ALP: The Admissions Leadership Podcast

Eva Blanco Masias , Vice President for Enrollment Management at Santa Clara University , shares her story, including how a significant national crisis 19 years ago led her to leave a highly successful career to jump into the admissions and enrollment world. Shout-outs Rod Skinner (and his mother, Mrs. Skinner) Mike Sexton Sandra Hayes Charlie Nolan Patrick Lorenzo Rapid Descent Walkout song :  Mi...

Ken shares four things to carry you into and through a Halloween/Nov. 1/pre-Election Day weekend. Full episode with new guests drops next week. Peak 1: The Keep Going Song a joyful ear worm Peak 2: "What's at Stake for College Admission in this Election?" by Angel Perez Peak 3:  "Election Stress Getting to You? 4 Ways to Keep Calm" Peak 4: Wild Geese by Mary Oliver The ALP...

Jenny Rickard , President and CEO of CommonApp , climbs a veritable mountain range on this episode of the ALP.  Learn about a journey that's part dream, part serendipity and all dedication as you hear Jenny share what she's learned along the way, and what has driven her from the start. Rapid Descent Walkout song :  While You See a Chance by Steve Winwood Best recent read : Lower Ed: The...

What do a growling beagle, Andrew Cuomo, the Green Bay Packers, shoe leather and good ideas have in common? Find out in this fun and wide-ranging interview with David Hawkins , Executive Director for Educational Content and Policy at the National Association for College Admission Counseling . Rapid Descent Walkout song : Total Football by Parquet Courts Best recent read : The Souls of Black Folk b...

Ken learns why dynamic kindness is more important than "success" in his chat with Corey Johnson , founder of Imagine Scholar , based in the Nkomazi region of Mpumalanga province, in South Africa. Imagine Scholar is "founded on the belief that there is an equal distribution of raw potential in every pocket of the world. Our mission is to equip young leaders with the integrity, skills...

Ken kicks off Season 3 with Rachelle Hernandez , Senior Vice Provost for Enrollment Management and Student Success at the University of Texas at Austin . Learn why you may be able to go fast alone, but you'll always go far together—a theme of this podcast—and how doing right by students will always mean doing right by your institution. Ken also learns that the last thing you need is a pen exp...

Ken chats with Maria Furtado , Executive Director of Colleges That Change Lives , which is dedicated to the advancement and support of a student-centered college search process. Maria shares the origin story of Admissions Aerobics (it's real and it's magic), as well as lessons she's learned along the way as a former director of admission herself. Special shout-out to Marty O'Co...

Ken chats with Darryl Uy , director of admission at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine. \In the episode Darryl illustrates the joys and advantages of being the director instead of the VP or dean, and how majoring in theater is the perfect prep for being an admission director. Rapid Descent Walkout song : Don't Give Up on Me by Andy Grammer and Broken & Beautiful by Kelly Clarkson Best recen...

Ken chats with—well—himself. No the quarantine isn't going that badly for him, but it seems like May 1 is a good day to pause and reflect on our previous expectations for—and now the new reality of—The Big Day. Shameless cross-promotion: Why Do We Do This? an article I published almost a year ago about the challenges and the gifts that come with the work of college admission counseling.  The...

Ken chats with Patrick O'Connor , associate dean of college counseling at Cranbrook Schools and author of College Is Yours 2.0: Preparing, Applying, and Paying For Colleges Perfect For You . A frequent publisher of articles in the Huffington Post and elsewhere, Patrick is a strong advocate for college access (he's the chair of the Michigan College Access Network) with a long record of wo...

Ken chats with Jennifer Delahunty , a self-described "accidental admissions officer, a humanoid and admissions gig worker. The former enrollment chief at Kenyon College and a perpetually gifted writer, Jennifer shares her views on how we can make the admissions world for students better than it is right now, and how our current disruption may be the perfect opportunity for nimble, creative, a...

Ken chats with Mary Beth Petrie , Dean of Admissions at Lawrence University (who works just two doors down from Ken). Beth reminds Ken what snowstorms can teach admissions folks about coping with pandemics, how to keep a team healthy in the midst of chaos, and, in an unusual twist, switches the typical ending of the ALP, much to Ken's surprise. Many thanks to Rick Bailey and Sam Waterson of R...

Ken chats with Tony Sarda , Director of Recruitment for Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas. Some are called to serve with a whisper, others with a boom of thunder... in the case of Tony, it was both. Learn about the importance of being open to grace, and giving grace... and why it's really hard to be whay you cannot see.  Rapid Descent Walkout song : Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood by San...

Ken chats with Jon Boeckenstedt , vice provost for enrollment at Oregon State University , and the mind behind Higher Ed Data Stories , a treasure trove of data-driven (and data-visualized) observations about the state of higher ed. Jon shares some views about his recent career move as well as surprises about his reading and writing habits, as well as the unusual upside of the imposter syndrome. S...

Ken learns why "leadership is motion" with Carmen Lopez , Executive Director of College Horizons , a national educational non-profit serving American Indian, Alaskan Native, and Hawaiian Native students in their transition to college and graduate school. Shout-outs & Links Claudio Sanchez's NPR story on College Horizons recorded at Lawrence University: How Native Students Can Su...

Ken chats with Akil Bello , founder of Bell Curves , who shares his views on higher ed and some news about a new professional adventure that fits perfectly with his leadership in matters around standardized testing. (And if you haven't read his writings on his website, Bellowings , you should give it a go.) Shout-outs & Links Akil's presentation on entrepreneurship at the Harlem Busi...

With 10 episodes in the books, we've come to the end of season one. (There will be a season two... coming soon.) There are many more guests lined up for next season, but if you have suggestions of folks you'd love to hear on the podcast, let me know via email or Twitter . In the meantime, if you're looking for walkout songs, you'll find the Admissions Leadership Playlist on App...

Ken chats with Emmi Harward , Executive Director at the Association of College Counselors in Independent Schools ( ACCIS ). Together they explore alternate universes (including one where Emmi is a Supreme Court justice/former U.S. President) as well as a pro tip for getting the first win of the day before you even get out of bed. Shout-outs & Links Terry Cowdrey , who hired Emmi into her first...

Ken chats with Liz Cheron , Assistant Vice President for Enrollment & Dean of Undergraduate Admissions at Northeastern University , and former chair of NACAC's Admission Practices Committee. Liz shares a ton of great insights, including integrating design thinking into work, mastery of 24-hour trips to the West Coast and back, and why "admissions leadership and motherhood are not mut...

Ken chats with Cornell LeSane , Vice President for Enrollment & Dean of Admissions at Allegheny College (Meadville, PA), and newly elected NACAC board director. We learn what a higher ed, a croquet match, and Downton Abbey have to do with each other, and also why you never turn around in racquetball. Shout-outs & Links Nancy Beane and Ellen Deitrich, who "voluntold" Cornell to ru...

Ken chats with Heath Einstein , Dean of Admission at TCU about his circuitous journey to his current role, and learns the power of working as hard in your personal life as you do in your work life. Shout-outs & Links Former George Washington U colleagues Rhonda Leshman and Rafi Blumenthal .   Jan Goldstein , formerly of Solomon Schechter in Long Island who referred him to his first counseling...

Ken chats with Suzanne Lepley , Interim Dean of Admission at Kalamazoo College , and learns the power of positivity and sweating out stress, as well as what cookies have to do with good interview questions. Shout-outs & Links Colleges That Change Lives —"Any group that works in higher ed together has more power than any individual institution for the betterment of higher education."...

Ken's all by himself at the ALP studio, getting ready for the NACAC conference... as well as what comes after the big vote at the conference. We'll have new episodes again after the conference, but for now, you can enjoy a few additions to the ALP media empire (he says ironically): ALP: The Admissions Leadership Playlist Walkout songs of all ALP guests are available on Apple Music and Sp...

Ken chats with Todd Rinehart , Vice Chancellor for Enrollment at the University of Denver , former chair of NACAC's Admission Practices Committee, and candidate for NACAC president. Shout-outs & Links Roger Campbell —Admission Dean Emeritus at University of Denver, and one of Todd's mentors. (passed away in 2009) Tom Willoughby —Vice Chancellor Emeritus at University of Denver and To...

Ken chats with Marie Bigham, founder and co-leader at ACCEPT: Admissions Community Cultivating Equity & Peace Today , and one of the masterminds behind Hack the Gates , whose goal is to "Radically Reimagine Admissions." Learn about the power of learning, listening, enjoying the ride—and also how Pearl Jam, Prince, Self-Care Sundays, and carrying a file folder confidently can make all...