IngenioUs

In this short audio reflection, Dr. Melissa Morriss-Olson shares the thinking behind her recent CHELIP essay, Why Innovation Fails: Reflections From Where I Sit . Drawing on her lived experience in senior leadership roles and her ongoing work with higher education leaders through IngenioUs , Dr. Morriss-Olson reflects on why innovation so often stalls—not because of bad ideas, but because of how i...

What does it mean to lead with authentic mission alignment in today's complex higher education landscape? Dr. Christina Clark, the eighth president of La Roche University, knows the answer intimately—because she's living it. In this conversation, Christina shares how growing up as an "army brat" in Alaska and the Philippines instilled in her the leadership fundamentals that guide her presidency to...

In this episode, David J. Staley reads his latest University Design essay, “Underemployment,” a timely and compelling examination of the rising underemployment of college graduates in the United States. Drawing on Peter Turchin’s framework of “eliteoverproduction,” national labor market data, and comparative insights from global economies, Staley explores the widening disconnect between higher edu...

What happens when a French literature professor becomes a university president for 15 years? Dr. Ann McElaney-Johnso n shares why creative courage matters more than we think, the power of saying yes to the unplanned, and why leaders must trust the spark even when the data isn't complete. In this powerful conversation, Ann McElaney-Johnson, President of Mount St. Mary's University in Los Angeles, r...

From a small Mississippi community during the civil rights movement to the chancellor's office at the University of Washington Tacoma, Dr. Sheila Edwards Lange' s leadership journey is a masterclass in authenticity, mentorship, andstaying true to your purpose. In this conversation, Dr. Lange opens up about the teachers and"aunties" who saw potential in her when she couldn't s...

In this episode, David J. Staley reads his latest University Design blog article for the Center for Higher Education Leadership and Innovative Practice (CHELIP). What does it really mean to attend a particular university? During the pandemic, one of Staley's students captured something essential: "I don't feel like I attend the Ohio State University." His frustration reveals a de...

Content Warning: This episode contains references to suicide and sexual assault within the context of student mental health and recovery. The discussion focuses on hope, resilience, and the impact of supportive relationships in higher education. What happens when a leader sees potential in people who've never seen it in themselves? In this deeply moving episode of IngenioUs, Dr. Kristin G. Est...

In this inspiring new episode, host Melissa Morriss-Olson sits down with Dr. Patty Lynott , President of RockfordUniversity, to explore how unwavering optimism and strategic risk-taking can transform both careers and institutions. What You'll Learn: How career setbacks can become unexpected launching pads for extraordinary growth. Why "hands-off" leadership often produces the most re...

What happens when an entire university could be run by a single academic, supported almost entirely by AI? In this provocative installment of his University Design column, David Staley explores the emerging concept of the “soloversity”—a higher education institution operated by one human professor with a network of AI agents handling teaching support, administration, research, and student services...

Join host Melissa Morriss-Olson for an inspiring conversation with Dr. Rhona C. Free , president of the University of Saint Joseph in West Hartford, Connecticut. As the first non-Catholic president of this Catholic institution founded by the Sisters of Mercy, Dr. Free has transformed USJ into what the Carnegie Foundation recently recognized as an "opportunity college"—one of only 16% of...

In this month’s University Design column, David Stale y explores the provocative idea of The Agentic Student . With AI agents increasingly embedded in our daily lives, what happens when students begin sending them to class—not just to take notes, but to participate, ask questions, and even take exams? Staley examines the possibilities and challenges of this emerging “representative education,” whe...

About This Episode Join host Melissa Morriss-Olson for an extraordinary conversation with Dr. Danielle Wilken, President of the University of Bridgeport, as she shares her remarkable journey from a 20-year career at Goodwin University to leading one of higher education's most compelling turnaround stories. This episode offers rare insights into transformational leadership, authentic communication,...

In this episode of the IngenioUs podcast, host Melissa Morriss-Olson sits down with Dr. Susana Rivera-Mills , president of Aurora University and the first Latina to lead the institution. Susana’s inspiring journey—from immigrating to the United States during the Salvadoran Civil War to becoming a transformative leader in higher education—offers a masterclass in resilience, authenticity, and purpos...

What if we told you that the most successful higher education leaders don't avoid chaos—they harness it? While others are paralyzed by uncertainty, these "chaos pilots" are transforming disruption into opportunity, setbacks into sidesteps, and ambiguity into innovation. In today's release—the fifth installment of Dr. Melissa Morriss-Olson's  IngenioUs Leadership  blog series—...

In this inspiring episode of IngenioUs , host Melissa Morriss-Olson speaks with Dr. Marcheta Evans , the 12th—and first African American—president of St. Catherine University in Minnesota. With warmth, wisdom, and conviction,Dr. Evans shares her extraordinary journey from humble beginnings in the segregated South to the highest levels of higher education leadership. Listeners will gain insight int...

In this inspiring episode of IngenioUs , host Dr. MelissaMorriss-Olson speaks with Eileen Moran Brown , founding president of Cambridge College , whose legacy in higher education is both bold and deeply human. With no blueprint but an unwavering belief in the potential of underservedlearners, Eileen built one of the most progressive and inclusive colleges in the country—long before terms like “acc...

What does it take to lead through waves of challenge, transformation, and deep institutional change—without losing your sense of purpose? In this week’s IngenioUs episode, I sit down with Dr. Sandra Harper , a seasoned and celebrated higher ed leader whose story is both refreshingly candid and deeply inspiring. Dr. Harper is a two-time university president, the first woman and first Catholic to le...

What does it take to build a new kind of university from the ground up—and lead it with both strategy and soul? In this powerful episode of IngenioUs , we sit down with Dr. Lori Carrell , Chancellor of the University of Minnesota Rochester (UMR), whose leadership journey is as courageous as it is unconventional. From her early days teaching in a remote Alaskan village to co-leading a national init...

In this powerful episode of IngenioUs , we sit down with Dr. Kate Smith , President of Rio Salado College— widely recognized as America’s OnlineCommunity College—for a deep and inspiring conversation about what it truly means to lead with both heart and fire. A lifelong educator who began her career in the classroom, Kate neverintended to become a college president. But as you'll hear, her journey...

Perpendicular Futures: A Footlights College In this imaginative and thought-provoking episode, futurist and historian Dr. David Staley reads his latest blog article , “Perpendicular Futures: A Footlights College.” Known for his boundary-pushing scenarios for the future of higher education, Staley offers a bold and unexpected vision: What if colleges used performance arts—like theater and show choi...

In this special mini-episode, Dr. Melissa Morriss-Olson takes listeners inside Chapter 6 of her book, IngenioUs Leadership: Creating Solutions to Wicked Problems in Higher Education. Through short, powerful audio clips from interviews with some of higher education’s most visionary leaders, Melissa illustrates seven leadership practices that unleash true innovation in today's dynamic and demanding...

In this inspiring episode of IngenioUs , host Melissa Morriss-Olson sits down with Dr. Elizabeth MacLeod Walls , the 14th—and only the second woman—president of Washington & Jefferson College. With over twodecades of leadership experience and a powerful personal story shaped by trailblazing women mentors, Dr. MacLeod Walls offers a compelling vision for the future of liberal arts education.  F...

What does it take to lead across sectors, clear hurdles, andcultivate possibility — not just for yourself, but for others? In this episode of IngenioUs , we sit down with Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, the first woman to serve as president of Augustana University in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, andthe first woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from her state. President Herseth Sandlin shar...

In his newest University Design blog post, futurist and higher education thought leader David J. Staley invites us to rethink the very foundation of undergraduate education: the major. Staley challenges the brittle, hyperspecialized approach that dominates college pathways today. Drawing from new research and emerging models like the Field of Study approach, he makes a compelling case for a more r...

In this week’s IngenioUs U episode, we sit down with Tracy Hartzler , President of Central New Mexico Community College (CNM) , to explore how values-based leadership, strategic foresight, and collaborative innovation are transforming the community college landscape. With a rich background in law, public policy, and finance,Tracy brings a distinctive lens to her role—one that is both deeply pragma...