The Higher Ed Geek Podcast

In this bonus episode recorded live at the Collegis Education DisruptED summit in Phoenix, we spoke with Phil Hill and Charlie Rose about the rapidly shifting higher education policy landscape and its implications for institutions. They unpack how recent federal actions—particularly new legislation and accelerated rulemaking—are creating both urgency and uncertainty, while also signaling a longer-...

In this week’s episode, Dustin speaks with Marshall McClung of Spark451 about insights from the latest Graduate Intenders Survey , exploring how prospective graduate students research, evaluate, and choose programs. The conversation highlights a clear shift toward more pragmatic decision-making, with students prioritizing return on investment, career outcomes, flexibility, and cost when considerin...

In this bonus episode recorded live at the Collegis Education DisruptED summit in Phoenix, we spoke with Denise Aberle-Cannata , Provost at the College of Western Idaho (CWI). They talk about building a student success model centered on the full student lifecycle—from inquiry through graduation and career placement. By mapping the student journey, the institution identified gaps and redesigned pro...

In this bonus episode recorded live at the Collegis Education DisruptED summit in Phoenix, we spoke with Nathan Grawe from Carleton College about the realities behind higher education’s enrollment decline and the looming demographic “cliff.” They explore how shifting birth rates and declining enrollment trends are creating real challenges—especially for tuition-dependent institutions—while also hi...

In this bonus episode recorded live at the Collegis Education DisruptED summit in Phoenix, we spoke with Michael Koskinen from St. John’s University about the evolving strategy behind online education and institutional growth. They discuss the challenges of expanding online programs in a competitive market, including shifting away from traditional OPM models toward more flexible, fee-for-service p...

In this kickoff episode recorded live at the Collegis Education DisruptED summit in Phoenix, we spoke with Dan Antonson and Jeff Certain from the Collegis team about the growing need for better data integration in higher education. They introduce “Connected Core,” a data platform designed to unify siloed systems and create a more complete, actionable view of the student journey.  The conversation...

In this special bonus episode recorded at the recent Illumia Momentum conference, we spoke with several attendees to get their immediate reflections and experiences from the event as it happened. They shared a variety of interesting perspectives on the work being done right now at institutions as they navigate ongoing digital transformation journeys.  Many thanks to everyone who spoke with us:  To...

In this final bonus episode recorded at the recent Illumia Momentum conference, we talked with Jennifer Chellew from Illumia about their rebrand, how they managed the transition, and the detailed process that went into to everything from choosing a name, choosing colors, to building consensus in a large community of stakeholders. Guest Name: Jennifer Chellew - SVP of Marketing at Illumia Guest Soc...

In this special bonus episode recorded at the recent Illumia Momentum conference, we chatted with Jeff Koziol from Allegion about the digital evolutions necessary for institutions to better manage campus security as well as align with current student preferences. Guest Name: Jeff Koziol, Business Development Manager, Allegion Guest Social: LinkedIn Guest Bio: Jeff Koziol works for Allegion as the...

In this special bonus episode recorded at the recent Illumia Momentum conference, we spoke with Maydee Ehster from Florida State University about how her and her team have been navigating regulatory changes as well as continued challenges balancing security and convenience for students. Guest Name: Maydee Ehster - Associate Director of Financial Systems at Florida State University Guest Social: Li...

For this episode, Dustin speaks with Kristen McMullen to explore how the “ Designing Your Life” framework is being embedded at the College of Charleston to help students navigate uncertainty, make intentional decisions, and align their education with their goals and values. Kristen explains how the design thinking approach—centered on curiosity, experimentation, and action—empowers students to pro...

In this special bonus episode recorded at the recent Illumia Momentum conference, we spoke with returning guest Alison Cove from USEFULL about her ever evolving (and award winning!) work enabling tech enabled sustainability efforts at institutions all over the country. Guest Name: Alison Cove, Founder and CEO, USEFULL Guest Social: LinkedIn Guest Bio: Alison Cove is the founder and CEO of USEFULL,...

In this special bonus episode recorded at the recent Illumia Momentum conference, we chatted with returning guest Don Smith from Illumia about his work with institutions as they modernize their campus payment systems. He shares his experiences with the movement toward digital wallets and how this cultural shift for institutions is well worth the effort. Guest Name: Don Smith -  Senior Vice Preside...

In this special bonus episode recorded at the recent Illumia Momentum conference, we talked with Laura Newell-McLaughlin from Illumia about the increased utilization of tuition payment alternatives like sponsor payments and payment plans; how we got here and what institutions need to do to continue to adapt in order to provide high quality experiences for their students. Guest Name: Laura Newell-M...

In this special bonus episode recorded at the recent Illumia Momentum conference, we spoke with Chris Setcos from Illumia to get his perspective on how institutions are grappling with increasingly complex digital infrastructure and tech stacks as well as strategies for successfully integrating these ecosystems. Guest Name: Chris Setcos - SVP of Partnerships at Illumia Guest Social: LinkedIn   Gues...

For this week’s episode, Dustin and Dr. Aviva Legatt from EdGenerative discuss how higher education must urgently and intentionally integrate AI into learning and strategy. Aviva highlights the risks of unstructured AI use, the need to balance AI skills with critical thinking and domain expertise, and the growing pressure on institutions to align with workforce demands. Ultimately, it’s a call for...

In this special bonus episode recorded at the recent Illumia Momentum conference, we sat down with Zach Tussing from Ellucian about his perspective on the importance of effective ERP integrations and how institutional IT leaders are navigating many different stages of modernization and digital transformation. Guest Name: Zach Tussing, Lead of Technology Partnerships, Ellucian Guest Social: LinkedI...

In this final episode recorded at SXSW EDU , Dustin chats with George Phillip (“GP”) LeBourdais, a fellow FOHE member and Head of Learning at Edvisor. AI . He details the work his team does enabling faculty members to be more effective and efficient with their efforts. GP also shares his perspective on how AI can have positive impacts on achieving greater equity in the classroom. Guest Name: Dr. G...

In this special episode recorded live on site at SXSW EDU , Dustin speaks with Ana Homayoun , executive functioning expert, author, and founder of Green Ivy Educational Consulting and Luminaria Learning. They catch up on things since her interview last year and explore the power of career exploration for young people to help them find postsecondary success. She also teases her forthcoming book, Ge...

In this special episode recorded live on site at SXSW EDU , Dustin chats with Tanner Jackson from ETS . He explains the ways his team integrates AI and why transparency is increasingly important for edtech companies to foster. Tanner also highlights the recently launched Center for Responsible AI that ETS created as a new resource for higher ed leaders. Guest Name: Dr. Tanner Jackson, Head of AI P...

In this special episode recorded live on site at SXSW EDU , Dustin chats with Greg Smith from Britebound about their recent rebrand and their expanding work helping young learners explore potential careers and the ways to navigate the postsecondary landscape. He highlights how his team’s work impacts higher ed during a time of increased scrutiny about value and relevance. Guest Name: Greg Smith, V...

In this episode recorded live on site at SXSW EDU , Dustin spoke with Ashley Beckner from Lemnis about their unique funding model that sits at the intersection of a variety of diverse stakeholders focused on enabling student success. She also provides context on their recent acquisition of InsideTrack and the vision Lemnis has for the future. Guest Name: Ashley Beckner, Managing Director, Lemnis C...

In this special episode recorded live on site at SXSW EDU , Dustin chats with Angelique Albert , CEO of the Native Forward Scholars Fund . She returns to the show after a handful of years to provide updates on her team’s work, the holistic support they provide Native students, and how they’re navigating this turbulent moment in higher ed. Guest Name: Angelique Albert - CEO at Native Forward Schola...

In this special episode recorded live on site at SXSW EDU , Dustin chats with Enyi Okebugwu from Imaginable Futures about his work creating effective support structures for student parents. He explains how states are leaning in here and why this work is becoming increasingly important for institutions to focus on. Guest Name: Enyi Okebugwu - Senior Program Manager at Imaginable Futures Guest Socia...

In this bonus episode recorded live at SXSW EDU , Dustin talked with Caroline Casagrande from VectorEDU about the impacts of an active year of federal policymaking. She also details how new public funding opportunities are poised to shape the future of higher education. Guest Name: Caroline Casagrande - CEO at VectorEDU Guest Social: LinkedIn Guest Bio: Caroline Casagrande is the founder of Vector...