IngenioUs

In her latest IngenioUs blog post, Kristine Barnett asks us to think about how we can use our leadership roles and authority to help those around us navigate the change that is increasingly commonplace on nearly every college campus. A little support can go along way, suggests Barnett. Read more here.

When Bruce Springsteen took to the stage at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, MA last week, it wasn't just a concert; it was a masterclass in engagement. For over three hours, 'The Boss' had an entire stadium hanging on to every chord, every lyric, every story. As an educator watching this performance unfold, Melissa Morriss-Olson couldn’t help but wonder: What if teachers could replicate e...

In her latest IngenioUs blog article, Kristine Barnett asks us to consider the value of stepping away from time to time. Even in the busiest of seasons, an occasional break may be essential for your professional well-being. And there are ways to do this that make your re-entry less stressful, counsels Barnett.

In our final Season 4 episode, we speak with Dr. Melik Khoury about the remarkable reengineering he has led at Unity Environmental University . Khoury is an education entrepreneur whose blend of industry-disrupting vision, strategic financial planning, and managerial expertise has fostered sustainable growth in higher education for over 16 years. Under his leadership, Unity is beating the odds, gr...

Is your institution ready for all of the changes impacting online teaching and learning?  In this new IngenioUs Mini episode, we speak with Bay Path University Senior Director of Learning Design and Educational Technology, Dave Allen about the upcoming Leading Edge Thinking webinar he is facilitating on July 19 from 12 - 1:15 pm (EST). Joined by a panel of leading e-learning thinkers and leaders,...

At her presidential inauguration in 2018, North Park University president Mary Karsten Surridge referenced the nine men who served in the role before her noting that leadership at the institution had moved from bowties to neckties to pearls. As the first woman president of this urban faith-based university on Chicago's north side, Surridge's appointment is both historic and deeply personal. During...

In her latest IngenioUs blog article, Kristine Barnett asks us to reflect on how we are doing with delegation and leadership strength spotting and cultivating. According to Barnett, we are more likely to achieve great things institutionally when we can mentor our team members to be adaptable leaders who know how to respond to what is needed in the moment. As she concludes: "Teams and organiza...

With new student enrollment pressures on the rise, many college leaders are now looking at student retention as a critical means to ensure institutional health and viability not to mention student success.  Along with data-informed planning comes the need to build cross-campus partnerships with faculty, staff, students, and a wide span of college departments. Effective advising, the use of key tec...

In this episode, we speak with Randy Bass , Vice President, Strategic Education Initiatives and Professor of English at Georgetown University , and Ashley Finley, Vice President for Research and Senior Advisor to the President at the American Association of Colleges & Universities (AAC&U) about the course they co-teach at Georgetown: University as a Design Problem. This course approaches t...

No matter how seasoned you may be, this time of year can unmoor even the most balanced academic leaders. From last-minute requests to unanticipated campus conflicts and schedules that leave little time to breathe or think, this time of year can test the mettle of even the toughest among us. Do you have a plan for self-care to ensure you emerge on the other side with your resilience intact? Check o...

In this highly dynamic conversation, Bernard Bull shares his insights about everything from the importance of mission-informed innovation and understanding that innovation is not a one size fits all endeavor to building consensus and support for a new and creative effort, working through resistance to knowing when to move on, and what it takes to develop the mindset and capacity for educational in...

When Meredith Woo took over as the president of Sweet Briar College in 2017, the nonprofit Virginia women’s institution was seen as a troubled place. Alumnae had wrestled the college back from the brink of closure, but it still faced financial issues, resulting in a warning from its accreditor.  Understanding that there is no playbook for how to bring back a college from the brink of closure, Woo...

In her latest IngenioUs blog article, Kristine Barnett asks us to consider what leadership attributes and approaches do we look for in building our teams. As Barnett's article makes clear, 'getting the right people on our bus' can be critically impactful for our own leadership effectiveness. She shares her top list for what she looks for when she hires and promotes to leadership roles...

The challenges facing higher education are enormous. Some are known to us while others are not. For example, most higher ed leaders did not have the emergence of a global pandemic on their list of concerns even five years ago. And yet, a handful of futurists like David J. Staley did raise the possibility of a pandemic as something that higher education should be preparing for. What other significa...

More than four decades ago, the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology (MSPP) opened its doors to offer graduate education in psychology to students who wanted to make a real difference in their communities. Thanks to a postcard in the mail, MSPP was renamed William James College in 2015, after the father of modern, applied psychology and someone who embodied the roles of educator, innova...

In a recent New York Times piece, the writer asks a critically important question: Colleges have been an important small-town lifeline--what happens when they shrink? In their hot-off-the-shelf new book, Knowledge Towns: Colleges and Universities as Talent Magnets , David J. Staley and Dominic D.J. Endicott suggest that this current scenario is an opportunity for such institutions to rethink and r...

Widely recognized as one of higher ed's most innovative small college presidents, Michael Alexander is passionate about the value of the small college  experience.  Harboring a lifelong aspiration of becoming a small college president, Alexander landed his dream job as president of Lasell University (Newton, Ma) in 2007, following successful corporate careers, first in media and entertainment and...

We all make mistakes, every day, but do we take the time to reflect on what we might learn from those things that don't go as planned?  In this month's IngenioUs blog article , Kristine Barnett advises us to take a few moments to reflect on our most significant mistakes. How was it handled? What did you learn? What did you do as a result? What would you have done differently?  In many ca...

We’ve heard about the Great Resignation , but have we focused enough attention and strategy on the Great Retention and Reorganization? For transformational leaders in the higher education landscape, the great resignation affords institutions with something that they have traditionally lacked, namely, churn. While too much churn, or turnover, may be a cause of concern, transformational leaders can...

Now in his fourth year as president of Western New England University in Western Massachusetts, Dr. Robert E. Johnson brings to the role unusually wide-ranging leadership experience and an infectious entrepreneurial spirit and mindset. During our conversation, President Johnson shares his vision for ' A New Traditional University,'   as well as his thoughts about what colleges need to do to r...

In his latest IngenioUs blog article, David J. Staley offers that we are 'witnessing today a newly-emerging geopolitical reality that will doubtless define the future of the university in the United States.'  Citing William C. Kirby's latest book Empire of Ideas: Creating the Modern University from Germany to America to China (The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2022), Staley sugge...

Christina Royal made headlines when she was appointed as the first female, queer person of color president of Holyoke Community College in 2017. Dedicated to improving the world around her, she’s widely known as an innovator, challenge seeker, and problem solver.  Under her leadership, the college has embarked on bold plans, new initiatives, and innovative policies to continue its legacy of a...

One of the most exciting and impactful opportunities available to colleges and universities now is the rapid rise of remote and online learning through Metaversities - higher education in the Metaverse.  Join us for our upcoming Leading Edge Thinking in Higher Ed webinar on February 23rd at 12:00 noon ET to learn more about exactly what the Metaverse is and how college leaders are taking adva...

In her latest IngenioUs blog post, Kristine Barnett shares her favorite nuggets of advice that she has received from trusted mentors and seasoned leaders over the course of her career.  What are your favorite bits of advice? What is the advice that you find yourself sharing most often?  If you are listening on Spotify, you can weigh in via the question box.

Renowned educator, author, and Internet of Things pioneer, Sanjay Sarma has been at the center of many of the most significant teaching and learning innovations during the past several years.  As the Fred Fort Flowers and Daniel Fort Flowers professor of mechanical engineering at MIT, Sarma led the development of MIT Open Learning , serving as its first director, dean, and vice president (unt...