ALP: The Admissions Leadership Podcast

In this episode of Coming Back to Ourselves , Ken Anselment sits down with Angel Pérez CEO of NACAC to explore how silence, solitude, and intentional time away can help leaders reconnect with themselves—and lead more effectively. Angel shares how a period of burnout early in his tenure led him to meditation, journaling, and solo time in nature. What began as a personal reset has become a core lead...

In this episode of Coming Back to Ourselves , Ken is joined by his longtime friend and creative partner, Brian Pertl —a musician, ethnomusicologist, didgeridooist, and practitioner of deep listening. Together, they explore the practice of deep listening, a concept developed by composer Pauline Oliveros , and what it means to truly pay attention to the world around us ... and within us. Through sto...

Springtime in admissionsland has a way of pulling us out of ourselves and making us more human doings than human beings.  In this opening episode of a special ALP miniseries— Coming Back to Ourselves —Ken is joined by mindfulness teacher (and former Lawrence statistics professor) Joy Jordan to explore a different way of moving through this season. Together, they talk about:  the idea of “microdosi...

For the Season 11 finale— the season's 11th episode—we go to 11, earning ourselves an "E" for some cussin' In the ALP's most meta-episode, two podcasters hit record and promptly turn the show into a show about conversation, consulting, and being human.  Emily Smith , VP of Partner Success at CollegeVine and host of the terrific podcast, The Vinedown with Emily Smith , join...

Chris George —Associate Vice President for Enrollment at St. Olaf College—brings joy, grit, and a runner’s curiosity to this conversation that has less to do with enrollment leadership than it does with living life fully. We trace his path from student life to directing financial aid on day one; how the Lawlor Summer Seminar jump-started a lifelong habit of building a board of experts; and why he...

Even though we've only known each other for less than two years, this episode feels like one between two old friends. The newly-minted Dr. Jen Gagne , Executive Director of Admissions at Colorado School of Mines , brings warmth and wit while digging into important stuff: pathways to thriving for queer-spectrum students, how she navigated being an internal candidate, why grad schools are struc...

Brian Troyer, Vice President for Enrollment Management at Marquette University,  joins the ALP for a conversation that explores the deep roots of Jesuit leadership and the lighthearted joys of life in Milwaukee, including: Marquette’s Gift of Time and why institutional rest matters. How the university discerned its move to test-optional admissions, grounded in archival research and mission alignme...

Candace Boeninger, Vice President for Enrollment Management at Ohio University, joins the ALP to share lessons from her journey into senior leadership, reflecting on her experience working with an executive coach and how it helped her navigate the transition to cabinet-level leadership, as well as her evolving understanding of power—and the responsibility that comes with it. Candace also shares he...

Rakin “Rock” Hall , Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Success at Ithaca College , brings a unique mix of reflection, humor, and leadership to The Admissions Leadership Podcast. In this wide-ranging conversation, Rock shares his take on the promise and perils of AI in higher education, why he's been creating short-form video reflections on leadership and life, and how his fi...

Phil Moreno —Associate Director of College Counseling at the Nueva School and Board Chair for the National Association for College Admission Counseling —joins this episode of The ALP to talk about what it means to lead leaders in challenging times, why gratitude and handwritten notes matter, and how he’s learned to “stay on the bike” while also carving out intentional moments of stillness and rene...

From a childhood “baseball club” in Boston to becoming a Dean of Admission at just 27, Thyra Briggs , Vice President for Admission and Financial Aid at Harvey Mudd College, has built a career defined by curiosity, courage, and care. In this episode, Thyra reflects on the role of baseball in her story—including a thoughtful gift from Ray Brown and why she’s known as “Aunt Bob”—and the way cover let...

Jeremy Lowe , Assistant Vice Provost for Undergraduate Admission at American University , has built his leadership style on lessons from three seemingly different places: the punk rock stage, long walks through D.C., and intentional pauses in the face of challenges. In this conversation, Jeremy shares how getting heckled and booed by 1,500 fans taught him resilience, how a 10-mile-a-day walking ha...

In this episode of The Admissions Leadership Podcast , Justin Rummel , Vice President for Enrollment at Susquehanna University , shares how his journey to the VP seat followed anything but the traditional path. With no background in admissions, Justin’s career has spanned state politics , federal financial aid policy , compliance and internal audit in both for-profit and non-profit institutions, a...

Lisa Keegan returns to the mic just as she prepares to step into her new role as the inaugural Vice Provost for Enrollment Strategy at William & Mary . With signature candor, humor, and heart, Lisa reflects on her five-year tenure at Bucknell University, where she helped build and elevate a leadership bench that is now stepping into her shoes. We explore the “liminal moment” of transition, how...

Have you ever caught yourself making an assumption about someone's capacity for success based on where they come from or the challenges they've faced? At this time of year, when many admissions offices are deep in application review, it seems fitting to pause and reflect on how assumptions can shape decisions. In this Peak Perspective, we hear a vignette from Laura Kaub, director of the...

Have you ever paused to consider the path you were on? Maybe that reflection led to affirmation, a definitive “Yes, this is the right direction.” Then again, maybe you sensed a quiet voice asking the question, “Are you sure this is the right direction?” In this Peak Perspective, we hear a story from Thom Golden, founder and CEO of Golden Educational Consulting, who found himself on the traditional...

Have you ever faced an opportunity that made you question your readiness, your abilities—even your worth? In this Peak Perspective, I share a story from Marie Bigham, founder of ACCEPT and IQID, who wrestled with self-doubt when she was invited to make a leap. What gave her the confidence to jump? (Original audio clip from Season 1, Episode 4 of the ALP ) It's from Chapter 8, "Living wit...

Have you ever made a decision so unexpected that it completely changed the course of your life? Welcome to Peak Perspectives , a short-form spinoff of the ALP, where I share insights and stories from my new book, Climbing the Admissions Leadership Peak . Chapter 10, "Embrace the Unexpected," shares the stories of six admissions leaders who did just that. Here I read the intro of that cha...

Season 10 kicks off with exciting news and an audible sneak preview. (And that, dear listener, is what folks in the business call a teaser.) The ALP is supported by Human Capital Education . Music arranged by Ryan Anselment

Nathan Ament and Teege Mettille are the creators and co-hosts of the hit podcast, The Admissions Directors Lunchcast . They share different versions of their podcast's origin while somehow enticing Ken to share how the ALP came to be. Also, there's a teaser hidden in the Rapid Descent that you might catch if you listen carefully. Special shout-out to a slew of Nathan's and Teege&apo...

(No, the other one.) What happens when two avowed GenXers record a podcast episode? From the host you get a bad reference to C+C Music Factory; from the guest you get helpful lessons on "how to vice president." Michael Keaton, VP for Enrollment Management at Ursinus College , sets the record straight on who was Michael Keaton first, how to leave things better than you found them, and why...

Carin Smith , domestic recruitment manager and Chicago regional representative for Beloit College (and a former member of Ken's team at Lawrence who helped him learn how to be an admissions director through a creative partnership she arranged), talks about how to lead without title, and the four reasons why this has been a deliberate choice she has made over her four decades in college admiss...

From the time he was a little boy, Jeff Blahnik always wanted to be "an attorney," but a moment of crisis halfway through law school changed his path. He's now the Vice President of Enrollment Management at the University of Oklahoma , and shares the secret of winning the job interview at OU, how "inspired hospitality" makes a flagship feel intimate, and how to establish y...

Angela Frazier , Vice President of Student Services at Waukesha County Technical College (the ALP's first guest two-year college enrollment leader and the first African-American leader in WCTC's 100-year history) shines a light on what people get wrong about two-year colleges; how WCTC has punched above its weight with recruitment and retention; and why she needs help with a walkout song...

Justin Draeger , President and CEO of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators , joins the ALP to share what colleagues in admissions, enrollment, student success, presidents' offices, etc. can do to support their financial aid colleagues, who are about to do 6 to 9 months of work in about 4 to 6 weeks. A deep thinker, reader, writer and speaker, Justin also shares a b...