Changing Higher Ed

Program discontinuation is usually the fight presidents avoid. Fairleigh Dickinson University put a significant slate of program discontinuations and consolidations to a faculty referendum, and roughly 88 percent of the faculty endorsed it. The vote reflects a larger redefinition underway at FDU: a shift from the four-year degree to a university built around lifelong learning. In this episode of the Changing Higher Ed® podcast, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with Michael Avaltroni, President of Fairleigh Dickinson University and the first FDU graduate to hold the office, about the four-P framework guiding that redefinition: programs, people, partnerships, and place. Avaltroni explains how FDU is specializing in health, health-adjacent, and professionally focused programs rather than trying to be everything to everyone; designing for five generations of learners on one campus; delivering degrees inside corporations such as Merck, Novartis, Fiserv, and Barclays; and reimagining its campuses as intergenerational "impact cities" that place retirement living alongside student housing. This conversation is especially relevant for presidents, provosts, and board members weighing program portfolio decisions, partnership strategies, and how to pursue radical change without losing faculty and community trust. Topics Covered Why the fundamental model higher education was built for is gone, and the optimistic "but" that follows The four Ps of the university of the future: programs, people, partnerships, and place Winning faculty endorsement of program cuts through a data-driven shared governance process Serving five generations of learners concurrently, from pre-college pathways to retirement Corporate classrooms, advisory councils, executives in residence, and a learn-while-you-earn platform with health systems Humanics: preparing a healthcare workforce that is technologically literate, data literate, and human literate Real-World Examples Discussed A faculty referendum endorsing a significant slate of program discontinuations by roughly 88 percent <li class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 1

At Manhattan University, the case for the liberal arts is being made with outcomes, not nostalgia. Its graduates rank in the top 2% nationally for mid-career salaries, and The Wall Street Journal ranked the university 73rd in the country for graduate salaries, social mobility, and cost-effectiveness. The more useful story for institutional leaders sits underneath those numbers: a set of deliberate decisions about program design, technology preparation, faculty adoption, hiring, and alumni engagement. In this episode of the Changing Higher Ed® podcast, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with Dr. Fred Bonato, President of Manhattan University, about how the institution pairs a liberal arts core with universal technology preparation, on the premise that transferable skills hold even greater value when combined with technical fluency. Bonato explains how Manhattan houses its interdisciplinary programs in AI, cybersecurity, and data science outside any single college under the new ARCH Innovation Exchange; requires every first-year student to earn an IBM SkillsBuild digital badge in AI; funds faculty adoption through an institutional ChatGPT license, workshops, and peer champions rather than mandates; screens faculty and staff hires for comfort with AI as a tool; and treats the university's alumni network as employment infrastructure, including the James Patterson-funded leadership development honors program. This conversation is especially relevant for presidents, provosts, and board members weighing humanities cuts, planning AI integration, or looking for adoption strategies that work within shared governance rather than around it. Topics Covered • Why Bonato defines the liberal arts by their transferable skills: problem-solving, creative thinking, and persuasive writing and speaking <p class="MsoListParagraph" style= "text-indent: -.25in; line-height: 115

Most retention systems flag struggling students through grades and attendance. By the time those indicators fire, many students are already halfway out the door. Elvee's survey of 1,050 U.S. college students shows why: 86% start college highly motivated, 42% come close to dropping out at some point, and only 17% of those who struggle ever request help. In this episode of the Changing Higher Ed® podcast, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with Raz Dar, CEO of Elvee, whose work with U.S. colleges centers on reading behavioral data for early signals of student disengagement. Drawing on his background in commercial technology, Dar explains how patterns in study time, login frequency, and forum participation reveal disengagement before exam period and before failure reaches the gradebook. He and McNaughton examine why motivated students still leave, why institutions that wait for students to ask for help miss most of the students who need it, and why intervention without follow-up monitoring routinely fails. This conversation is especially relevant for presidents, provosts, student success executives, enrollment executives, and board members looking to move retention from reactive support to proactive, early intervention. Topics Covered Why grades and attendance are lagging indicators that flag students too late What disengagement looks like in behavioral data, and why a single dip can be benign The help-seeking gap: 17% ask for help, 52% try to solve it alone first, 30% n

Half of college presidents worried about public trust are answering with a public relations campaign. According to the AAC&U report at the center of this episode, that is a reasonable instinct but the wrong one. Public confidence in colleges and universities has slid for more than a decade, and messaging alone will not turn it around. In this episode of the Changing Higher Ed® podcast, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with Dr. Jeremy Young, lead author of The Trust Agenda: A Framework for Advancing Public Trust in Higher Education and he co-directs AAC&U's Advancing Public Trust in Higher Education initiative, about why trust has eroded and what campus leaders can actually do about it. Their conversation moves past naming the crisis, which presidents and boards already feel, into the specifics: why the most prestigious institutions are the least trusted while community colleges and regional publics are the most, why distrust took root long before today's politics, and how the report's five recommendations translate into work a campus can start now. This conversation is especially relevant for presidents, provosts, board members, and cabinet leaders weighing how to respond to declining confidence without defaulting to a PR campaign. Topics Covered Why public trust has fallen unevenly, and what the institution-type gap means for strategy The deeper roots of distrust, including the sense of distance between campuses and their communities Community engagement as the core of trust, and why it cannot live in a single office <li class= "font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words p

When the federal government freezes research funding, leaders tend to treat it as a budget problem: a number that was cut and might later be restored. The harder truth in this conversation is that much of the damage cannot be undone. Halted studies, shuttered labs, and departed early-career researchers do not simply resume when the money comes back. Research funding cuts are a strategic risk, not a line item. In this episode of the Changing Higher Ed® podcast, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with Dr. Nick Dirks, President and CEO of the New York Academy of Sciences and former chancellor of UC Berkeley. Dirks first joined the show in 2018, as the podcast's third guest, reflecting on the protests that had put Berkeley at the center of national attention over controversial speakers on campus. He returns to discuss what the current research funding cuts are doing to American science, where AI fits in higher education, and the choices facing presidents and boards. This conversation is especially relevant for presidents, provosts, and board members weighing how federal funding volatility, the loss of early-career research talent, and the rapid arrival of AI in the classroom should shape institutional strategy and risk planning. Topics Covered • Why frozen research funding cannot simply be switched back on, and what that means for biomedical studies, drug trials, and animal research • The damage to the early-career research pipeline, and why postdocs and graduate students are the most exposed • What current data shows about US scientists weighing whether to leave the country or the field <p

Most AI conversations in higher education focus on the academic side. The administrative side gets less attention and is producing the bigger near-term financial wins for institutions willing to govern the rollout. In this episode of the Changing Higher Ed® podcast, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with Justin Beck, CEO of Gravyty, about how AI is being applied across enrollment and advancement at institutions including Empire State University, Florida Southwestern State College, and Boise State University. Drawing on his career across Blackboard, Instructure, Kaltura, and now Gravyty, Beck walks through the specific case studies behind administrative AI adoption: a reported 4% year-over-year retention gain at Empire State, 90% first-contact resolution of admissions inquiries at Florida Southwestern, and an 87% increase in donor volume at Boise State. He also explains where institutions go wrong, including bots that loop the way call-center bots loop and set-it-and-forget-it deployments that drift out of alignment within weeks. This conversation is especially relevant for presidents, boards, and enrollment and advancement leaders building the business case for administrative AI and the governance to back it. Topics Covered Why administrative AI is producing measurable financial gains while most institutions still treat AI as an academic policy question The retention math: how a 4% lift can translate into multi-million-dollar revenue protection at a mid-size institution How AI sorts and triages carries admissions volume that hiring cannot keep up with Wh

AI implementation in higher education is often framed as a technology question. California State University treated it as change management with technology as the catalyst, rolling out ChatGPT Edu to 22 universities in 18 months while running the largest AI survey ever conducted at a single university system. In this episode of the Changing Higher Ed® podcast, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with Dr. Leslie Kennedy, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Academic Technology Services at the California State University Office of the Chancellor, about how the system designed and executed its generative AI implementation and what the Ahead of the Curve survey of 94,060 respondents reveals about AI adoption, faculty engagement, and student behavior. Drawing on her work co-leading the academic side of CSU's GenAI initiative, Kennedy explains the governance structure that made the rollout possible, the campus-level training infrastructure that scaled adoption across 22 universities, and the survey findings that pushed back on common assumptions about cheating, faculty resistance, and AI access gaps. This conversation is especially relevant for presidents, provosts, boards, and CIOs evaluating how to move from AI policy discussions to systemwide implementation. <p class= "font-claude-response-body bre

At sixteen, with straight A's in math and science, Dr. Karen Panetta's school career assessment told her to sell makeup or be a cook. A male friend with lower scores got engineer or politician. No AI was involved. Just a rules-based system applying gender and biographical filters to two teenagers. That same logic now sits inside AI tools landing in admissions offices and HR systems across higher ed, with one critical difference: AI does not eliminate human bias, it removes the human accountability that used to make bias correctable. In this episode of the Changing Higher Ed® podcast, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with Dr. Karen Panetta, Dean of Graduate Education for the School of Engineering at Tufts University and an IEEE Fellow. Panetta lays out a procurement framework presidents and boards can use to evaluate AI tools before signing a contract. She and McNaughton work through the four questions most vendors cannot answer, why IRB principles already give higher ed a working framework for AI, and what happens to graduate research when students ask AI for a unique contribution and accept whatever comes back. This conversation is especially relevant for institutional leaders making decisions about AI procurement, classroom adoption, and data governance who want a clear set of questions to ask before they buy and a clear standard for keeping humans accountable for the decisions AI tools are increasingly being asked to make. Topics Covered: The four procurement questions every h

Most business schools are still forming committees to figure out what to do about AI. Kogod School of Business at American University formed a committee, but far from the typical higher ed standards. Leadership gave it six weeks and a five-page limit, and used the recommendation to integrate AI into every department, major, and minor. Three years later, undergraduate enrollment is up 40%, applications are up 50%, and more than 90% of faculty are using AI in the classroom. In this episode of the Changing Higher Ed® podcast, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with returning guests David Marchick, Dean of the Kogod School of Business at American University, and Angela Virtu, Professor of IT and Analytics and Associate Director of Kogod's AI Institute, about how the school moved from a dean's instinct that AI would be big to a fully embedded, faculty-driven transformation that has redefined how business education is taught, assessed, and experienced by students. Marchick and Virtu walk through how they navigated shared governance at speed, leaned into 14 core course coordinators to spread adoption like wildfire, and built a culture where faculty are making stuff up, trying things, and pivoting when something doesn't work. Virtu explains how courses are being rebuilt from the ground up, with professors shifting from lecturers to coaches and students building real software for real clients. Marchick shares the enrollment and media results, including being named the first AI-first business school by Bloomberg Businessweek. This conversation is especially relevant for institutional leaders trying to figure out how to move on AI without blowing up their governance structures or losing faculty trust. Kogod's playbook worked within existing academic processes, and the results are measurable. Topics Covered: • How a conversation with a Google executive sparked the AI initiative before ChatGPT went mainstream <p class="MsoListParagraph" style= "text-indent: -.25in; mso-

AI adoption in higher education is moving faster than institutional change models were built to handle. Students are already using AI at high rates, while many institutions are still trying to decide where AI belongs, who should lead it, and how much change is required. In this episode of the Changing Higher Ed® podcast, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with Nikki Barua, serial entrepreneur and founder of FlipWork, about why higher education's traditional change management playbook will not work in the AI age. Drawing on her work with Fortune 500 companies and AI implementation, Barua explains why AI should be treated as institutional infrastructure, not an IT project. She discusses the growing gap between technology adoption and human readiness, why many AI pilots fail, and how institutions can move from slow, episodic transformation to shorter, people-centered reinvention cycles. This conversation is especially relevant for presidents, boards, provosts, CIOs, and senior leadership teams trying to prepare students, faculty, staff, and institutional systems for an AI-driven future. Topics Covered Why incremental change management cannot keep pace with AI How AI differs from previous technology disruptions like the internet and mobile Why AI should be treated as infrastructure across the institution What the AI readiness gap means for higher education leaders Why many AI pilots fail when organizations focus on tools instead of people How AI may reshape entry-level jobs and the graduate talent pipeline Why skills-based hiring is changing what students need from higher education How faculty roles may shift from content delivery to mentorship, ethics, and judgment <li data-section-id="

Scaling higher education is no longer a theoretical strategy. As the sector moves deeper into consolidation, institutional leaders need to confront whether their operating models, credential structures, partnerships, and delivery systems are built for the market ahead. In this episode of the Changing Higher Ed® podcast, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with Dr. Stephen Spinelli, President of Babson College, about how an entrepreneurial mindset can help higher education respond to consolidation, AI disruption, and changing learner expectations. Drawing from his experience as co-founder of Jiffy Lube International and president of one of the nation's leading entrepreneurship institutions, Spinelli explains why higher education's anti-scale culture has become a strategic problem. He argues that demand for learning is growing, but the sector's delivery model has not kept pace with what students, employers, and adult learners now need. The conversation covers how AI is changing the economics of small-unit, high-quality education, why credentials are likely to become more modular and measurable, and how partnerships with other institutions and industry will shape the next era of higher education. Spinelli also outlines why strategy must be tied to action, accountability, and institutional values that do not shift with every market signal. This episode is especially relevant for presidents, boards, and senior leaders working through questions of scale, consolidation, strategic partnerships, AI-enabled learning, and long-term institutional relevance. Topics Covered Why higher education is showing classic signs of market consolidation How anti-scale thinking limits institutional durability and adaptability Why demand for learning is growing while delivery models lag behind How agentic AI changes the economics of small-unit educatio

Civic preparedness in higher education can no longer be treated as an assumed byproduct of a college education. In this episode of the Changing Higher Ed® podcast, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with Raj Vinnakota, president of the Institute for Citizens & Scholars, about how colleges and universities can rebuild the civic skills students need to navigate disagreement, evaluate credible information, and solve problems across difference. Drawing on his work with college presidents, faculty, employers, and Gen Z leaders, Vinnakota explains why higher education has drifted too far toward a private-good narrative focused almost entirely on jobs and individual outcomes. He makes the case that institutions must also reclaim their public-good responsibility by preparing students to participate productively in civic life. The conversation also explores College Presidents for Civic Preparedness, or CP², a coalition of 135 college and university presidents working together to lower the political and institutional risk of leading civic preparedness work alone. Vinnakota explains why opt-in programming is not enough, why faculty need support to teach contentious issues, and why shared measurement is needed to move civic preparedness from rhetoric to campus-wide culture change. This conversation is especially relevant for presidents, boards, provosts, faculty leaders, and institutional teams working to strengthen civic learning, rebuild public trust, and prepare graduates for a more polarized and information-saturated world. Topics Covered: Why civic preparedness can no longer be assumed as a byproduct of college How higher education's public-good mission has been crowded out by short-term job-focused framing Why presidents who lead civic preparedness alone often face stakeholder pushback How CP² lowers institutional risk through a coalition of 135 college and u

International student enrollment in the United States reached record highs in 2024–2025, followed by a sharp and uneven decline heading into 2025–2026. While top-tier institutions continue to attract global talent, regional and private institutions are facing growing pressure as visa restrictions, geopolitical dynamics, and shifting perceptions of the U.S. reshape the enrollment landscape. In this episode of the Changing Higher Ed® podcast, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with Dr. Shaun Carver, Executive Director of UC Berkeley's International House, about how institutions must rethink international enrollment strategy in response to these structural changes. Drawing on more than two decades of experience in international education, Carver explains why the traditional model of bringing students to U.S. campuses is no longer sufficient—and what institutions can do to remain competitive. This conversation explores how global competition, parental decision-making, and policy shifts are influencing enrollment patterns, and why institutions must begin thinking beyond geographic boundaries to sustain international engagement. Topics Covered: Why international enrollment declines are impacting institutions unevenly How global brand strength influences student decision-making Why undergraduate international enrollment is more vulnerable than graduate programs The role of parental perception in international student recruitment Why universities are exploring global delivery models and partnerships How foreign governments are funding international campus expansion The broader economic and workforce impact of international students Why institutional leadership must advocate for international students Real-World Examples Discussed: UC Berkeley

Higher education's track record with technology change is uneven for a reason, and the reason is rarely the technology. It is whether leadership treats change management as a discipline that runs from planning through sustainment, or as a rollout activity bolted on at the end. In this episode of the Changing Higher Ed® podcast, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with Mike Toguchi, Chief Strategy Officer at Tectonic, about why technology projects in higher education succeed or fail on the strength of leadership behavior rather than tooling. Drawing on 23 years working with universities, nonprofits, and foundations, including Stanford and UC Davis, Toguchi explains how the institutions producing durable digital transformation engineer trust, governance, and adoption into the project from day one. He shares why faculty resistance is empirically calibrated rather than culturally driven, why pilots should be sized for honest failure rather than confirmation of decisions already made, and why boards need to fund and govern transformation as an operating model rather than a discrete project. Throughout the conversation, McNaughton draws on his own consulting experience to surface common failure patterns, including the double-process trap that destroys trust by leaving legacy systems running alongside new ones. This conversation is especially relevant for presidents, board members, CIOs, and senior leaders responsible for digital initiatives that span multiple departments and require sustained adoption across faculty, staff, and student-facing operations. Topics Covered: • Why change management belongs in the planning phase, not at rollout • The "trust as infrastructure" framework and how to design for it • Scalability versus departmental fiefdoms in institutional technology systems <p class="MsoListParagraph" style= "text-indent: -.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo

Most institutions offer experiential learning. Few deliver it. The gap between the claim and the outcome is structural, and closing it requires more than a better course design. In this episode of the Changing Higher Ed® podcast, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with Chris Crittenden, founder of Sandbox, a for-credit startup incubator operating at eight universities, about what it actually takes to produce the depth of learning that institutions advertise but rarely achieve. Drawing on his experience founding and selling a technology company to Walmart, leading the entrepreneur center at Brigham Young University, and building Sandbox across multiple institutions, Crittenden explains how credit consolidation, real stakes, and interdisciplinary structure create the conditions for genuine learning. He also addresses how an AI-powered oral examination system solves the assessment problem that has long undermined open-ended experiential programs, and how institutions can build a program like Sandbox without triggering a substantive accreditation review. This conversation is especially relevant for presidents, provosts, and academic leaders looking to close the gap between what their experiential learning programs claim to deliver and what they actually produce. Topics Covered: • Why most experiential learning is too shallow to produce genuine workforce capability • How credit consolidation creates the structural conditions for deep learning • The role of real stakes in developing professional skills that assignment deadlines cannot • How to build an interdisciplinary program from existing approved coursework without a curriculum overhaul • Why conventional milestone-based assessment undermines open-ended experiential learning, and

*]:pointer-events-auto scroll-mt-[calc(var(--header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]" dir="auto" data-turn-id= "request-WEB:10fa6b0c-40ea-4cf7-8ab6-3746009c82af-17" data-testid= "conversation-turn-36" data-scroll-anchor="true" data-turn= "assistant"> The One Big Beautiful Bill Act is changing higher education in ways many institutions still have not fully accounted for. Title IV loan limits change on July 1, 2026. Accreditation reform is next. Together, those developments are forcing institutions to confront graduate funding pressure, cost structure, program design, student demand, and the pace of institutional change. In this episode of the Changing Higher Ed® podcast, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with Dr. Andy Vaughn, President and CEO of Alliant International University and one of three higher education representatives on the 2025 Negotiated Rulemaking RISE Committee, about how OB3 is changing higher education and what institutions need to do now to keep up. In part 2, the focus shifts from federal policy itself to the larger institutional consequences of those changes and the kind of leadership response they now require. Drawing on his experience in higher education operations, institutional leadership, marketing, and negotiated rulemaking, Vaughn explains why graduate education faces the greatest immediate disruption under the new law, why private lending will not solve every student access problem, and why accreditation reform must be part of any serious affordability discussion. He also outlines Alliant's Project Evolve, a multi-part strategy designed to address funding access, innovation, differentiation, growth, and long-term sustainability. This episode is especially relevant for presidents, boards, cabinet leaders, enrollment leaders, and anyone responsible for strategic planning in a period when higher education can no longer afford to move slowly while the environment changes around it. Some of the Topics Covered: How the One Big Beautiful Bill Act is reshaping higher education beyond a typical policy cycle Why graduate and professional programs face the greatest immediate pressure What tighter loan limits mean for student access and pr

Higher education has spent years hearing that affordability, student debt, and public skepticism are putting pressure on colleges and universities. What is different now is that those pressures are shaping federal action in ways that will directly affect Title IV funding, graduate program financing, accreditation reform, and institutional decision-making before July 1, 2026. In this episode of the Changing Higher Ed® podcast, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with Dr. Andy Vaughn, President and CEO of Alliant University and one of three higher education representatives on the 2025 Negotiated Rulemaking RISE Committee, about what the latest Neg Reg signals for colleges and universities and why institutions that have not started preparing are already behind. Drawing on Vaughn's firsthand experience in federal rulemaking and Dr. McNaughton's strategic perspective on higher education leadership, this conversation examines why this round of Neg Reg is different from prior cycles, why the One Big Beautiful Bill changed the operating landscape, and why the next major pressure point is likely to be accreditation reform tied to cost and value. The discussion also explores what these changes mean for graduate programs, why institutions need to involve faculty early in redesign decisions, and how leaders should be thinking now about financing, delivery costs, and institutional relevance in a rapidly changing environment. This conversation is especially relevant for presidents, provosts, CFOs, trustees, graduate enrollment leaders, and others responsible for institutional planning, financial sustainability, and academic strategy in a time of federal change. Topics Covered: Why this Neg Reg is different from prior negotiated rulemaking cycles How the One Big Beautiful Bill changed the Title IV and regulatory landscape Why student debt is the political driver, but cost of delivery is the deeper issue Why the accreditation Neg Reg is likely to focus on cost, value, and specialty accreditors How graduate and professional programs may be affected by financing gaps <li data-start="1

New data from Lumina Foundation and Gallup's Aligning Education and Work: What Employers Say Higher Education Must Deliver shows that employers still value college degrees — but have serious concerns about whether graduates are ready to use them. In this episode of the Changing Higher Ed® podcast, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with Dr. Courtney Brown, Vice President of Impact and Planning and Chief Data and Research Officer at Lumina Foundation, about what 2,000 employers told Gallup about higher education, why public confidence in colleges has collapsed from 60% to one-third of Americans in a decade, and what institutional leaders must do about it. Brown also discusses Lumina's new national goal: 75% of Americans in the labor force holding a credential of economic value by 2040, up from a current baseline of 43%. Topics Covered: What the new employer data shows about degree value, skills readiness, and preparation gaps Why public confidence collapsed and which concern ranks first, second, and third among those losing faith Why current students report dramatically different experiences than the general public perceives The 43 million stopped-out Americans and why the system failed them Why today's students are not a nontraditional population to accommodate around the margins What Lumina's new credentials-of-value framework measures and why attainment without economic value is no longer sufficient Three Key Takeaways for Leadership: <ol class= "[li_&]:mb-0 [li_&]:mt-1 [li_&]:gap-1 [

AI in higher education is no longer just a technology issue. The larger question is whether colleges and universities will redesign learning so students develop judgment, critical thinking, and decision-making skills in a world where AI can already generate summaries, essays, and plausible answers on demand. In this episode of the Changing Higher Ed® podcast, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with France Hoang, Founder and CEO of BoodleBox, about how higher education leaders can think more clearly and more strategically about AI. Hoang explains why AI should be used to augment human capability rather than replace it, and why educators matter even more in a world where AI can get students only part of the way. Drawing on examples from the classroom and across campus operations, Hoang outlines how colleges can move from AI independent to AI enabled and eventually toward AI native models of learning and work. He also explains why colleges need to redesign assignments, rethink pedagogy, and focus more intentionally on the development of domain expertise, reflection, and higher-order thinking. This episode is especially relevant for presidents, provosts, boards, CIOs, and academic leaders who need to make decisions about teaching, student support, workforce preparation, and institutional implementation in an AI-enabled environment. Topics Covered Why AI is forcing higher education to rethink what students should learn when AI can already do much of the visible academic work Why AI often produces a B-minus answer and why domain expertise still matters How the loss of routine entry-level work may weaken the apprenticeship path for graduates Why colleges need to redesign assignments around judgment, application, and reflection How faculty can use simulations, case studies, and human-AI collaboration in the classroom What AI independent, AI enabled, and AI native mean for institutional strategy How AI can support advising, counseling, and career services without replacing human connection Why AI adoption is as much a training, culture, and change-management issue as it is a technology issue Real-World Examples Discussed A marketing course at Point Loma where students build an AI assistant from their own class notes and use it in case studies and simulations A writing program at Pikes Peak State College where students compare their own writing with AI-generated writing and reflect on the differences A reimagined history assignment

Jeff Dinski helped start Cold Pizza at ESPN, the morning show that eventually became First Take. On a daily show, ratings are everything. You either produce something people want to watch, or you do not last. He carried that discipline into edtech, and it is the lens through which he looks at higher education: are you really giving students what they need, or are you producing what is convenient for you? In this episode of the Changing Higher Ed® podcast, Dr. Drumm McNaughton and Jeff Dinski, Chief Strategy and Corporate Development Officer at Ellucian, the largest edtech company in the world serving roughly half of all U.S. colleges and universities, dig into the structural forces behind higher education's confidence crisis, what Workforce Pell Grants will actually change, and what institutional strategy has to look like from here. This conversation is especially relevant for presidents and boards who want a clear-eyed, outside-in read on what students are demanding, where the federal policy environment is heading, and which institutions are best positioned to adapt. Topics Covered: • Why the confidence crisis has bipartisan roots and why neither political party has done higher education any favors • Why student pathways are becoming individualized and what that means for program design and delivery • Real examples of institutions where undergraduates do actual corporate work, not fetch-coffee internships, as part of their degree programs • What Workforce Pell Grants will fund for the first time and which institutions are best positioned to benefit • Why the DBA vs. research PhD distinction matters for building workforce-aligned faculty pipelines • The Silicon Valley master's program model: tenured faculty for foundational content, industry adjuncts for advanced applied coursework • Why smaller private institutions f

Accreditation is often treated as a compliance cycle, but SACSCOC is signaling a faster-moving, more transparent operating posture that will affect how institutions plan change, document quality, and explain outcomes to the public. In this episode of the Changing Higher Ed® podcast, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with Dr. Stephen L. Pruitt, President of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), about substantive change reforms, standards revision planning, outcomes transparency, and what institutional leaders should be watching right now. Topics Covered Substantive change reforms approved in December, including eliminating more than half of existing categories, shifting others to presidential review, and reducing approval times to as little as one week Why SACSCOC is emphasizing student benefit as a decision lens for institutional change The vice president liaison model and how it supports institutional navigation of SACSCOC processes The planned three-member rapid response team concept and when it may be used Law or Lore and why written requirements versus institutional assumptions can create unnecessary friction Standards revision planning, including public drafts and how feedback is incorporated The dynamic public-facing dashboard planned for spring and what it may make more visible Torch Awards and how outcomes signals relate to public trust and accountability Workforce alignment, affordability pressure, and the pathways from high school through postsecondary to careers Credit transfer as a public trust issue and why it is often perceived as a money grab Serving working adults as a design requirement, not an add-on Real-World Examples Discussed Georgia film-industry growth and the need to stand up new majors and degrees quickly Gwinnett Tech's advising approach that helps students sequence coursework to earn certificates along the way Workforce shifts such as autono

Higher education's public trust problem is not something presidents can fix with better messaging. In this conversation, AAC&U President Dr. Lynn Pasquerella describes a structural squeeze on institutional independence that shows up as academic freedom fights, curriculum mandates, and growing skepticism about higher education's value. In episode 300 of the Changing Higher Ed® podcast, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with Dr. Pasquerella about why liberal education is often misunderstood, why academic freedom is inseparable from institutional autonomy, and why presidents and boards need to treat this moment as a governance and mission issue, not a temporary political cycle. Pasquerella explains how these pressures tend to escalate incrementally, why institutions lost control of the public narrative, and what it takes to rebuild credibility through community anchoring, transparency, and a renewed public-good case for higher education. This conversation is especially relevant for institutional leaders navigating legislative interference, polarized stakeholder environments, and the operational consequences of eroding trust. Topics Discussed Why academic freedom and institutional autonomy erode incrementally What Supreme Court precedent signals about academic freedom and university self-governance Why liberal education is about intellectual freedom, not partisan ideology How higher education lost the public narrative and why marketing is not the solution Moral distress and moral injury in the presidency under coercive mandates Belonging uncertainty, cognitive bandwidth, and the institutional impact of student wellbeing Community anchoring as the practical path to rebuilding trust How institutions can reimagine learning without abandoning rigor Real-World Examples Discussed Legislative interference that dictates curriculum and constrains shared governance. The closure of a college as a community-level loss, not only an institutional event. How belonging signals show up later as persistence, completion, and learning outcomes. Why transparency about tradeoffs affec

Free speech on campus is not an abstract constitutional issue—it's a governance challenge for presidents and boards. In this episode of the Changing Higher Ed® podcast, Dr. Drumm McNaughton is joined by Dr. Sean Stevens, Chief Research Advisor at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), to examine the current state of campus free speech and what institutional leaders must do to protect open inquiry under increasing political and social pressure. Drawing on FIRE's national research and campus speech databases, Stevens outlines the sharp rise in government-involved attempts to sanction speech, the growing prevalence of self-censorship among faculty and students, and the structural pressures reshaping intellectual life on U.S. campuses. The conversation moves beyond partisan framing and focuses on leadership responsibility: preserving disciplined pluralism, reinforcing institutional neutrality, and ensuring that students graduate prepared to engage competing ideas with rigor and intellectual humility. Some of the key topics covered in this episode include: The increase in campus speech sanction attempts involving government actors Faculty and student self-censorship trends and what the data reveals Why exposure to competing perspectives is an educational obligation Institutional neutrality as protection for viewpoint diversity The distinction between protected speech and prudent speech in the social media era Practical steps presidents and boards can take to strengthen expressive rights policies Three Takeaways for University Presidents and Boards: Defend expressive rights consistently—even when doing so is politically uncomfortable. Leadership credibility depends on principled application. Recognize that sustained political and social pressure can narrow intellectual culture—and counter that contraction intentionally. Preserve disciplined pluralism as a core academic value. Students must be able to hear, analyze, and argue competing perspectives without fear. This episode provides a strategic lens for higher education leaders navigating campus speech controversies while protecting the fundamental mission of scholarship and inquiry. Listen now or read the transcript: https://changinghighered.com/free-speech-in-higher-education-fire-on-institutional-integrity-and-mission/   #HigherEducation #FreeSpeech #CampusLeadership #AcademicFreedom #BoardGovernance #ChangingHigherEdPodcast

Higher education is under mounting pressure to prove its value. But the data institutions need to respond already exists — most are just not using it strategically. In this episode of the Changing Higher Ed® podcast, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with Melba Amissi, Chief Customer and Operations Officer at the National Student Clearinghouse, about how the Clearinghouse's cross-institutional data can help college presidents and boards navigate the accountability, affordability, and workforce alignment challenges reshaping higher education. Drawing on a career in financial services, fraud analytics, cybersecurity, and operational transformation, Amissi brings an outsider's perspective to higher ed — one grounded in measurable outcomes and data-driven decision-making. She and Dr. McNaughton explore why institutions must embrace non-linear student pathways, improve credit mobility, strengthen employer partnerships, and lead with transparency to maintain public trust and institutional viability. This conversation is especially relevant for institutional leaders grappling with how to demonstrate return on investment, serve the growing stop-out population, and align programs with workforce needs in a rapidly shifting political and economic landscape. Topics Covered: The National Student Clearinghouse's role beyond compliance reporting — as a strategic benchmarking and analytics resource Why 42 million ad

Agile change management in higher education is no longer optional. Institutions are navigating continuous disruption from AI, shifting student expectations, workforce pressures, and internal cultural resistance. The challenge leaders face is not how to implement change once, but how to build the institutional ability to adapt continuously. In this episode of the Changing Higher Ed® podcast, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with Dr. Christine Janssen Founder and CEO of Edstutia, an immersive learning company focused on adult learning, about why higher education must move from traditional change models to an agile, iterative approach to leadership, teaching, and institutional strategy. Drawing on her experience in both higher education and entrepreneurial environments, Janssen explains why institutions struggle when they treat change as a project rather than an operating condition. McNaughton and Janssen outline how agile thinking, faculty adaptation, and a willingness to experiment have become essential leadership capabilities for presidents, boards, and faculty alike. Some of the Topics Covered: · Why traditional change management models no longer match today's environment · How agile, iterative approaches help institutions adapt faster than governance cycles · Why AI is exposing weaknesses in traditional teaching and assessment methods · The role of faculty culture as both a barrier and a solution to meaningful change · Why preparing students for uncertainty requires faculty to be comfortable with it · How institutions risk becoming the "yellow cab" in a world expecting "Uber-level" responsiveness Real-World Examples Discussed: <p style= "margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.25in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3;" data-start="1688" data-e

In this episode of the Changing Higher Ed® podcast, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with Jeff Meade, Founding Director of the Every Quinnite is an Entrepreneur program at Paul Quinn College, about how the institution has embedded entrepreneurship into the operating model of the college itself. Rather than treating entrepreneurship as an elective or a business school track, Paul Quinn uses it as a structural solution to some of higher education's biggest challenges: workforce readiness, student engagement, institutional costs, and student debt. As one of only eight federally recognized work colleges in the United States, Paul Quinn requires all resident freshmen and sophomores to work on campus in meaningful operational roles. By junior and senior year, students transition into paid positions with corporate partners such as Southwest Airlines and Goldman Sachs. At the same time, every freshman completes a required entrepreneurship course during summer bridge, and students begin building and pitching real venture ideas that can receive seed funding from the college. Jeff explains how this model allows the college to lower tuition by redesigning its business structure, how corporate partnerships create a true workforce pipeline rather than traditional internships, and how entrepreneurship is used to teach students to become entrepreneurs of their own lives. This conversation is especially relevant for institutional leaders looking for practical ways to improve workforce readiness, reduce student debt, strengthen retention, and break down academic silos without adding new programs or increasing costs. Topics Covered: How the federal work college model changes both student engagement and institutional costs Why Paul Quinn lowered tuition by changing its operating model rather than increasing discounting How campus work transitions into paid corporate roles for juniors and seniors The required summer bridge entrepreneurship course for every freshman How student ventures are integrated into multiple academic disciplines The role of faculty leadership development through supervising student workers Why pa

Workforce readiness, hands-on learning, and flexible credentialing are no longer peripheral conversations in higher education. They are central to how institutions are being judged on value, relevance, and outcomes. In this episode of Changing Higher Ed podcast, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with Jarred McNeely, Provost and Chief Academic Officer at Sonoran Desert Institute, about how applied, skills-based education can be delivered beyond traditional campuses without sacrificing rigor or quality. McNeely shares how SDI redesigned hands-on instruction for distributed learners by moving labs into students' homes, rethinking assessment around demonstrated competence, and investing heavily in faculty training and support. The conversation explores what these approaches mean not just for trade and technical programs, but for institutions across higher education facing increasing pressure around cost, completion, and workforce alignment. This episode is especially relevant for presidents, provosts, and academic leaders evaluating how applied learning, credential flexibility, and faculty systems can evolve to meet today's student realities. Topics Covered Why hands-on learning does not require centralized labs How lab kits, video-based assessment, and staged progression support skill development What it takes to train and support faculty in distributed, applied programs How simulation and practicum models expand access without lowering standards Why stackable credentials better align with real career movement The role of critical thinking and problem identification in applied education Three Key Takeaways for Presidents and Boards Learning should be assessed by demonstrated competence, not physical presence Faculty training and support systems are the primary drivers of instructional quality <b

Empathy is easy to talk about and harder to practice when the pressure is high. In higher education, leaders are often navigating conflict, fatigue, and urgency, which is exactly when empathy gets misread as weakness instead of treated as a leadership competency. In this episode of the Changing Higher Ed® podcast, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with Dr. Laura Parson, Associate Professor at North Dakota State University and founder of The Empathy Classroom, about building empathy as a practical skill leaders can use without surrendering standards or authority. Parson breaks empathy down into usable behaviors, including perspective-taking, emotional self-management, and question framing that reduces defensiveness. The discussion also addresses "empathy light," when leaders perform empathy for external outcomes instead of practicing it authentically, and why that approach erodes trust. This conversation is especially relevant for institutional leaders who want stronger communication, better decision follow-through, and a healthier leadership culture in environments where people are stretched thin and reactions run hot. Some of the Topics Covered What empathy is as a competency and how it differs from sympathy Why empathy does not require agreement or abandoning standards How to reduce defensiveness through better questions and language choices Self-other distinction and why absorbing others' emotions accelerates burnout Mindfulness and emotional literacy as leadership tools "Empathy lite" and how performative empathy undermines trust How leaders can develop empathy through practice, role play, and scenario rehearsal Real-World Examples Discussed Reframing accusatory "why" questions into curiosity-based questions that invite explanation The "waves" metaphor for managing constant emotions as a senior leader without burning out An executive's post-meeting reset ritual to physically "shake off" emotional residue Using breath work or box breathing after emotionally charged interactions Three Key Takeaways for Higher Education Leade

In this episode of the Changing Higher Ed podcast, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with Dr. Dan Predoehl, assistant dean of Extended Learning and director of the Emeritus Institute at Saddleback College, one of the nation's highest-performing community colleges. The conversation focuses on why enrollment challenges persist even at strong institutions and how treating enrollment as a shared responsibility—rather than a system with clear executive ownership—creates fragmentation across admissions, student services, academics, and outcomes. Dr. Predoehl explains the Chief Enrollment Management Officer concept and why a cabinet-level role is increasingly necessary to align enrollment strategy with institutional mission, student success, and long-term viability. Drawing on experience across community colleges and four-year institutions, the discussion examines how enrollment, retention, completion, workforce alignment, and equity outcomes are shaped by leadership structure—not just tactics. Topics Covered: Why enrollment is a system, not a department How diffused responsibility undermines retention and completion The limits of presidential oversight without executive enrollment ownership How workforce alignment strengthens enrollment strategy Why open access increases the need for strategic focus The role faculty partnership plays in sustainable enrollment management Three Key Takeaways for Higher Education Leaders: Enrollment outcomes reflect system design, not individual office performance Retention, completion, and workforce alignment are core enrollment responsibilities <p data-start="1746" data-end="18

Institutional transformation in higher education is often described in broad terms. At Stevens Institute of Technology, Dr. Nariman Farvardin describes transformation in operational terms: disciplined strategic planning, academic realignment, and year-after-year execution systems that produced what Dr. Drumm McNaughton calls the Stevens Miracle. In this episode of the Changing Higher Ed podcast, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with Dr. Nariman Farvardin, President of Stevens Institute of Technology, about how Stevens achieved sustained success since he became president in 2011. Under Dr. Farvardin's leadership, undergraduate applications increased 294%, enrollment grew approximately 75%, research funding increased 199%, and the university invested more than $500 million in campus improvements. Stevens also reports first-year retention approaching 96%, graduation rates near 90%, and approximately 97% of graduates employed or in graduate school within six months. Dr. Farvardin explains the institutional "secret sauce" behind those results: an inclusive strategic planning process that builds ownership across faculty, staff, students, administrators, and trustees, paired with execution discipline that keeps the plan active through regular progress reporting, annual written results, and objectives letters that tie leadership goals directly to strategic priorities. He also walks through Stevens' academic realignment, including the SUCCESS curriculum, which ensures every student graduates with foundational exposure to five areas: artificial intelligence, quantum computing, biotechnology, sustainability, and data science. The discussion also covers student support structures that reinforce student experience and outcomes, including the first-year experience model delivered in 45–47 sections annually, with faculty serving as coaches for small groups of students. Topics Covered How Stevens used inclusive strategic planning to build campus-wide ownership and momentum Why execution systems matter more than a polished strategic plan document How Stevens keeps the strategic plan active through regular updates, annual reports, and objectives letters What the SUCCESS curriculum is and why it represents academic realignment, not a one-off initiative The five technology areas every Stevens graduate is exposed to through SUCCESS How the first-year experience course operates at scale and why it supports retention H

Higher education enters 2026 under conditions that are no longer hypothetical. In this 8th annual end-of-year episode of the Changing Higher Ed® podcast, Dr. Drumm McNaughton is joined by Tom Netting of TEN Government Strategies to review how the predictions made at the end of 2024 played out during the 2025 operating year and what those outcomes mean for institutional planning in 2026. Rather than offering speculative forecasts, this episode uses 2025 as a calibration year. When predictions materialize, they remove ambiguity. They clarify which pressures are structural, which risks persist, and which leadership assumptions are no longer defensible. For presidents, boards, and senior leadership teams preparing for 2026, this conversation provides a grounded planning context based on conditions already in motion. Topics Covered What 2025 confirmed about federal policy instability, accountability, cost pressure, enrollment volatility, and governance risk Why the Department of Education is likely to remain in place through 2026 and why its continued existence should not be mistaken for stability How redistribution of authority across federal agencies increases compliance complexity for institutions Where student loans are likely to move within the federal system and why institutions face growing exposure to borrower outcomes Why broad student debt forgiveness remains unlikely and what limited relief options may realistically emerge How accountability is shifting toward program-level scrutiny and the implications for academic realignment Why accreditation reform remains unsettled and why leaders should treat accreditation as a strategic risk factor Workforce Pell expansion, quality oversight challenges, and the risk of fraud and abuse in short-term credentials The growing role of states in accountability as federal capacity contracts Research funding as political leverage and the planning risk created by funding uncertainty <li data-start="2296" data-

In this episode of the Changing Higher Ed® podcast, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with Dr. Ashley Finley, Vice President of Research and Senior Advisor to the President at the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), about the findings of the 2025 AAC&U Employer Survey and what they reveal about employer expectations for higher education. Based on nearly 20 years of longitudinal research, the 2025 survey challenges many of the dominant public narratives about the value of college. Employers continue to express strong confidence in higher education, place equal importance on workforce preparation and citizenship, and increasingly emphasize adaptability, judgment, and civic capacity as core professional requirements. Dr. Finley explains how employers view civic skills as workplace competencies, why mindsets and dispositions are now baseline expectations rather than "soft skills," and how AI is reshaping what it means to be prepared for an uncertain future. The conversation also addresses generational differences among employers, the growing role of microcredentials, and why institutions must model the agility they expect from graduates. This episode is especially relevant for presidents, trustees, provosts, and senior leaders navigating political pressure, workforce alignment, and questions about institutional value. Topics Covered: What the 2025 AAC&U Employer Survey reveals that public narratives often miss Why employers see preparing informed citizens and a skilled workforce as inseparable goals How civic skills, including constructive disagreement, translate directly to workplace success Why motivation, resilience, initiative, and self-awareness are now baseline hiring expectations How employers think about AI readiness beyond simple tool proficiency Which student experiences increase hiring likelihood beyond internships How employers evaluate the credibility and value of microcredentials and certificates <li data-start="2288" dat

Higher education communication is no longer a marketing function. It is a strategic discipline shaped by political pressure, governance risk, and real-time public scrutiny. In this episode of the Changing Higher Ed® podcast, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with David Maffei, Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Americas at Staffbase, about how university presidents and boards must rethink how communication functions inside their institutions under today's crisis-driven conditions. Drawing on more than two decades of enterprise and higher education communications leadership, Maffei explains why internal communication now determines external credibility, why preparedness is the defining variable in crisis response, and how fragmented communication structures quietly undermine institutional trust. The discussion also explores how technology and AI amplify leadership discipline rather than replace it, and why presidential communication can no longer be delegated. This conversation is especially relevant for presidents, boards, and senior leadership teams navigating political pressure, public scrutiny, and rising expectations for transparency, alignment, and trust. Topics Covered Why internal communication now drives external brand credibility How crisis preparedness exposes governance strength or weakness Why internal notification must come before public announcements How political pressure reshapes presidential communication risk Why communication is now a core presidential competency The role of ego management in institutional leadership How siloed communication tools fracture institutional alignment Why unified board and presidential signaling protects credibility How technology and AI magnify leadership discipline Why communication is now embedded inside strategy, not downstream from it Three Takeaways for Higher Ed Leadership</h

Higher education is facing a growing disconnect between public perception and the realities of campus life. In this episode of the Changing Higher Ed® podcast, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with Peter Murphy Lewis, CNN political analyst, filmmaker, and director of People Worth Caring About, about how institutions can reclaim their narrative and rebuild trust through authentic human stories. This conversation is especially relevant for presidents, trustees, and senior leaders navigating public skepticism, political pressure, and communication environments where external voices often define higher education's story. Some of the Topics Covered The forces driving negative public narratives about higher education How political rhetoric and social media distort campus realities Why families respond more strongly to human stories than to data or institutional claims How student and faculty voices build credibility across audiences Ways to adapt a single story for parents, prospective students, legislators, and alumni The importance of short-form storytelling for modern communication channels The CARE framework (Confront, Amplify, Reshape, Evergreen) for building narrative strategy Real-World Examples Discussed How the documentary model helps institutions show their value through lived experience Using student and faculty stories to counter assumptions about campus culture Why a 45-second authentic clip can strengthen trust more than a polished statement How major industries changed public perception through narrative work (e.g., Formula One's "Drive to Survive") Three Takeaways for Higher Education Leaders Talk about the elephant in the room. Talk about it through a story — show, don't tell. Eat that elephan

Higher education leaders are being asked to innovate faster than their institutions are built to move. This episode of Changing Higher Ed explores how presidents and boards can change that. Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with Erika Liodice, Executive Director of the Alliance for Innovation and Transformation (AFIT), about how institutions can strengthen their innovation capacity through futures thinking, cross-sector insight, and structured team-based planning. Topics Covered: How futures thinking helps leaders anticipate demographic, workforce, and technology shifts Why innovation efforts fail without planning discipline and shared vision How AFIT institutions use cross-sector learning to improve student experience and operations What VR, AI, and immersive environments reveal about modernizing curriculum and applied learning How team-based learning accelerates decision-making and supports strategy execution Why a long-horizon strategy must be paired with near-term planning cycles How leaders can strengthen coordination across academic, student services, and operational units Three Key Takeaways for Higher Education Leadership: Presidents and boards must anchor innovation in a future-oriented view of trends—environmental scanning, demographic forecasting, and technology signals should shape planning decisions. Innovation succeeds when the right teams plan together. Cross-functional alignment and shared ownership accelerate execution and prevent fragmented efforts. Institutions should treat innovation as an operational discipline tied to strategy, not a series of isolated pilots. Clear priorities, resource pathways, and coordinated leadership are essential. Recommended For: Presidents, trustees, senior leadership teams, and academic and operational administrators responsible for strengthening institutional resilience, planning capacity, and innovation strategy. Read the transcript: https://changinghighered.com/innovation-in-higher-education-adapt-foresight-planning-afit/ #HigherEducation #InnovationInHigherEd #HigherEducationPodcast

Accreditation trends and expectations are shifting under rising accountability pressures, financial constraints, and increased scrutiny of student outcomes. This episode of the Changing Higher Ed® podcast features Maria Toyoda, President and CEO of the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC), in a strategic conversation with Dr. Drumm McNaughton about how institutions can strengthen accreditation readiness and support stronger student success. This episode is essential for presidents, provosts, trustees, and senior leaders responsible for accreditation, mission alignment, evidence systems, governance oversight, and long-term institutional resilience. Topics Covered How WSCUC evaluates institutional effectiveness, learning outcomes, and mission alignment The post-pandemic readiness gaps shaping student progression and support needs Program-level earnings, debt, default rates, and transparency expectations How institutional evidence must reflect the students served Financial pressures affecting academic quality, resource planning, and program viability Expectations for continuous improvement and documented assessment cycles The role of governance in sustaining accreditation and institutional credibility Real-World Examples Discussed The Key Indicator Dashboard and how program-level data informs institutional planning <li class="MsoNormal" style= "mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5i

Improving how teaching happens in the classroom is one of the most effective ways to increase student retention, stabilize tuition revenue, and strengthen institutional reputation—yet most universities don't manage it strategically. In this episode of Changing Higher Ed, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with David Gooblar, Associate Professor at the University of Iowa and author of The Missing Course, about how teaching quality has fallen outside institutional oversight and what presidents and boards can do to make it a core part of strategic leadership. They explore how governance structures, incentive systems, and faculty preparation create a blind spot that limits progress on student success. Gooblar and McNaughton outline what leadership can do to realign teaching, strategy, and accountability to improve learning and institutional performance. Topics Covered: Why first-year GPA, driven by classroom experience, predicts retention and completion. How tenure and incentive systems discourage teaching innovation. The leadership role in integrating pedagogy into strategic and financial planning. Practical ways to invest in teaching infrastructure and faculty capacity. How governing boards can hold institutions accountable for the conditions that enable great teaching. Why It Matters: When institutions manage teaching with the same rigor as finance and enrollment, they see measurable gains in persistence, lower cost per graduate, and stronger mission credibility. Teaching quality is not just a faculty concern—it's a leadership lever for institutional performance. Three Takeaways for University Presidents and Boards:

Free speech on college campuses has become one of higher education's most volatile and defining challenges. In this episode, Dr. Drumm McNaughton talks with Dr. Sean Stevens, Chief Research Advisor at FIRE—the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression—about findings from FIRE's newly released College Free Speech Rankings and the state of academic freedom, the growing political pressures on universities, and how presidents and boards can protect open dialogue in today's divided climate. Topics Covered: Why FIRE expanded its mission beyond higher education and no longer stands for "Foundation for Individual Rights in Education." How FIRE's College Free Speech Rankings and Scholars Under FIRE survey measure tolerance and academic freedom nationwide. What the data shows about declining political tolerance among students and faculty. How government pressure is influencing faculty terminations and speech policies. The role of leadership in maintaining consistent, transparent free speech policies. Examples from Vanderbilt and Dartmouth showing how structured dialogue programs improve campus discourse. Three Takeaways for University Presidents and Boards: Establish and Communicate Bright Lines – Define clear speech policies and enforce them consistently across all viewpoints. Stand Firm in Times of Controversy – Uphold principles of free expression even when political or donor pressure mounts. Promote Civic Dial

Host Dr. Drumm McNaughton welcomes Dr. Harrison Keller, president of the University of North Texas and former Texas commissioner of higher education. This episode of the Changing Higher Ed podcast helps higher education presidents, boards, and senior leaders rethink how to connect institutional mission with workforce readiness. It explores how institutions can better align employer partnerships, faculty innovation, and experiential learning to ensure graduates gain both economic and civic value from their degrees. Listeners will hear how the University of North Texas is translating statewide strategy into campus-level change—showing what's possible when leadership, faculty, and employers collaborate to strengthen outcomes for students and the workforce alike. Keller shares how Building a Talent Strong Texas redefined higher education's value proposition by tying attainment goals to time-to-value, graduate earnings, and measurable student outcomes. He also discusses UNT's Texas Talent Accelerator, faculty externships, and cross-campus structures that link curriculum, research, and employer engagement. Together, these efforts demonstrate how thoughtful strategy, data-informed planning, and shared governance can create lasting institutional and workforce impact. Topics Covered Measuring value through outcomes and earnings using time-to-value analysis Aligning programs with workforce needs through employer partnerships and data Texas Talent Accelerator: coordinated collaboration across institutions Faculty externships connecting academic insight and workforce practice Embedding civil dialogue and collaboration into student learning Three Key Takeaways for Leadership <li class="MsoNormal" style= "mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; t

At one of the smallest graduate schools in the nation, a system built to serve just over a hundred students is redefining how higher education can grow. CUNY's Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism has proven that scale isn't the key to enrollment stability—structure is. By integrating admissions, student affairs, career services, and alumni engagement into one cohesive unit, the school has created a holistic enrollment strategy and management model that continuously fills its pipeline while centering student success. In this episode of the Changing Higher Ed® podcast, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with Dr. Colleen Leigh, Assistant Dean of Enrollment Management and Student Success at CUNY Journalism, about how this model works—and how any institution can apply its principles. They discuss how cross-departmental collaboration, empathetic leadership, and data-informed decision-making can transform student outcomes, strengthen retention, and build lasting alumni engagement. Topics Covered How CUNY Journalism unified admissions, student affairs, career services, and alumni engagement under one leadership structure What makes holistic enrollment management more sustainable than traditional recruitment-focused models How shared accountability and communication strengthen belonging and retention The role of empathy and equity in leading institutional change <li class="MsoNormal" style= "color: black; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;

When every board discussion centers on deficits, deferred maintenance, or another "strategic realignment," higher education leaders start asking what it would take to fix the system instead of just managing decline. In this episode of the Changing Higher Ed® podcast, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with Beth Martin, President of Notre Dame de Namur University (NDNU), who led her institution through a complete financial and operational turnaround—eliminating institutional debt through strategic real estate use, risk planning, and sound financial governance. Martin's experience offers a rare look at what it takes to execute a true higher education turnaround. She shares how NDNU's leadership aligned governance, mission, and financial strategy to not only survive but rebuild a sustainable model focused on graduate and online growth. This conversation is especially relevant for presidents, trustees, CFOs, and institutional leaders facing financial strain, considering asset monetization, or preparing for large-scale organizational change. Topics Covered: How NDNU executed a debt-free turnaround through real estate strategy and risk planning Applying business planning and systems theory to higher education transformation Managing institutional debt while investing in academic and technological infrastructure Governance structures that enable speed, trust, and accountability during turnaround Aligning presidents, boards, and sponsoring orders in complex financial transactions Leading cultural and organizational change while maintaining mission and morale Real-World Examples Discussed: NDNU's 46-acre land transaction that retired institutional debt and funded new programs Sequencing real estate sales to support strategy instead of short-term survival Governance reform guided by a skills matrix and board-chair alignment Realigning academic program

Higher education institutions are increasingly at risk from cyberattacks that threaten enrollment, accreditation, financial aid compliance, and reputation. In this episode of the Changing Higher Ed® podcast, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with Brian Kelly, Chief Information Security Officer at Community Health Networks of Connecticut and former higher education CISO, about why cybersecurity must be treated as an enterprise risk—not just an IT issue. This conversation is especially relevant for presidents, trustees, and senior leaders who need to understand how cyber risk intersects with governance, strategic planning, crisis management, and accreditation readiness. Topics Covered: Why higher education is a prime target for cyberattacks How ransomware and data breaches disrupt core institutional functions The governance responsibilities of boards in overseeing cybersecurity Cyber implications for strategic planning and reputation management Why accreditation and compliance can be undermined by cyber breaches Protecting research and intellectual property from cyber threats Building a campus culture of shared cybersecurity responsibility The leadership succession gap in higher ed cybersecurity Core practices every institution should adopt during Cybersecurity Awareness Month Real-World Examples Discussed: Uni

Higher education institutions face strained budgets, declining enrollments, and shifting donor behavior—making fundraising a strategic priority, not just an operational function. In this episode of the Changing Higher Ed® podcast, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with Dr. Bill Crouch, CEO of BrightDot and former university president, about how presidents and boards can strengthen higher education fundraising by aligning it with strategic planning. Topics Covered: Why fundraising must be integrated into institutional strategic planning The shift from the 80/20 rule to today's 95/5 donor reality The concept of "mattership" and why donors need assurance that their lives matter Eagles vs. Sparrows as a framework for donor tiers Updating the Five I's of fundraising with creativity and emotional intelligence Why presidents should dedicate two hours a week to intentional donor cultivation How boards can become fundraising multipliers through accountability and "Perk Banks" The growing importance of local impact in donor decision-making Real-World Examples Discussed: A philanthropist redirecting gifts locally to ensure her contributions "mattered most" The researcher who cried after 16 years without ever being thanked for her role in million-dollar gifts A president telling his young faculty member, "You're asking today," in a milli

AI dashboards offer higher education boards the opportunity to boost performance to improve their institutions. In this episode of the Changing Higher Ed Podcast, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with Marc Huffman, CEO of OnBoard and eSCRIBE, about how AI dashboards provide trustees with better insight into board work and support more effective board governance. This conversation is especially relevant for presidents, trustees, and board professionals seeking to strengthen board readiness and make governance more data-informed. Topics Covered: How AI dashboards consolidate board materials and surface the most important information Methods for tracking progress against institutional strategy over multiple years Ways dashboards support board secretaries and committee chairs in managing follow-ups Why boards need AI use policies and trustee training to build digital literacy The coming role of predictive analytics and benchmarking in board planning Three Key Takeaways for Leadership: AI dashboards give boards better visibility into performance trends and unfinished business. Board composition and trustee development determine how well these tools are used. Governance policies for AI create a secure, ethical framework for decision support. <strong data-start="1440" data

Families are writing universities directly to ask if it's safe to send their children to the United States. Institutions are also facing longer visa backlogs and growing competition from abroad. In this episode of the Changing Higher Ed® podcast, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with Dr. Roger Douglas, Dean for International Programs and Development at St. Martin's University, about how leaders can strengthen international enrollment pipelines, improve retention, and protect graduate research capacity. Topics Covered: The 23-touchpoint recruitment model that keeps students and families engaged until they commit How graduate applicants often choose the first institution to deliver admissions and aid Families' growing concerns about campus safety and how institutions can respond Why outcome-driven marketing and peer-to-peer outreach build more trust than traditional tactics The effect of shrinking U.S. research funding on graduate student pipelines Retention strategies such as host family placements, faculty check-ins, and cultural immersion Three Key Takeaways for Leadership: Presidents and trustees should engage directly with international students to understand barriers and improve the climate. Retention investments—host families, advising, and cultural programming—are as critical as recruitment for revenue stability. Boards must integrate international enrollment into institutional strategy, requiring documented plans, outcome-based marketing, and active policy advocacy. Recommended For:  Presidents, trustees, enrollment leaders, and academic administrators responsible for sustaining institutional revenue, research, and reputation through international education. Read the transcript: https://changinghighered.com/international-student-recruiting-in-higher-education/</

This episode of the Changing Higher Ed® podcast focuses on enrollment management solutions presidents and boards can use to navigate the enrollment cliff. Bill Conley and Bob Massa of Enrollment Intelligence Now join Dr. Drumm McNaughton to share practical guidance on setting realistic enrollment goals, aligning enrollment with finance, and managing institutional risk. (Part one examined the challenges; this discussion turns to the solutions.) Topics Covered: Setting realistic enrollment goals using 3–5 years of funnel data Why inflated projections undermine trust with CFOs and boards Real-time dashboards and funnel monitoring for early intervention Mission-driven messaging and authentic student/alumni voices Balancing technology and AI with hospitality and personal interaction Enrollment management as part of long-term institutional risk planning Opportunities and risks of direct admission strategies Pipeline programs, community-based partnerships, and legal/political constraints Addressing the shrinking pipeline of experienced enrollment leaders Three Key Takeaways for Leadership: Moni

Institutions face converging pressures that are reshaping enrollment management. Declining participation rates, tuition discounting that erodes net revenue, international enrollment volatility, and political mandates are forcing colleges to rethink how they attract and retain students. Enrollment management is no longer just admissions and aid — it has become a strategic system linking recruitment promises to student success and institutional stability. In this episode of the Changing Higher Ed® podcast, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with Bill Conley and Bob Massa, Co-Founders of Enrollment Intelligence Now. They share how enrollment management has evolved over the past fifty years and why it now sits at the center of higher education's most pressing challenges. Topics Covered How shrinking pipelines and lower college-going rates are reshaping enrollment outcomes Why unsustainable discounting is undermining financial health The growing impact of alternative credentials and new competitors The ways international enrollment declines and political mandates compound the crisis Why enrollment management functions as an accountability system for institutions Real-World Insights The origins of enrollment management in the 1970s and how it spread Lessons from institutions that discounted themselves into financial instability How enrollment leaders balance institutional mission against market realities Key Takeaway Enrollment management has become higher education's strategic fulcrum — the point where mission and market realities meet, determining whether commitments to students translate into institutional sustainability. Recommended For: Presidents, provost

Caltech's board once had nearly 80 members; too many for focused discussion or quick decisions. In this episode of the Changing Higher Ed® podcast, Dr. Drumm McNaughton talks with Cathy Light, Caltech's Secretary of the Board, about how the institution streamlined governance, strengthened committees, and made trustee reorientation mandatory. Light, who has held senior roles at Carnegie Mellon University and the Semester at Sea program, outlines how Caltech conducts trustee assessments, structures its executive committee, and uses an ongoing governance review to keep the board working at its best. Topics Covered: Governance changes prompted by the pandemic Defining trustee responsibilities in 2025 Using the executive committee for responsive decision-making The role of the governance and nominating committee Trustee assessments and renewal decisions Making orientation and reorientation standard practice Maintaining strategic oversight without micromanaging Involving alumni and students without adding voting seats Real-World Examples: Reducing the board from 80 members to a manageable size Giving young alumni trustees full voting rights Using retreats and campus visits to connect trustees with faculty research Three Takeaways for Leadership: <ol data-

40% of California's licensed doctoral psychologists come from one university that nearly failed a decade ago. Their turnaround didn't come from diversifying programs or chasing enrollment—it came from making the hardest decision in higher ed: cutting what wasn't excellent. In this episode of the Changing Higher Ed® podcast, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with Andy Vaughn, President and CEO of Alliant International University, about how institutional leaders can drive university transformation by making tough calls, realigning programs, and embedding scalable mental health support into their core operations. Drawing from Alliant's strategic shift, Vaughn explains why program focus and transparent leadership are more effective than traditional diversification models. He shares how embedding mental health services into academic programs created both a market advantage and a support system for students, faculty, and staff. Topics Covered: Why eliminating underperforming programs can drive institutional transformation How program realignment strengthens financial stability and market positioning Embedding scalable mental health services into academic programs and operations The leadership imperative: transparency, inclusion, and decisive action Codifying organizational values to guide behavior and decision-making <a title= "Shared Governance and Managing faculty-administration relatio

With first-generation and low SES students facing steep barriers to completion and career entry, Great Jobs KC has built a replicable model that starts in high school, continues through college, and delivers real workforce outcomes. In this episode of the Changing Higher Ed® podcast, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with Great Jobs KC CEO Earl Martin Phalen about how regional collaboration, wraparound services, and employer partnerships are helping underserved students succeed beyond graduation. Phalen outlines how Great Jobs KC collaborates with 24 higher education institutions, over 150 employer partners, and K–12 feeder systems to support students from high school through college graduation and into strong first jobs. Through initiatives like KC Scholars and the Great Jobs KC scholarship, the organization provides $50,000 per student for tuition, transportation, and wraparound support—including case managers, success coaches, and career placement services. This episode offers practical, data-backed insights for institutional leaders working to improve retention, increase degree completion, and strengthen job placement results for underserved students through strategic regional partnerships. Topics Covered: The unique needs of first-generation and low SES students Designing holistic support systems that extend beyond financial aid How to build college-employer partnerships that deliver job outcomes Regional collaboration between 24 colleges and over 150 employers The role of scholar advocates and success coaches in student persistence How investing $50,000 per student can produce high ROI Measuring impact: retention, completion, and employment rates Real-World Examples Discussed: Great Jobs KC's partnership with regional colleges, including UMKC, Avila, William Jewell, and Donnelly College How the KC Scholars program helps high school students complete FAFSA, ACT prep, and college planning Employer partnership models, including apprenticeships, internships, and work-based learning The importance of wraparound services like transportation and mental health support in student success Scholar experiences navigating college with the help of l