. Alexander reminds us that 1/3 of Silicon Valley was built by international students, and their absence now will be felt for decades to come.
More and more, society is turning to Universities for help during this pandemic, and Mr. Alexander says they need the funds in order to help those most vulnerable during this pandemic. He says the C.A.R.E. Act helped some, but they need more. Looking back to 2009-2011, roughly 120 billion dollars in 3 stimulus packages went to higher ed, and we need to see that kind of help again.
Mr. Alexander says it’s been difficult moving into a new leadership role in the middle of a pandemic, but he thinks they’ll get through with greater trust. Anything can be an opportunity, and this is one to enhance trust in what we can achieve together. Mr. Alexander believes that if all the information is on the table, 9/10 educated people will come to the same conclusions. So, it’s about working together, sharing information, and leveraging each other's strengths. As difficult as it’s been to lead during a crisis, some good has come that Mr. Alexander hopes to remain. The faculty has been very flexible and is using new technologies to reach more people than ever.
Having taken very public positions on controversial topics, Mr. Alexander hopes to see more leaders on the front lines working to bring about change. One issue is keeping state legislators engaged as they’ve slowly been stepping away and federalized the state responsibility. This has directly resulted in the percentage of people with college degrees going down. The age group of 55-64 were rated #1 in percentage with degrees, with now the 25-34 age group being ranked #16.
--
Welcome to innovating together, a podcast produced by the University Innovation Alliance. This is a podcast for busy people in higher education who are looking for the “aha moments” that can propel their work forward. Innovating Together curates the best insights, research, and experts. To connect with us further, visit www.theuia.org.--
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Today on Start The Week With Wisdom, we’re talking to Paul Quinn College President Michael Sorrell. Having spoken to Mr. Sorrell last Spring, we’re checking in to see what has gone right and what has gone wrong during the course of this pandemic. Mr. Sorrell says that no matter how well prepared anyone thought they were, no one was fully ready to understand the emotional toll of leading in a pandemic.
Mr. Sorrell doesn’t know that the pandemic has necessarily made him a stronger leader, but it’s made him a more honest leader. He stressed being candid with staff about being exhausted and at your wit’s end. It gave others permission to be human in a season that may just be about getting through. Having the strength to sustain a high level of performance for an extended amount of time comes down to why are you here? If you’re just here to check a box, you won’t have as strong a drive as someone that is there for a cause, for something bigger than themselves. Mr. Sorrell says we don’t have the luxury of not performing for underprivileged students, and it should be an honor to serve.
Last semester 90% of Paul Quinn students were working 40+ hours a week in addition to their studies. Among that 90%, only 42% came back this semester. Mr. Sorrell says it has nothing to do with no longer being interested or not capable, it’s simply not sustainable with everything going on. One thing Mr. Sorrell thinks is important is to not give students a false sense of hope, don’t make promises you can’t keep. He refers to the book ‘From Good To Great’ about General Stockdale that was a POW, and how he persevered. Other prisoners were holding on to hope for release by a specific time, and each time that date came and went, it cost them emotionally. The emotional toll affected their health and led to death. General Stockdale never questioned that he would be free at some point, but he also was realistic about his lack of control over when. Much like this pandemic, having false hope for an end will just defeat you each time that finish line moves. We need to hold on to the fact that it will in fact end at some point, but we have no control over when.
--
Welcome to innovating together, a podcast produced by the University Innovation Alliance. This is a podcast for busy people in higher education who are looking for the “aha moments” that can propel their work forward. Innovating Together curates the best insights, research, and experts. To connect with us further, visit www.theuia.org.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Today we’re talking with Dr. Sara Goldrick Rab from Temple University and the Hope Center. Dr. Rab wears a lot of hats but describes herself as a scientist that works on the problems of why people start college and don’t finish. She has her focus on what happens when people are challenged with paying for school and life while in school.
Hunger On College Campus
Food insecurity is when you don’t have stable and regular access to food, and it’s something that is widespread among college students. Many students are skipping meals or going without food for a day or more. Most won’t admit to this struggle and would much sooner just get used to it than to admit it. Lack of nutrients affects you in many ways such as cognitive function and energy—all things a college student needs to get through their day.
Housing Insecurity
A lot of people will assume college kids just don’t manage their money correctly, but that’s not it. Students' budgets are stretched tight. Another issue is housing insecurity, when you are constantly at risk of losing your housing. Often it comes down to rent or food and utilities. Dr. Rab says not a lot of people can even agree on what it means to be homeless. She says that couch-surfing or shuffling from place to place is homelessness, even though you have shelter. Students staying with unsafe individuals has become an issue relating to this type of homelessness.
What is #realcollege?
Dr. Rab explains that she was doing research ten years ago and just trying to share data on food insecurity but was receiving a lot of pushbacks. People were in denial, but Dr. Rab knew it was actually happening. So, as a fan of the Real World from MTV she quoted, “we got to stop being polite and start getting real”. Thus was born #realcollege as a way to show what college was really like.
What Can We Do?
Dr Rab points to a book called Sweet Charity by Janet Poppendieck and says food pantries don’t help. When someone needs food, what they’re really in need of is money for food. Dr. Rab says that what's most needed is an effective emergency aid program. It needs to be readily available at any time to anyone and based only on need.
Go to www.hope4college.com for research, resources and guides.
--
Welcome to innovating together, a podcast produced by the University Innovation Alliance. This is a podcast for busy people in higher education who are looking for the “aha moments” that can propel their work forward. Innovating Together curates the best insights, research, and experts. To connect with us further, visit www.theuia.org.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Today we’re speaking with Dr. Richard Reddick from the University of Texas at Austin. As a first-generation college student, Dr. Reddick says his job is equal parts teaching, researching, and serving.
Dr. Reddick explains the idea of cultural taxation, which is the invisible labor done by folks of color to support diversity missions at universities. Whether you’re helping as a translator, serving on a diversity committee, or mentoring and advising, these people are not compensated or recognized for their work. At a time of uprisings and conversations on race, students of color are tasked with justifying or making sense of things that are served up with a lack of empathy. We’re still not having productive conversations globally, most of it takes place in classrooms or over Zoom meetings and can be emotionally taxing for students.
Oftentimes, students are like adjunct faculty members in college universities without compensation. All the cultural work being done, all the benefits for students of color, are being born on students' shoulders. How can they be compensated for this work? Is there any leverage we can give them for their time and efforts? Dr. Reddick says we need to recognize the work we’re asking these students to do. They do so much for us, what are we doing to acknowledge or credit this vital work?
In recognition of racial injustices, we create task forces and groups, and then we put folks of color in the position to do the work for their own injustices. Often it takes a person of color, that has been wronged to say let’s start again and begin to bridge that divide. That doesn’t mean white faculty and students don’t need to step up; it’s everybody’s work. It may be necessary that people of color lead, but white folks need to be strong allies. Equity and inclusion work can be risky as your public-facing and often learning as you go. Mistakes are bound to be made, but Dr. Reddick says we need to lean into this discomfort and continue to engage.
--
Welcome to innovating together, a podcast produced by the University Innovation Alliance. This is a podcast for busy people in higher education who are looking for the “aha moments” that can propel their work forward. Innovating Together curates the best insights, research, and experts. To connect with us further, visit www.theuia.org.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Today we’re speaking with the Educational Administrator for higher, adult, and lifelong education, Kristen Renn from Michigan State University.
How Do You Introduce The Work That You Do?
Kristen states that she studies college student learning, development, and identities. Further, she says she specifically looks at how students of color, LGBTQ students, and low-income students experience higher education.
What Have You Found Surprising Because Of The Pandemic?
Kristen shares that she grew up in higher ed and always noticed it was resistant to change. At the beginning of the pandemic, she recalls she and other staff received a text that the whole school was going virtual in 19 minutes. Kristen says that if you had told her a year ago that all these teachers could make the switch to online learning in days or weeks, she wouldn’t have believed you. Kristen was floored by what higher ed could do but says it came at the expense of certain demographics.
How Have Students Been Affected?
Already being prone to more mental health issues, Kristen shares that the LGBTQ community has seen a further spike. However, she’s seen some good come to the LGBTQ community as well, one example being the chosen name initiative. In an attempt to not out transgender students, students can identify their chosen name and pronouns to be addressed by. This is something Kristen would like to see implemented when students return to campus.
What Can We Learn From The Pandemic?
There have been positives from Covid that Kristen hopes to continue with. One being compassion. In a time when students could see into their teachers homes, see their cat for example, there has been a bigger sense of connection. Kristen hopes we can bring that more personal touch to students even after they’re back on campus. Also, Kristen points out that we need to understand that many students may have lost someone to Covid and will need all the compassion they can get.
What Do Administrators Get Wrong And What Are Successes?
While we can attune ourselves to more overt transgressions, it’s harder to see how everyday things affect students. We can find these areas of opportunity through a campus climate audit. Kristen says we should be walking through processes, looking at forms, looking at programs and services, etc to look for signs of welcoming and inclusion.
--
Welcome to innovating together, a podcast produced by the University Innovation Alliance. This is a podcast for busy people in higher education who are looking for the “aha moments” that can propel their work forward. Innovating Together curates the best insights, research, and experts. To connect with us further, visit www.theuia.org.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Today on “Scholarship 2 Practice”, Co-hosts Dr. Derrick Tillman-Kelly and Dr. Bridget Burns are joined by professor and anthropologist Dr. Constance ILoh. Together they tackle the significant issues concerning inclusion, school choice, and the culture of higher education. Dr. ILoh seeks to uplift the under-served and under-supported that are not represented in today’s education landscape.
Dr. ILoh claims that a lot of students aren’t captured in the conception of the 21st-century student. Today's college-goer is a lot different from in the past and doesn’t fit the stereotypical profile of most college choice frameworks. It’s no longer just the high school grad with the world at their fingertips. We see people from all backgrounds, all income levels, of all colors, and of all ages pursuing higher education. Still, we don’t see them all represented or supported equally.
Using what she calls the lLoh Model of College-Going Decisions and Trajectories, we’re led to look at three essential components: information, time, and opportunity. These three items are often all that determine college-going decisions and the trajectory a student will find themselves on. The quality, quantity, and types of information readily available can vary significantly between prospective students. A high school senior has access to a plethora of information via a guidance counselor, but where would an older adult access the same information.
In dealing with time we need to understand not only where we are currently as a society, which we’ve seen in the last year can change drastically in a short amount of time, but also where a prospective student is in their life; possibly a 40-year-old single parent as opposed to the student fresh out of high school. When it comes to opportunity, we need to understand not only the real but also the perceived idea of what is available to an individual; what their surroundings and circumstances led them to believe is possible for them and what really is possible.
There is no longer a 'typical' college experience and colleges need to understand this. Dr. ILoh hopes that colleges can reframe how they look at prospective students to ensure everyone can truly have that college ‘choice’. Higher education is a big commitment, and many students need to be recognized and recruited.
For more information on Dr. ILoh or her Model of college-going Decisions and Trajectories, visit www.constanceiloh.com. Dr. ILoh can also be found on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
Welcome to innovating together, a podcast produced by the University Innovation Alliance. This is a podcast for busy people in higher education who are looking for the “aha moments” that can propel their work forward. Innovating Together curates the best insights, research, and experts. To connect with us further, visitwww.theuia.org.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Today on ‘Weekly Wisdom’ Bridget Burns from University Innovation Alliance and Doug Lederman from Inside Higher Ed sit down with California community college chancellor Eloy Oakley. Many educational leaders had to step up during 2020 because of the pandemic and all that it brought with it, and Chancellor Oakley is no different. He discusses the struggles of leading through not only a pandemic but an economic crisis, racial reckoning, and a crisis in democracy.
"Sponsored in partnership with Inside Higher Ed. “
Welcome to innovating together, a podcast produced by the University Innovation Alliance. This is a podcast for busy people in higher education who are looking for the “aha moments” that can propel their work forward. Innovating Together curates the best insights, research, and experts. To connect with us further, visitwww.theuia.org.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Together with her co-host Madeline St. Amour, Bridget Burns invites the Chancellor of the University of Colorado, Denver Michelle Marks. Chancellor Marks discusses how to live, exist, and lead and give a sense of positivity to everyone while during a pandemic.
--
"Sponsored in partnership with Inside Higher Ed. “
Welcome to innovating together, a podcast produced by the University Innovation Alliance. This is a podcast for busy people in higher education who are looking for the “aha moments” that can propel their work forward. Innovating Together curates the best insights, research, and experts. To connect with us further, visitwww.theuia.org.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Bridget Burns, Executive Director of University Innovation Alliance, is inviting presidents and chancellors of universities to share how they handle the challenges they encounter through a real-time conversation. Today's guest is Dr. Frank J. Dooley, who is the current Chancellor of Purdue University Global.
--
"Sponsored in partnership with Inside Higher Ed. “
Welcome to innovating together, a podcast produced by the University Innovation Alliance. This is a podcast for busy people in higher education who are looking for the “aha moments” that can propel their work forward. Innovating Together curates the best insights, research, and experts. To connect with us further, visitwww.theuia.org.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Doug Lederman, the editor, and co-founder of Inside Higher Ed accompanies Bridget Burns in today’s episode of Weekly Wisdom. They interview Dr. Chris Howard, the president of Robert Morris University in Pennsylvania. He also served as the 24th president of the Hampden-Sydney College. In this episode, they discuss leadership in the time of a crisis.
--
"Sponsored in partnership with Inside Higher Ed. “
Welcome to innovating together, a podcast produced by the University Innovation Alliance. This is a podcast for busy people in higher education who are looking for the “aha moments” that can propel their work forward. Innovating Together curates the best insights, research, and experts. To connect with us further, visitwww.theuia.org.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Bridget Burns, Executive Director of University Innovation Alliance, partners up with Paul Fain, the Contributing Editor of Inside Higher Ed, to interview city college presidents. For today's episode, the guest is Dr. Kim Hunter Reed, the Commissioner for Higher Education in Louisiana, and former Executive Director at Colorado Higher Ed and Deputy Undersecretary at the US Department of Education.
--
"Sponsored in partnership with Inside Higher Ed. “
Welcome to innovating together, a podcast produced by the University Innovation Alliance. This is a podcast for busy people in higher education who are looking for the “aha moments” that can propel their work forward. Innovating Together curates the best insights, research, and experts. To connect with us further, visitwww.theuia.org.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Bridget Burns, Executive Director of the University Innovation Alliance, and Paul Fain of Inside Higher Ed are inviting insight and experiences from presidents and chancellors of universities navigating the challenge in real-time. For the 21rst installment of Weekly Wisdom, the team had a conversation with UCF President Alexander Cartwright about being a leader and leading during these challenging times.
--
"Sponsored in partnership with Inside Higher Ed. “
Welcome to innovating together, a podcast produced by the University Innovation Alliance. This is a podcast for busy people in higher education who are looking for the “aha moments” that can propel their work forward. Innovating Together curates the best insights, research, and experts. To connect with us further, visitwww.theuia.org.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Bridget Burns, Executive Director of the University Innovation Alliance, and Paul Fain of Inside Higher Ed are inviting insight and experiences from presidents and chancellors of universities navigating the challenge in real-time. For the 20th installment of Weekly Wisdom, the team had a conversation with the University of California, Riverside chancellor, Kim Wilcox, who has led the institution since 2013. They discussed how a chancellor understands what it's like to navigate these challenging times as they gather some insight, perspective, and inspiration.
--
"Sponsored in partnership with Inside Higher Ed. “
Welcome to innovating together, a podcast produced by the University Innovation Alliance. This is a podcast for busy people in higher education who are looking for the “aha moments” that can propel their work forward. Innovating Together curates the best insights, research, and experts. To connect with us further, visitwww.theuia.org.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Bridget Burns, Executive Director of the University Innovation Alliance, and Rick Seltzer of Inside Higher Ed are inviting insight and experiences from presidents and chancellors of universities navigating the challenge in real-time. For the 19th installment of Weekly Wisdom, the team had a conversation with the president of Trinity Washington University, Patricia McGuire. Follow along in this episode for tips on leading amid the pandemic engulfing the world.
--
"Sponsored in partnership with Inside Higher Ed. “
Welcome to innovating together, a podcast produced by the University Innovation Alliance. This is a podcast for busy people in higher education who are looking for the “aha moments” that can propel their work forward. Innovating Together curates the best insights, research, and experts. To connect with us further, visitwww.theuia.org.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Bridget Burns, Executive Director of the University Innovation Alliance, and Madeline St. Amour, a reporter at Inside Higher Ed are inviting insight and experiences from presidents and chancellors of universities navigating the challenge in real-time. For the 18th installment of Weekly Wisdom, the team had an inspiring conversation with president and CEO Keith Curry, who has led Compton college since 2017. California Governor Gavin Newsom recently tapped him to serve on the California higher education recovery with the equity task force.
--
"Sponsored in partnership with Inside Higher Ed. “
Welcome to innovating together, a podcast produced by the University Innovation Alliance. This is a podcast for busy people in higher education who are looking for the “aha moments” that can propel their work forward. Innovating Together curates the best insights, research, and experts. To connect with us further, visitwww.theuia.org.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Bridget Burns, Executive Director of the University Innovation Alliance, and Paul Fain from Inside Higher Ed are inviting insight and experiences from presidents and chancellors of universities navigating the challenge in real-time. For the 17th installment of Weekly Wisdom, the team had a short inspiring conversation with Eloy Oakley the Chancellor of California Community Colleges.
"Sponsored in partnership with Inside Higher Ed. “
Welcome to innovating together, a podcast produced by the University Innovation Alliance. This is a podcast for busy people in higher education who are looking for the “aha moments” that can propel their work forward. Innovating Together curates the best insights, research, and experts. To connect with us further, visit www.theuia.org.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Bridget Burns, Executive Director of the University Innovation Alliance, and Madeline St. Amour from Inside Higher Ed are inviting insight and experiences from presidents and chancellors of universities navigating the challenge in real-time. For the 16th installment of Weekly Wisdom, Bridget Burns, Executive Director of University Innovation Alliance and Madeline St. Amour from Inside Higher Ed, had a short, inspiring conversation with the Lorain County Community College President Marcia Ballinger.
"Sponsored in partnership with Inside Higher Ed. “
Welcome to innovating together, a podcast produced by the University Innovation Alliance. This is a podcast for busy people in higher education who are looking for the “aha moments” that can propel their work forward. Innovating Together curates the best insights, research, and experts. To connect with us further, visit www.theuia.org.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Bridget Burns, Executive Director of the University Innovation Alliance, and Paul Fain from Inside Higher Ed are inviting insight and experiences from presidents and chancellors of universities navigating the challenge in real-time. Today’s guest is the University of Houston President Renu Khator.
"Sponsored in partnership with Inside Higher Ed. " Welcome to innovating together, a podcast produced by the University Innovation Alliance. This is a podcast for busy people in higher education who are looking for the “aha moments” that can propel their work forward. Innovating Together curates the best insights, research, and experts. To connect with us further, visit www.theuia.org.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Bridget Burns, Executive Director of the University Innovation Alliance, and Paul Fain from Inside Higher Ed are inviting insight and experiences from presidents and chancellors of universities navigating the challenge in real-time. Today’s guest is the president of Everett Community College, Daria J. Willis. President Willis has been leading Everett since last year, but also served as the provost and senior vice president of academic affairs at Onondaga Community College.
"Sponsored in partnership with Inside Higher Ed. "
Welcome to innovating together, a podcast produced by the University Innovation Alliance. This is a podcast for busy people in higher education who are looking for the “aha moments” that can propel their work forward. Innovating Together curates the best insights, research, and experts. To connect with us further, visit www.theuia.org.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Bridget Burns, Executive Director of the University Innovation Alliance, and Paul Fain from Inside Higher Ed are inviting insight and experiences from presidents and chancellors of universities navigating the challenge in real-time. Today’s guests are Michael Sorrell and Ben Nelson. Michael Sorrell is the president of Paul Quinn College, and Ben Nelson is the CEO and founder of Minerva Schools.
"Sponsored in partnership with Inside Higher Ed. "
Welcome to innovating together, a podcast produced by the University Innovation Alliance. This is a podcast for busy people in higher education who are looking for the “aha moments” that can propel their work forward. Innovating Together curates the best insights, research, and experts. To connect with us further, visit www.theuia.org.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Bridget Burns, Executive Director of the University Innovation Alliance, and Rick Seltzer, the project editor at Inside Higher Ed are inviting insight and experiences from presidents and chancellors of universities navigating the challenge in real-time. Today’s guest is The President of the University of Washington Ana Mari Cauce, who has been at the institution since 1986 and president since 2015, is the guest in today’s conversation.
--
"Sponsored in partnership with Inside Higher Ed. "
Welcome to innovating together, a podcast produced by the University Innovation Alliance. This is a podcast for busy people in higher education who are looking for the “aha moments” that can propel their work forward. Innovating Together curates the best insights, research, and experts. To connect with us further, visit www.theuia.org.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Bridget Burns, Executive Director of University Innovation Alliance, invites presidents and chancellors of universities to discuss real-time challenges and the resolutions to such problems. Today’s guest is Dr. Timothy Renick, Executive Vice President for Enrollment and Student Success of Georgia State University.
--
"Sponsored in partnership with Inside Higher Ed. "
Welcome to innovating together, a podcast produced by the University Innovation Alliance. This is a podcast for busy people in higher education who are looking for the “aha moments” that can propel their work forward. Innovating Together curates the best insights, research, and experts. To connect with us further, visit www.theuia.org.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Bridget Burns, Executive Director of the University Innovation Alliance, and Jeff Selingo, author, columnist, and special advisor at Arizona State University, are inviting insight and experiences from presidents and chancellors of universities navigating the challenge in real-time. The eleventh guest is Mark P. Becker, president of Georgia State University since 2009.
--
"Sponsored in partnership with Inside Higher Ed. "
Welcome to innovating together, a podcast produced by the University Innovation Alliance. This is a podcast for busy people in higher education who are looking for the “aha moments” that can propel their work forward. Innovating Together curates the best insights, research, and experts. To connect with us further, visit www.theuia.org.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Bridget Burns, Executive Director of the University Innovation Alliance, and Jeff Selingo, author, columnist, and special advisor at Arizona State University, are inviting insight and experiences from presidents and chancellors of universities navigating the challenge in real-time. The tenth guest is Chancellor Harold L. Martin from North Carolina, Agricultural and Technical State University.
--
"This episode was sponsored in part by Next and the Academy for Innovation in Higher Education".
Welcome to innovating together, a podcast produced by the University Innovation Alliance. This is a podcast for busy people in higher education who are looking for the “aha moments” that can propel their work forward. Innovating Together curates the best insights, research, and experts. To connect with us further, visit www.theuia.org.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Bridget Burns, Executive Director of the University Innovation Alliance, and Jeff Selingo, author, columnist, and special advisor at Arizona State University, are inviting insight and experiences from presidents and chancellors of universities navigating the challenge in real-time. The ninth guest is University of Maryland, Baltimore County President Freeman A. Hrabowski, III. Together, they discussed his leadership, overcoming the challenges of this moment, and what is giving him hope.
--
"This episode was sponsored in part by Next and the Academy for Innovation in Higher Education".
Welcome to innovating together, a podcast produced by the University Innovation Alliance. This is a podcast for busy people in higher education who are looking for the “aha moments” that can propel their work forward. Innovating Together curates the best insights, research, and experts. To connect with us further, visit www.theuia.org.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Bridget Burns, Executive Director of the University Innovation Alliance, and Paul Fain, Contributing Editor of Inside Higher Ed, are inviting insight and experiences from presidents and chancellors of universities navigating the challenge in real-time. The eighth guest is Ruth Watkins, president of The University of Utah. In a time of profound, rapid change, Ruth Watkins shares that it is an incredible privilege to do work that matters. She adds that it is time to address white privilege and to take action to change racism.
--
"Sponsored in partnership with Inside Higher Ed. "
Welcome to innovating together, a podcast produced by the University Innovation Alliance. This is a podcast for busy people in higher education who are looking for the “aha moments” that can propel their work forward. Innovating Together curates the best insights, research, and experts. To connect with us further, visit www.theuia.org.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Bridget Burns, Executive Director of the University Innovation Alliance, and Jeff Selingo, author, columnist, and special advisor at Arizona State University, are inviting insight and experiences from presidents and chancellors of universities navigating the challenge in real-time. The seventh guest is Angel Cabrera, president of Georgia Institute of Technology. Angel Cabrera has been running institutions for the past 15 years. This coming September 2020, will be his first year with Georgia Institute of Technology as its president.
--
"This episode was sponsored in part by Next and the Academy for Innovation in Higher Education".
Welcome to innovating together, a podcast produced by the University Innovation Alliance. This is a podcast for busy people in higher education who are looking for the “aha moments” that can propel their work forward. Innovating Together curates the best insights, research, and experts. To connect with us further, visit www.theuia.org.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Bridget Burns, Executive Director of the University Innovation Alliance, and Jeff Selingo, author, columnist, and special advisor at Arizona State University, are inviting insight and experiences from presidents and chancellors of universities navigating the challenge in real-time. The sixth guest is Dr. Shirley Collado, the president of Ithaca College since 2017, and a trustee of Vanderbilt University.
--
"This episode was sponsored in part by Next and the Academy for Innovation in Higher Education".
Welcome to innovating together, a podcast produced by the University Innovation Alliance. This is a podcast for busy people in higher education who are looking for the “aha moments” that can propel their work forward. Innovating Together curates the best insights, research, and experts. To connect with us further, visit www.theuia.org.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Bridget Burns, Executive Director of the University Innovation Alliance, and Jeff Selingo, author, columnist, and special advisor at Arizona State University, are inviting insight and experiences from presidents and chancellors of universities navigating the challenge in real-time. The fifth guest is the president of Oregon State University, Ed Ray. He has been the president since 2003; previously, he was provost at Ohio State University, and he is one of the founders of the University Innovation Alliance.
--
"This episode was sponsored in part by Next and the Academy for Innovation in Higher Education".
Welcome to innovating together, a podcast produced by the University Innovation Alliance. This is a podcast for busy people in higher education who are looking for the “aha moments” that can propel their work forward. Innovating Together curates the best insights, research, and experts. To connect with us further, visit www.theuia.org.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Bridget Burns, Executive Director of the University Innovation Alliance, and Jeff Selingo, author, columnist, and special advisor at Arizona State University, are inviting insight and experiences from presidents and chancellors of universities navigating the challenge in real-time. The fourth guest is Michael Drake, President of The Ohio State University and former Chancellor of the University of California, Irvine. He is a popular and well-loved personality who continues to inspire colleagues, students, and followers.
--
"This episode was sponsored in part by Next and the Academy for Innovation in Higher Education".
Welcome to innovating together, a podcast produced by the University Innovation Alliance. This is a podcast for busy people in higher education who are looking for the “aha moments” that can propel their work forward. Innovating Together curates the best insights, research, and experts. To connect with us further, visit www.theuia.org.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Bridget Burns, Executive Director of the University Innovation Alliance, and Jeff Selingo, author, columnist, and special advisor at Arizona State University, are inviting insight and experiences from presidents and chancellors of universities navigating the challenge in real-time. The third guest is Wendy Wintersteen, the first female president of Iowa State University and the former endowed dean of Iowa State’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
--
"This episode was sponsored in part by Next and the Academy for Innovation in Higher Education".
Welcome to innovating together, a podcast produced by the University Innovation Alliance. This is a podcast for busy people in higher education who are looking for the “aha moments” that can propel their work forward. Innovating Together curates the best insights, research, and experts. To connect with us further, visit www.theuia.org.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Bridget Burns, Executive Director of the University Innovation Alliance, and Jeff Selingo, author, columnist, and special advisor at Arizona State University, are inviting insight and experiences from presidents and chancellors of universities navigating the challenge in real-time. The second guest is Michael Sorrell, who is the president of Paul Quinn College. Sorrell is one of the 10 most innovative college presidents in the country and one of the world's top 50 leaders.
--
"This episode was sponsored in part by Next and the Academy for Innovation in Higher Education".
Welcome to innovating together, a podcast produced by the University Innovation Alliance. This is a podcast for busy people in higher education who are looking for the “aha moments” that can propel their work forward. Innovating Together curates the best insights, research, and experts. To connect with us further, visit www.theuia.org.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Bridget Burns, Executive Director of the University Innovation Alliance, and Jeff Selingo, author, columnist, and special advisor at Arizona State University, are inviting insight and experiences from presidents and chancellors of universities navigating the challenge in real-time. The first guest is Michael Crow, president of Arizona State University since 2002, and a recognized leader in higher education innovation.
--
"This episode was sponsored in part by Next and the Academy for Innovation in Higher Education".
Welcome to innovating together, a podcast produced by the University Innovation Alliance. This is a podcast for busy people in higher education who are looking for the “aha moments” that can propel their work forward. Innovating Together curates the best insights, research, and experts. To connect with us further, visit www.theuia.org.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message
Welcome to innovating together, a podcast produced by the University Innovation Alliance. This is a podcast for busy people in higher education who are looking for the “aha moments” that can propel their work forward. Innovating Together curates the best insights, research, and experts. To connect with us further, visit www.theuia.org.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovationalliance/message