Degrees of Impact

In the first of a two part series, the tables are turned. Chatham University President David Finegold interviews NACU President Sean Creighton . What was Sean doing before he came to NACU? What is his connection to the late Ernest Boyer? And why are they called the New American Colleges & Universities anyway? Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Degrees of Impact, where we explore innova...

Three colleges in Vermont founded the Green Mountain Higher Education Consortium to collaborate on economic and educational initiatives. Corinna Noelke, the consortium’s executive director, talks with us about how this has led to more than $20 million in savings by consolidating services and contracts in finance, human resources, and information technology.  Thank you for tuning in to this episode...

Guest Michael Horowitz founded The Community Solution (TCS) Education System so that colleges could collaborate on non-student facing functions and, therefore, have more resources to focus on teaching and advising students. He talks about this 'radical cooperation' and the barriers and longstanding beliefs that make it so rare in higher education. Thank you for tuning in to this episode...

Melinda Zook , history professor and director of Cornerstone Integrated Liberal Arts at Purdue University, initially set out to make sure that STEM majors were exposed to liberal arts courses. It resulted in a grant-funded program with a national reach. In this episode, she discusses the evolution of the program and its impact on undergraduate education. Thank you for tuning in to this episode of...

Mac McIntosh, VP for Information Services and CIO at the University of Richmond, talks about technology’s role in supporting new ways of teaching, learning, and working. He also covers threats in higher education, such as ransomware, and why collaborative conversations are so important.  Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Degrees of Impact, where we explore innovative ideas and the people...

Guest host David Staley of The Ohio State University and Dutcher LLC interviews Kevin Quigley, former president of Marlboro College, on mergers and acquisitions among colleges and universities. Quigley talks candidly about the merger process between Marlboro and Emerson College and gives advice on how to lead a campus through this process. Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Degrees of Impa...

The pandemic taught institutions that they can be flexible, and in fact, students and employees are better off when that happens. How can institutions continue providing a flexible, robust environment while maintaining financial strength? Dr. Jim Hundrieser , vice president for Consulting Services at the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO), talks about the pre...

Join us for a conversation with Maeve Adams , associate professor of English and director of digital arts and humanities, at Manhattan College. Dr. Adams, a scholar of 19th century literature, talks about how students apply literature to today’s current events, especially as it relates to protesting oppression and understanding our roles as political agents. Thank you for tuning in to this episode...

In a continuation of episode 12, we ask Nathan Grawe if the COVID-19 pandemic has distracted campuses or given them a push to examine new ways of operating and educating that will ultimately help them to overcome the demographic shift?  Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Degrees of Impact, where we explore innovative ideas and the people behind them in higher education. To learn more about...

In the first of a two-part episode we talk with Nathan Grawe , economics professor at Carleton College and author of Demographics and the Demand for Higher Education (John Hopkins University Press, 2018) and The Agile College (John Hopkins University Press, 2021). We focus primarily on his new book which looks at institutional strategies and tactics to thrive in an environment of shifting demograp...

For two decades, Mary Marcy has been thinking, writing, and speaking about the future of higher education. Her latest book, The Small College Imperative , is a must read for campuses. In this episode, we talk about improvements and ongoing challenges in higher education, her work as a college president for a decade, and what comes next in her journey. Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Deg...

Bryan Alexander speaks widely and publishes frequently, with articles appearing in the Atlantic Monthly, Chronicle of Higher Education, Wall Street Journal , and Washington Post to name a few. In our second episode with Bryan, we continue our conversation about the future of higher education and the book he is currently writing, Universities on Fire: Higher Education in the Age of Climate Crisis ,...

Bryan Alexander is an internationally known futurist, researcher, writer, speaker, consultant, and teacher, working in the field of higher education’s future. In this first episode, we discuss how he became a higher ed futurist and his critically acclaimed book, Academia Next: The Futures of Higher Education , a must-read that hit the shelves in 2020. Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Deg...

What is a citizen professional ? How must higher education prepare professionals differently? Why do professionals need to see themselves as citizens working with citizens and not on citizens? These questions and more are addressed in this interview with Harry Boyte , the leading scholar on the subject of citizen professionalism. His writings can be found at Academic.edu . Thank you for tuning in...

How has the pandemic as well as policy in the United States impacted global education for colleges and universities? What are new trends in delivering American education abroad? Karin Fischer , correspondent for The Chronicle of Higher Education and author of the weekly newsletter Latitudes , shares her perspective on global education in both a pre- and post-COVID era as well other topics of inter...

Out of the seven generations alive today, four are in the workforce. Generation Z, the latest to enter the higher ed workforce, may bring about lasting changes. We asked Corey Seemiller , leading expert and author of numerous books on Generation Z, for her insight. Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Degrees of Impact, where we explore innovative ideas and the people behind them in higher e...

While technologies are enabling disruption, do students understand how businesses are being transformed? We talked to Scott Allen , Reid Chair in Management at John Carroll University, about teaching students about the future of work and the importance of tech literacy.   Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Degrees of Impact, where we explore innovative ideas and the people behind them in h...

We talked to Paul Friga about efficiencies, growth, and collaboration. As we hoped, Paul is provocative and offers strong guidance for higher education leaders about the future. Information and resources mentioned in the interview can be found at ABC Insights . Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Degrees of Impact, where we explore innovative ideas and the people behind them in higher educa...

After a very successful 15-year run as the president of Nazareth College in Rochester, NY, Daan Braveman has retired. We asked him to reflect on his tenure as a revered leader, including what he loves about Naz. Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Degrees of Impact, where we explore innovative ideas and the people behind them in higher education. To learn more about NACU and our programs, v...

The 2019-20 academic year turned into one of the most unique in the history of higher education. We connect with Dan Lugo , new president at Queens University of Charlotte, about his first year experience leading through a crisis and his advice to the next cohort of new presidents. Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Degrees of Impact, where we explore innovative ideas and the people behind...

As higher education prepares to re-open for the fall, we spoke with Bob Bowman , director of Risk Management at The Wendy’s Company, about the mindset and approach needed for mitigating risk for returning to campus. Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Degrees of Impact, where we explore innovative ideas and the people behind them in higher education. To learn more about NACU and our program...