Changing Higher Ed

Podcast Summary Dr. Drumm McNaughton interviews Ken Knueven, senior program director at the Charles Koch Foundation, about the various disruptors facing higher education and and what grantmakers are looking for in higher education transformation initiatives. Podcast Highlights Higher education is facing financial issues caused by a variety of disruptors. The pandemic accelerated these issues, forc...

Podcast Summary Dr. Drumm McNaughton interviews Dr. Ashley Finley, vice president of research and senior advisor to the president for the AAC&U, about how the workforce is changing and how higher education can play a part in this transformation. Podcast Highlights Employers consistently are looking for employees who have the competencies and skills created through a liberal education. Employers co...

Podcast Summary Dr. Drumm McNaughton interviews Dr. Dave Haney, the interim president of Hiram College, about the ongoing transformation of the college to serve the needs of students and key stakeholders in its region. Podcast Highlights Targeted marketing allows institutions to share their story with prospective students who would be a good fit. This increasingly is important as students are focu...

Podcast Overview Dr. Drumm McNaughton interviews Brian Kelly, Director of the Cybersecurity Program at Educause, about cyber risk management, and the increasing importance of including cybersecurity and cyber-hygiene in higher education's enterprise risk management program. Podcast Highlights Disruptions in cybersecurity are becoming more common as higher education institutions increasingly see th...

Podcast Summary Dr. Drumm McNaughton interviews Dr. Billy Hawkins, president of Talladega College, about how the pandemic has changed higher ed institutions and HBCUs in particular. Podcast Highlights When a crisis hits, prioritize students. Make strategic decisions and adaptions to keep students safe. By focusing on serving students during these difficult times through improving services and enha...

Podcast Summary Dr. Drumm McNaughton interviews Paul Friga, associate professor of strategy at the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and co-founder of ABC Insights, about how higher education leaders can strategically move their institutions forward as the pandemic eases. Podcast Highlights Higher education leaders have an opportunity to use the Ameri...

Dr. Drumm McNaughton interviews Dr. Meredith Woo, president of Sweet Briar College, about the Sweet Briar Miracle, the college's transformation using change management principles. Podcast Highlights Sweet Briar College faced a major uphill climb after alumnae successfully pushed back the board of trustees' decision to close the institution. The college had to find ways to address and change percei...

Dr. Drumm McNaughton interviews Rob Hartman, CFO at Columbia International University, about how the pandemic has changed higher ed institutions and CIU, and in many ways, for the better. Podcast Highlights A crisis or change effort can have unexpected positive outcomes. In the case of CIU, these outcomes include increased enrollment, endowment, and employee productivity. During a change effort, c...

Dr. Drumm McNaughton interviews Dr. Ted Mitchell, president of the American Council on Education, and former undersecretary of education for the Obama Administration, about what to expect from the Biden Administration and higher education policies. Sample Show Notes The Trump Administration and the Biden Administration both have tried to provide financial support to COVID relief to higher educatio...

Dr. Drumm McNaughton interviews Dr. Frank Rojas, COO at Los Angeles Pacific University, about myLAPU, an initiative that put their curriculum on students' smartphones. Sample Show Notes Three-fourths of students in online programs want to use their mobile devices to engage in coursework. However, only 13% have done so, which indicates a significant demand. MyLAPU was launched as a human-centered d...

Student loan debt is impacting millennials' a pressing topic as students graduate from higher education having significant debt. This podcast will feature Steve Ferguson and Jay Patel, who have developed a new way for students to pay off their debt in significantly less time than that currently takes. Drowning in Debt The cost of education has gone up in real dollars as per inflation, due to multi...

The COVID psychological impact on Higher Ed institutions is the topic of this Changing Higher Ed Podcast with host, Dr. Drumm Mc Naughton and guest, Dr. Tom Marrs. Under discussion is crisis recovery for higher education institutions that will continue to remain challenging as the fallout from the pandemic, including increasing economic issues, continue to emerge. Dr. Tom Marrs, is a licensed psyc...

Crisis recovery for higher education institutions remains at the top of the to-do list entering 2021.  The coronavirus pandemic continues to change the nation's higher education landscape, which includes 1700 private non-profit colleges. This podcast will feature Barbara Mistick, the president of National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities. Higher Ed's Crisis Recovery Continues T...

Higher education change management was critical in 2020 as college and university leaders dealt with crises brought on by COVID, and will remain so for 2021. This podcast features Dr. Drumm McNaughton and Deb Maue, and looks back at 2020 and predicts what 2021 has in store for higher ed. Overcoming 2020's Challenges through Change Management The year 2020 was completely unpredictable with crises s...

Strategic board leadership is an emerging paradigm of university governance that can help higher education institutions navigate the multiple challenges. This podcast will feature Henry Stoever, president of AGB. Changing Paradigm of University Governance Typically, higher education boards are made up of individuals who are appointed as trustees because they have made significant philanthropic con...

The results of the U.S. presidential election suggest that there will be a significant transformation in the way the nation is governed, even though the political divide in government will continue. This should have significant repercussions for education. Mike Goldstein, a distinguished higher education consultant and attorney, offers his insights on how the presidential election will alter the c...

  With the various factors (the pandemic, the recent election, social unrest, etc.) roiling the nation, reputation management and crisis management have never been more important in higher education.   Over the past six months, most institutions have managed to pivot their operations to deal with the pandemic. However, there probably will be more mergers in the future due to enrollment declines th...

As higher education institutions deal with the fallout caused by the coronavirus pandemic, they also are facing a critical challenge in maintaining student enrollment. Many leaders were already worried about the enrollment cliff, but the pandemic has accelerated this issue. Many students are changing their initial decision about college through not applying, deferring admission or transferring to...

COVID has accelerated the higher education model's day of reckoning so it has come faster than anyone ever expected. Colleges and universities have been facing this day of reckoning for at least five years; leaders knew that change was coming and many were focused on strategic thinking about these impending changes. However, the pandemic has forced the entire higher education business model (which...

The implementation of some of the latest higher education regulations is in limbo, thanks to the coronavirus pandemic. However, higher education institutions need to keep an eye on how decisions to move to online or digital courses will be governed by other regulations that are still in place. In addition, leaders need to analyze how the hiatus of some regulations could lead to unexpected impacts...

The coronavirus pandemic's tumultuous reach continues to upend higher education. This podcast looks at the disruption that has happened in the areas of scholarship, financial aid and fundraising. The podcast's guests are Keith Brown and Alania Cater. Brown is the assistant director for special awards part in the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Office of Student Financial Aid. He manages and main...

As higher education institutions face the multitude of challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic, many are also dealing with the challenges that go with a transition in leadership. The pandemic also has influenced these transitions, including the search process. This podcast features Dana Cohick, who is the president of RPA Inc. Executive Search, a firm that specializes in higher education presi...

The coronavirus pandemic has tested higher education leaders in unprecedented ways—and has upended the glacial pace of change at many institutions. The pandemic also is bringing changes in leadership. Many presidents are retiring or have said they will stay on for one more year to help the institution to move through this. This turnover means that many institutions have (or will have) new presiden...

Stress from the pandemic as well as other major societal issues is taking its toll on higher education institutions. The effects can be seen across college and university campuses as students, staff, faculty and leaders try to deal with rapidly changing circumstances. While students have access to counseling services, many higher education employees are feeling intense stress levels – and their jo...

The coronavirus pandemic and the previous Negotiated Rulemaking from Spring 2019 are driving new changes in the current and future regulatory process regarding higher education. Federal policymakers continue to extend guidance and develop new regulations in response to the pandemic. In addition, several new guidelines are coming on line that will affect higher education in areas including Title IX...