Next Practices

Higher education is under pressure to prove impact. But many institutions struggle with a different challenge: turning isolated wins into lasting momentum. In this Signals audio edition, we explore what the 2026 Student Success Impact Report reveals about the difference between quick wins and systems that keep producing results. We unpack why only 40–60% of student success initiatives lead to meas...

Technology implementation can shape how well colleges and universities support students, but the process is rarely as simple as choosing a platform and turning it on. Behind every successful deployment are questions about data, integration, trust, support, and whether the technology actually helps teams do their work better. In this episode, we talk with Linda Kucinski, business analyst and liaiso...

Higher education is being flooded with AI pitches. Agents. Automation. Efficiency at scale. But the question most demos skip is the one that determines whether any of it works: what is the agent actually acting on? In this Signals audio edition, we explore why the gap between automation and outcomes isn't a product feature — it's an intelligence problem. Drawing on Lawrence Technological Universit...

Building a student-ready college takes more than good intentions. It requires us to look honestly at the systems students are trying to navigate and ask whether those systems are helping them move forward or quietly creating barriers along the way. Our guest today is Dr. Michelle Nelson, Dean of Student Success at Macomb Community College in Michigan. She is a native Detroiter, the first in her fa...

Higher education has become remarkably resilient. Institutions have weathered enrollment declines, funding pressures, and years of disruption. But resilience has a limitation: it restores systems to their previous state. It doesn't necessarily improve them. In this Signals audio edition, we explore why the institutions making the most progress aren't focused on getting back to normal—they're askin...

Higher ed leaders talk a lot about student success, but the real work often happens in the spaces between departments. When academic affairs and student affairs operate separately, students can feel the gaps in everything from advising and course scheduling to basic needs support and completion pathways. This conversation looks at what can happen when those two sides of the institution stop workin...

Most retention conversations end when the numbers go up. But the real work often begins after institutions hit their goals. In this Signals audio edition, we explore what some researchers are calling higher education's "plateau era" — a moment where demographic pressure, funding constraints, and changing student behavior mean the easy retention gains are behind most institutions. Drawing from the...

Artificial intelligence is moving so quickly that it can feel hard to know what's useful, what's hype, and what's actually worth bringing into the work we do with students. But one of the most important questions may not be what AI can do. It may be whether it helps us create more meaningful human connection, or quietly pulls us further away from it. My guest today is Chadd Engel from Waubonsee Co...

Most buying conversations in higher education start with features. Dashboards. Alerts. Predictions. AI capabilities. But stronger evaluations ask a different question: Will this system actually help our institution coordinate action? In this audio edition of Signals, we explore why lasting impact depends on more than platform capabilities alone. Drawing from recent Inside Higher Ed and EDUCAUSE re...

Retention is often treated like a finish line, where you hit the number and move on. This conversation pushes back on that. When outcomes improve, the work doesn't settle down, it gets more precise. The obvious fixes are gone, and what's left takes more attention, better questions, and a willingness to keep testing things that aren't guaranteed to work. John Rindy, Assistant Vice President for Car...

Most implementations focus on reaching go-live. But the real test often begins after launch. In this Signals audio edition, we look at the handoff no one talks about: the space between what technology can do and what teams actually do with it. Through Lawrence Technological University's six-week Civitas Learning deployment story, we explore why speed matters, why structure matters more, and why pa...

This Signals edition — adapted for audio in the Next Practices feed — explores a question many institutions are facing: What does it actually take to sustain student success gains over time? Six years ago, Slippery Rock University was told that improving retention by a single percentage point wasn't realistic. This fall, they reached 86.4% — the highest in their history. The number matters. What's...

This Signals newsletter edition — adapted for audio in the Next Practices feed — explores a common challenge across higher education: If your teams can see risk, why does action still stall? Early-alert systems and predictive insights are now widespread. But visibility alone doesn't improve outcomes. When insight doesn't clarify what comes first, momentum fades. In this edition of Signals , we exa...

This Signals newsletter edition — adapted for audio in the Next Practices feed — explores a common challenge across higher education: If insight is clear, why doesn't action follow? Institutions have more data and analytics than ever. But when insight doesn't move cleanly across teams and systems, it stalls — losing urgency, clarity, and impact. In this edition of Signals, we examine why the real...

This Signals newsletter edition — adapted for audio in the Next Practices feed — explores a common challenge across higher education: If teams can see risk, why does action still stall? Early-alert tools are now widespread across campuses, but visibility alone doesn't improve outcomes. What matters is whether insight arrives early enough, with enough context, to help teams prioritize what to do ne...

This Signals newsletter edition — adapted for audio in the Next Practices feed — examines why alignment is the real lever behind student success. Drawing from Aesop's The Lion and the Mouse and insights from Slippery Rock University, we explore how responsiveness, trust, and partnership determine whether effort compounds or stalls.

What if AI could help student success teams act earlier, work smarter, and focus more on human connection—without requiring perfect data or adding more burden to already stretched staff? In this special bonus episode of Next Practices, we're sharing a recent conversation featuring Civitas Learning CEO Will Ballard on the Higher Ed Geek Podcast , hosted by Dustin Ramsdell . Will breaks down what in...

What if your advising system could see students not just as a collective, but as individuals with unique needs, goals, and challenges? At the University of North Dakota, that vision is becoming reality. In this conversation, we explore how a campus-wide transformation in student advising is already producing measurable success through rising retention rates, stronger relationships, and the power o...

Introducing new technology into an institution is only the first step. Ensuring that teams are fully prepared to use it in ways that align with strategic goals is where the real work begins. Strategic enablement is more than training users on where to click. It's equipping people to apply data and tools thoughtfully, effectively and consistently to support long term student success.  In this episo...

Across Purdue Global's virtual halls 38 000 students, nearly all of them working adults, log in after shifts and school runs, yet they are moving toward Purdue degrees faster because the university treats their lived experience as real academic currency. Dr. Frank Dooley, Chancellor Emeritus of Purdue Global, explained how his team built policies that convert military medic training, corporate lea...

Nothing beats seeing a student's confidence bloom when the right support team steps in. At Austin Community College, Dr. Giao Phan, Dean of the Public and Social Services Division; Kathy James, a nineteen-year advising veteran who now coordinates support across every campus; and Dr. Rania Salman, Assistant Department Chair and dedicated mentor in early childhood education, have turned collaboratio...

What if the programs designed to help students were actually making things worse or simply doing nothing at all? It's a question more institutions are asking as they confront the hard truth: not every initiative leads to better outcomes. This episode takes a closer look at the data behind student success and how colleges and universities can learn which efforts are truly making a difference. You'l...

When students need support, it often makes all the difference when help feels personal, not procedural. At Utah Valley University, Ryan Bailey, Director of the Student Success Center, and Jamie Muhlestein, Associate Director of Student Success and Support, have helped build an innovative program that brings recent graduates and upperclassmen into part-time professional roles, focused on reaching o...

When a simple check-in email leads to a 77 percent increase in student persistence, it's clear something powerful is happening. At Greenville Technical College, data is more than numbers on a dashboard. It's a way to connect, support, and transform student outcomes. What started as a pilot outreach project by a team of data analysts quickly became a catalyst for campus-wide change. In this episode...

Higher education stands at a crossroads. With growing public skepticism about the value of a college degree and mounting financial demands on both students and institutions, the need for bold, student-centered leadership has never been greater. Today, you'll hear from someone who has not only confronted these problems, but also turned them into possibilities for positive change. My guest, Dr. Nich...