What happens when our faculty can’t even afford to live near campus? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, approximately 20% of faculty and staff at Middlebury College in Vermont commute across state lines because they can’t afford to live any closer. Across the country, we’re seeing this become a bigger and bigger issue. Real estate prices […]
Category: Blog
Will the Roe v. Wade reversal impact college enrollment in certain states?
Will the Roe v. Wade reversal impact college enrollment in certain states? Reported by ABC News, college discussion forums, including College Confidential and Reddit contain large volumes of discussions suggesting the Roe v. Wade decision may have an impact on a student’s college decision. These students are actively questioning whether they want to attend schools […]
Which groups of student stop-outs are we getting better at re-enrolling?
Which groups of student stop-outs are we getting better at re-enrolling? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, a new report from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center highlights a few categories of student types over-indexing on their return vs. the stop-out group. Specifically, students under 25 years old are the most likely to return % wise, […]
Michigan institutions fire hundreds of employees for non-compliance on vaccine mandates
Michigan institutions have fired hundreds of employees for non-compliance on vaccine mandates. Reported by Detroit News, Michigan State University alone has fired more than 500 employees, and between MSU and the University of Michigan, more than 2,750 students have had holds placed on their accounts, preventing them from enrolling in future courses until they provide […]
Should Al Roker be a part of your enrollment communications nurture?
Should Al Roker be a part of your enrollment communications nurture? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, SUNY Oswego alumnus Al Roker wrote a letter for prospective students in the communications schools’ enrollment sequence. This is part of SUNY Oswego’s “everyone’s involved” approach to enrollment, which challenges faculty and alumni to be as involved in admissions […]
Can coding alone save us?
Can coding alone save us? Reported by Protocol, while Coursera and other microcredential providers have focused hard on hard skills these past few years, Coursera’s most recent Global Skills Report shows that U.S. learners have started leaning back to human skills during the pandemic, including resilience, project management, decision-making and storytelling – much more so […]
Do our free college programs inherently target the middle class first?
Do our free college programs inherently target the middle class first? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, 57% of Exclesior Scholarship student families participating in New York State’s free college program had an annual household income of $70,000 or greater. Critics of this program believe that this is well-intentioned design that ignored the fact that the […]
Why is higher ed slow to adopt microcredentials?
Why is higher ed so slow to adopt microcredentials? Reported by Evolllution, Sheila Blanc from the University of Calgary believes it’s because we still don’t have a shared language to talk about our degree credentials, these microcredentials, and how they connect in a broader framework. The takeaway? How can we create this common language? And […]
Our online students are getting younger
Our online students are getting younger. Reported by Higher Ed Dive, a recent EducationDynamics report shows online students are younger and more likely to be working full-time than they were five years ago. Now, there’s likely a pandemic asterisk on this data for sure, but it also makes sense to believe this trend is likely […]

Was Clayton Christensen Wrong About Online Education?
powered by Sounder Fueled by the isolation of the pandemic, online education grew in importance. Over the past two years, higher education had a choice – halt lessons entirely or shift to remote education. These impending choices may have made the prediction of the late great Clayton Christensen seem all the more likely. Clayton Christensen […]

Adrian College’s Shared Services Approach to the Liberal Arts
powered by Sounder The business model of higher education is simply broken — even with great colleges, wonderful staff, and terrific students, the numbers simply don’t work for many liberal arts colleges. But how, then, can we fix the problem? Dr. Jeffrey Docking, President at Adrian College joins the podcast to discuss how the survival strategy […]
3 million more students left college with some credit but no credential
3 million more students left college with some credit but no credential. Reported by Inside Higher Ed, higher ed’s largest missional failure got larger the last few years, with the number of students dropping out of college before securing their credential raised from 36 million in 2019 to 39 million today. In many and most […]
Is it taking new generations longer to find good jobs?
Is it taking new generations longer to find good jobs? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, a new report by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce reminds us that while elder millennials didn’t reach economic self-sufficiency on average until their early 30s, this is a full half decade later than it took elder […]
Will colleges spend their COVID funds on mental health resources?
Will colleges spend their COVID funds on mental health resources? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, the U.S. Department of Education has been encouraging colleges to use their federal COVID relief funds, some of which are specifically earmarked to be spent on directly assisting students, on mental health resourcing. Pointing to initiatives such as the University […]
Will inflation drive the highest tuition spike since the Great Recession?
Will inflation drive the highest tuition spike since the Great Recession? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, many institutions are raising their tuition at the greatest rate since 2008 in response to a current inflation rate of 8.3%. This comes after two years of fairly minor tuition rate increases or even holds during pandemic years and […]
How to market our graduate degree programs to Gen Z?
How should we market our graduate degree programs to Gen Z? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, for Gen Z students considering graduate school, only 22% of them have raising their earning potential as their top priority. These students are looking for better career alignment. Bigger mission. Better purpose. And a full 45% of these Gen […]
Will Gen Z ever go back to full-time in-person?
Will Gen Z ever go back to full-time in-person? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, for the students who started their college or career experience during the pandemic, they may not have the nostalgia for full-time in-person? And we see that preferential difference in the data. With 1 in 4 college leaders stating they don’t plan […]
Lowe’s has expanded their debt-free college financing options for their employees
Lowe’s has expanded their debt-free college financing options for their employees. Reported by Higher Ed Dive, Lowe’s employees can now pursue more than 50 degrees and certificate programs from 23 institutions, including University of Arizona, Morehouse College, Paul Quinn College, and North Carolina A&T State University. Lowes will also cover all textbook and course fees […]
Do we need a next-generation Net Price Calculator?
Do we need a next-generation Net Price Calculator? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, an amendment to the Higher Ed Act in 2008 required all institutions to implement Net Price Calculators on their websites, designed to provide a more accurate cost estimate for prospective students. The problem is, the tool is only as powerful as the […]

How Nonprofits are Bridging the Gap Between High School and College
powered by Sounder Young students today face significant barriers to education and employment success, with so many of those barriers showing up for the first time in the student’s first 12 months in college. Mollie Waller, Executive Director at Youth Solutions, joins the podcast to discuss their Jobs of Michigan’s Graduates (JMG) program and its […]
Maryland will no longer require bachelor’s degrees for government jobs
Maryland will no longer require bachelor’s degrees for government jobs. Reported by Inside Higher Ed, in response to the state of Maryland finding difficulty filling their talent pipelines, they have removed all degree requirements from thousands of available jobs they no longer feel necessarily should require them. The takeaway? For many years, many employers found […]
What if student loans went away?
What if student loans went away? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, while a tentative White House plan is designed to forgive up to $10,000 in existing student debt per person, some critics question if this treats the symptom but not the problem that students may be incurring more student debt than their higher education helps […]
Is Coursera more likely to be a bolt-on to our degree programs, or their replacement?
Is Coursera more likely to be a bolt-on to our degree programs, or their replacement? Reported by EdSurge, with higher education enrollment down more than 5% over the last two years, some institutions are embedding Coursera entry-level credentials from Meta and IBM into their degree programs to help their students stand out, and make sure […]
Our students with higher student debt are less likely to value their education
Our students with higher student debt are less likely to value their education. Reported by Higher Ed Dive, a Federal Reserve Board survey shows a strong correlation between a student’s perception of higher ed’s value and whether or not they still carry student debt from their higher ed experience. In fact, students with outstanding debt […]

248: How the NCAA’s NIL Policy Will Impact Enrollment Growth
powered by Sounder For the first time, college athletes will have the right to use their name, image, and likeness for profit. But what makes the change so massive? Michelle Meyer, NIL Coordinator at San Diego State University and Founder at NIL Network joins the podcast to discuss: The economic & enrollment impact of the […]
Spring undergraduate enrollment was down 4.7% YOY
Spring undergraduate enrollment was down 4.7% YOY. Reported by Higher Ed Dive, higher ed’s negative enrollment trends continue with an even steeper decline than what we saw the past fall. Community colleges bore more than half of this enrollment decline brunt, with no institutional type reporting a positive story from the National Student Clearinghouse Research […]
Can these late spring mask mandates give us a preview of fall?
Can these late spring mask mandates give us a preview of fall? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, with just a few weeks left in the academic year, many institutions reinstated indoor mask mandates on their campuses due to the surge in positive coronavirus cases across the country. Which begs the question of what campus life […]
Will California colleges have to start revenue sharing with their athletes?
Will California colleges have to start revenue sharing with their athletes? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, this bill currently up for proposal would force institutions to take half their revenue earned from each sport and split it among the athletes, subtracting out the aid dollars those students receive. The takeaway? What are the macro effects […]
New federal program will subsidize monthly internet charges over $30 per month
A new federal program will subsidize monthly internet charges over $30 per month for lower-income families. Reported by Higher Ed Dive, new commitments from 20 internet service providers mean that 40% of American households will be eligible for internet access subsidies under the federal government’s $14.2 billion dollar Affordable Connectivity Program. The takeaway? While broadband […]
The University System of Georgia reduces faculty input on new presidential searches
The University System of Georgia reduces faculty input on new presidential searches. Reported by Higher Ed Dive, faculty will no longer chair presidential search committees nor be needed to comprise the majority of committee membership. Potentially designed to help avoid bottlenecking and roadblocking during the presidential search, these changes are sure to merely kick the […]
Will Coursera compete with higher ed or be embedded within it?
Will Coursera compete with higher ed or be embedded within it? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, Coursera’s new Career Academy allows participating institutions and employers access to enroll in entry-level certificate programs from partners like Meta and IBM in high-demand careers. The takeaway? Is the next evolution of traditional education to embed the alternative credentials […]
How did Stevens Tech grow 67% in a decade?
How did Stevens Tech grow 67% in a decade? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, this multi-prong strategy included heavily promoting their proximity to New York City, precollege programs in technology and business (which are free for underrepresented minority students), a strong focus on communicating ROI to prospects, and nearly 4xing their international graduate student enrollment […]

247: How Siena College Gets up to 90% Open Rates on their Prospective Email Communications
powered by Sounder What if you could get up to 90% open rates on your email communications to prospective students? Allison Turcio, Assistant Vice President for Enrollment and Marketing at Siena College joins the podcast to talk about the difference between merge field “personalization” and actually making your prospective student communications “personal.” How Enrollment Growth […]
45% of students are self-funding their education
45% of students are self-funding their education. Reported by Inside Higher Ed, this is an 8% increase from 2019 according to the College Ave Student Loans survey conducted by Barnes & Noble College Insights. The takeaway? If parents are becoming increasingly less willing or able to help fund their student’s college education, our students are […]
Is HR aligned with the rest of their company on the value of alternative credentials?
Is HR aligned with the rest of their company on the value of alternative credentials? Reported by EdSurge, new research from the Society for Human Resource Management suggests a disconnect, with 50% of executives claiming to place a high value on alternative credentials, while only 15% of HR professionals believe the same. But who’s right? […]

How Small Colleges Can Develop Win-Win Partnerships as an Enrollment Growth Strategy
powered by Sounder Are partnerships a small college’s secret weapon? Jayson Boyers, President of Rosemont College, explains how partnerships can help small schools increase enrollment and better serve their communities. He also discusses how to find “natural partners”, why smaller schools may find more scale with partnerships than other marketing strategies, and how the right […]
Did the pandemic help higher ed figure out tutoring?
Did the pandemic help higher ed figure out tutoring? Reported by EdSurge, while tutoring has been available at many campuses, it hasn’t always been “accessible”. You could walk over, perhaps to the library, and connect with a tutor on-call. But the odds of them familiar with the content and that specific course? Then the odds […]
Was Clayton Christensen wrong about online education?
Was Clayton Christensen wrong about online education? Reported by EdSurge, the late and brilliant Harvard professor famously predicted in 2011 that “50% of the 4,000 colleges and universities in the U.S. will be bankrupt in 10-15 years.” And while we’re not the whole way to the timing finish line yet, we sure can see it. […]
Will broadband access for our students cease being a political fight?
Will broadband access for our students cease being a political fight? Reported by The Brookings Institution, while last year’s Build Back Better bill suggests broad bipartisan approval and alignment for critical infrastructure work, broadband access for students was historically stuck in the political crosshairs. Perhaps because for this type of infrastructure, private companies would be […]

The Critical Nature of Crisis Communications
powered by Sounder We can keep our fingers crossed that we’ll avoid crises on our campuses. But not preparing for crises only ensures that when they come, we’ll manage them poorly and they’ll be even worse. Christy Jackson, Senior Director of Reputation Management and Communication, and Chris Gonyar, Director of Emergency Management at UNC Charlotte, […]
Is declining interest in the humanities a reason for our confusion on free speech issues?
Is declining interest in the humanities a reason for our confusion on free speech issues? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, there is an interesting correlation in a declining interest in our humanities degree programs and an increase in political polarization over the past 8 years. And while correlation should not be confused with causation, a […]
Even those within the Academy are confused by our financial aid process
Even those within the Academy are confused by our financial aid process. Reported by Inside Higher Ed, Duke University faculty director of their environmental leadership program, Rebecca Vidra, was surprised at how much more than the FAFSA there really was through seeing her daughter’s enrollment experience. They hit the FAFSA deadline. But they didn’t know […]
Should religious diversity be an active goal at our campuses?
Should religious diversity be an active goal at our campuses? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, it can be difficult for prospective students to understand how welcoming a particular institution might be to their particular faith. A new INSPIRES score, determining an institution’s Interfaith, Spiritual, Religious, and Secular Campus Climate Index, and developed by researchers at […]

Geoframing as Prospect Recruitment Strategy
powered by Sounder Can a targeted digital strategy like geoframing really help you get 30% more applications? Eric Grindley, CEO at Esquire Advertising, joins the podcast to talk about geoframing, a location-based audience building strategy that can help universities increase their application and enrollment rates. Let’s dig in. Geofencing vs. Geoframing? You can look at […]
Could we have a Metaversity with a metaverse-first modality?
Could we have a Metaversity with a metaverse-first modality? Reported by Fierce Education, while many universities are now online-only, could a Metaversity be in our future? Where virtual reality is the only access point? And if so, is this university more or less likely to be a spin off campus from a well known brand, […]
Chick-fil-A’s tuition benefits program is university-agnostic
Chick-fil-A’s tuition benefits program is university-agnostic. Reported by Higher Ed Dive, Chick-fil-A is committing $24 million for up-front tuition scholarships, at levels of $1,000, $2,500, and $25,000, eligible to employees with no length of service requirement. And unlike Starbucks, whose generous tuition benefits program is only accepted through Arizona State University, Chick-fil-A’s program is open […]
Can our online communities become as powerful as an in-person campus experience?
Can our online communities become as powerful as an in-person campus experience? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, while online learning can transform opportunity for those juggling many responsibilities and who are far from a physical campus location, our online students do have lower engagement and retention rates. WGU Labs is trying to build a solution […]
Will a $2,000 grant get Ohio drop-outs back into college?
Will a $2,000 grant get Ohio drop-outs back into college? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, Ohio’s Second Chance Grant program moved from pilot to permanent, allowing student stop-outs from public colleges and universities eligible for a $2,000 grant if they return to class within five years of stopping out. Aimed squarely at the 1.5 million […]
Will inflation send higher ed employees back to college?
Will inflation send higher ed employees back to college? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, salaries for higher ed professionals increased less than half of the inflation rate increase in the past year. This trend mirrors similar realities and their respective hiring and retention challenges employers are experiencing nationwide. The takeaway? Will our employees, in the […]
Tyson Foods will increase their tuition benefits to cover free college for all U.S. employees
Tyson Foods will increase their tuition benefits to cover free college for all U.S. employees. Reported by Higher Ed Dive, this expansion will include free tuition, books, and fees for 175 programs from more than 35 universities. These programs are largely focused on foundational priorities for the organization, including agriculture, supply chain and operations, and […]
Virtual reality vs. online education
Is virtual reality a step up from online education? Reported by EdSurge, a new study published by Educational Psychology Review showed that students who participated in an online field trip exploring climate science using virtual reality scored significantly better on both a test immediately after and later in the term compared to the student group […]
Evaluating the ROI on emergency grants
Can new data help us evaluate the ROI on emergency grants? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, a new report from Ithaka S+R shows a higher completion rate from Georgia State University students who received up to $2,500 to clear unpaid balances and stay enrolled for the term. These students also ended with an average of […]
How can we best teach to a diversity of learning speeds?
How can we best teach to a diversity of learning speeds? Reported by EdSurge, while we utilize grade level and prerequisites to try and create a fairly even academic level within each of our classrooms so we can best teach to the mean, have we ignored thinking about learning speeds? New learning science out of […]
Is a shared liberal arts college network the best path forward?
Is a shared liberal arts college network the best path forward? Reported by EdSurge, as many less selective liberal arts colleges across the country face difficult financial challenges about which 20 programs they need to cut to design a financially responsible way forward, is intelligent collaboration between other like institutions our best option here? Because […]
Can a tuition-optional college model work?
Can a tuition-optional college model work? Reported by EdSurge, Hope College is moving forward with piloting a pay-it-forward model where they “hope” (pun intended) their graduates who attend college tuition-free will become philanthropic partners and help pay for the next generation of students. This includes a non-binding “commitment” letter incoming students will sign signaling their […]

Advanced CRM Strategies in 2022
powered by Sounder Without a CRM, data is just dead facts. With a CRM, data comes to life. But a CRM is only as powerful as the data we feed it and the systems we connect it to. Lawrence Levy, Founder and President at Enrollment RX, joins the podcast to talk about getting beyond the […]
California students can afford tuition but not living in California
California students can afford tuition but not living in California. Reported by Inside Higher Ed, while public institutions in California are comparatively affordable to public institutions in less expensive states, for graduate student Anna Holman, housing accounts for 70% of her income earned as a teaching assistant at UC Santa Barbara. The takeaway? California students […]
Are bad rankings better than no rankings?
Are bad rankings better than no rankings? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, much has been said in attempt to dethrone the U.S. News & World Report college rankings from coveted status. Much has been said in defense of new metrics that can better and more objectively rank the impact colleges have on students when there, […]
What if high schools lose permission to teach AP courses?
What if high schools lose permission to teach AP courses? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, if a school were to ban the teaching of the concepts of evolution from their AP biology course for instance, AP may remove their authorization and the AP designation would even be removed from student transcripts who had taken the […]
Maine is piloting free community college
Maine is piloting free community college. Reported by WGME, eligible students must have a recent high school diploma, enroll full-time in an associate degree or one-year credential program, and be an active Maine resident. The takeaway? With the pandemic hurting our low-income students the most, and community college enrollment broadly down nationwide, will pilots like […]

242: Turn Information into Insights with Structured Data
powered by Sounder College presidents are sitting on a gold mine. They just don’t know it. Peter Shafer, EVP of Sales and Marketing at Everest Communications, joins the podcast to talk about the hidden value higher ed is sitting on because too many of us haven’t structured our unstructured data yet. We discussed: Creating admissions […]
Adidas launches first student-athlete affiliate network
Adidas launches the first student-athlete affiliate network. Reported by Higher Ed Dive, now that student-athletes can receive financial compensation off endorsement deals and other means, Adidas has built a widely open affiliate network for 50,000+ Division I athletes to get a revenue share from referring their social media followers toward Adidas purchases. The takeaway? Today, […]
GMAT throws away scores from 133 students
The GMAT has canceled the test scores of 133 students they believe to have cheated on its exam. Reported by Inside Higher Ed, many of these violations include proxy testing, where an individual takes the test for another student. Online testing options, made available during the pandemic, has likely made proxy cheating an easier option […]
60% of MBA programs provide students with a negative ROI
60% of MBA programs provide students with a negative ROI. Reported by Inside Higher Ed, a new study from The Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity shows that 60% of MBA students would have been better off financially having not entered the program. Whereas STEM degrees like master’s in computer science, engineering and nursing have […]
Will a new gainful employment proposal redefine federal aid?
Will a new gainful employment proposal redefine federal aid? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, this new proposal would cause institutions to lose access to federal financial aid if their graduating students enter the workforce with a lower starting salary than high school graduates in the state or too high a debt-to-earnings ratio. The takeaway? This […]
Coursera and EdX cut off all content from Russian university partners
Coursera and EdX have cut off all content from Russian university partners. Reported by Higher Ed Dive, both MOOC platforms have suspended all content coming from Russian universities or partners on their sites, citing humanitarian reasons following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Students already enrolled in courses with this content will have 90 days to complete […]
Tennessee is expanding on their grow-your-own educator pipeline
Tennessee is expanding on their grow-your-own educator pipeline. Reported by Higher Ed Dive, this includes HBCU Tennessee State University’s dual enrollment pathway for high school seniors, a new teaching apprenticeship program approved by the U.S. Department of Labor, and 65 total no-cost pathways designed to teach new teachers, including financial assistance for tuition, books and […]
Missouri’s colleges may become directly funded based on the incomes of their graduates
Missouri’s colleges may become directly funded based on the incomes of their graduates. Reported by Forbes, the proposed University Rewarding Workforce Readiness Act would provide Missouri’s public universities and community colleges with performance scores based on several indicators, the largest of which would be the average of annual earnings of students from six to ten […]

The Trend Line for Presidential Tenure in Higher Ed
powered by Sounder Presidential tenure is shortening. College presidents hired in 1975 served up to 39 years with an average of just over nine years of service. Those hired in 2005, however, served a maximum of 23 years with an average of a little under eight. Surprisingly, 75% of presidents are one and done. So […]
What Pace President Marvin Krislov learned from teaching a 101 class this year?
What did Pace University President Marvin Krislov learn from teaching a 101 class this year? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, a new sense of empathy was his primary takeaway. While teaching a 101 class was not a new exercise for Krislov, the behaviors of his students was markedly different this year. Often through non-academic challenges, […]
Should institutions be on the hook for their students’ college loans?
Should institutions be on the hook for their students’ college loans? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, the U.S. Department of Education announced a new policy that would hold the entities behind private institutions financially accountable for their students who experience poor outcomes. The premise? If we believe in the education we’re providing our students – […]
What if our best faculty taught our students’ first classes?
Are too many students not meeting our best professors until their 3rd and 4th years? What if our best faculty taught our students’ first classes? Because many of our most talented faculty love working with our upper-level students on more advanced work. But perhaps we’re thinking about the sequence of operations wrong? Perhaps we need […]

240: What Would Radical Simplification Look Like in Higher Ed?
powered by Sounder Higher education has this well-intentioned habit of adding “good” things but never subtracting anything to make room for doing it well. Perhaps it’s time to get back to the root of our mission? But how? Dr. Robert Talbert, Author, Professor, and Presidential Fellow for the Advancement of Learning at Grand Valley State […]
Only 60% of college students out-earn high school graduates 10 years later
Only 60% of college students out-earn high school graduates 10 years later. Reported by Higher Ed Dive, a 50% mark would suggest there is no difference in economic outcomes between going to college and not. So at 60%, this ROI report from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce is convicting and appalling. […]
Coursera continues to add degree programs to their catalog
Coursera continues to add degree programs to their catalog. Reported by Higher Ed Dive, while Coursera may be best known for their MOOCs and recent certificate partnerships with Google, they also launched 13 degree programs this past year, bringing their total, in partnership with other colleges, to 38. With half of these degree students reportedly […]
Do our public institutions have an ROI advantage?
Do public institutions have an ROI advantage? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, a new study from the Bipartisan Policy Center shows that 96.3% of public institutions provide students with a positive median return on investment vs. only 89.5% of private nonprofits. The takeaway? This is simply one metric. Public institution ROI includes state subsidies that […]
Direct admission pilot increased Idaho colleges’ enrollment by 8%
A direct admission pilot increased Idaho colleges’ enrollment by 8%. Reported by Higher Ed Dive, in response to a 2010 study showing Idaho had the lowest rate of college attendance out of any state, with only 45% of high school graduates enrolling directly into college, the state began offering a direct admissions system into state […]
Will Google’s $100 million dollar bet on certificates help supplant bootcamps?
Will Google’s $100 million dollar bet on certificates help supplant bootcamps? Reported by Inc.com, Google CEO Sundar Pichai recently announced a $100 million Google Career Certificates fund, which will fund additional services like career coaching, living stipends and job placement support through income share-like agreement (ISA) programs run by non-profit Social Finance. Today, Google’s certificate […]
Can AR courses give our students better real-world experiences?
Can AR courses give our students better real-world experiences? Reported by Knowledge@Wharton, students at The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania utilize game-based virtual scenarios to engage in real-life business scenarios, stress included. The pedagogy is designed to insert students into a choose-your-own-adventure scenario to provide as near a real-world scenario as possible and […]
Forget the cyber attacks, we may not even be able to afford the cyber insurance
Forget the cyber attacks, we may not even be able to afford the cyber insurance. Reported by Campus Technology, the wild growth in higher ed cyberattacks and ransomware payouts last year have started to hit our insurance premiums. And therefore, these insurers are the ones insisting we update our network security so they’re not backing […]

239: An Ungrading Experiment at Grand Valley State University
powered by Sounder Bosses don’t give grades, but we constantly receive helpful feedback from them. How can higher ed better align its feedback mechanisms with real-world settings? Dr. David Clark, Associate Professor of Mathematics at Grand Valley State University, joins the podcast to discuss the findings from his recent ungrading experiment and why he believes […]
Do we have the infrastructure to support our increasingly remote institutions?
Do we have the infrastructure to support our increasingly remote institutions? Reported by eCampus News, the higher ed workforce became permanently altered during the pandemic, with many institutions at least much more location-flexible with their workforce than they had been prior. But how does this hybrid reality impact our infrastructure? Do we have the IT […]
Is the magic of online instruction in how it can connect our students?
Is the magic of online instruction in how it can connect our students? Reported by The Brookings Institution, chat may have been the best thing to happen to the classroom. Rather than sitting passively and listening to an instructor speak, what we saw during the pandemic was the chat functionality becoming the live public square […]
MIT cuts ties with Russian partner institute
MIT is cutting ties with their Russian partner institution. Reported by Higher Ed Dive, MIT has ended their relationship with Skoltech, the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology. Despite being a key member of the institution’s founding, MIT’s actions are a result of “unacceptable military actions by Russia”. The takeaway? Politically, certain congresspersons have suggested […]
What if employers stop asking for degrees?
What if employers stop asking for degrees? Reported by Inc.com, labor market changes during the pandemic forced employers to be more flexible in their hiring practices. And one of those flex points? The bachelor’s degree requirement. At least for the present moment, the degree has been deflated, with employers desperate to hire high-skill workers even […]
Our student fathers aren’t finishing
Our student fathers aren’t finishing. Reported by The Hechinger Report, 61% of student fathers are dropping out of college with some credit and no credential, a full 13 points fewer than the 48% completion rate of student mothers. For single Black and Latino fathers, this drop-out rate is even higher, at 70%. When you need […]

238: Western Governors University Brings Skills & Labor Focus to New Program Developmen
powered by Sounder How can higher ed be sure that its programs are delivering the skills employers and students want? Joann Kozyrev, Vice President of Design and Development at Western Governors University (WGU), joins the podcast to talk about taking a skills-based approach to program development. A new program development approach for an increasingly skeptical […]
Recalling students from Russia and Ukraine
What about our students studying abroad in Russia and Ukraine this semester? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, Middlebury College made the decision to recall a dozen students studying in Russia earlier this month, allowing them to finish the semester remote. While other institutions are moving students to other locations throughout Eastern Europe. The takeaway? The […]
When tenured salary policies get an asterisk
What happens when our tenured salary policies get an asterisk? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, The University of Missouri made a change to their rules and regulations allowing for individual tenured faculty salaries to be cut by up to 25% for reasons including enrollment or individual productivity. Fewer than 10 professors have been affected by […]
McDaniel College offers a different kind of legacy admissions
McDaniel College offers a different kind of legacy admissions. Reported by Inside Higher Ed, the key difference between McDaniel College’s legacy admissions program is that, unlike other legacy admission policies that have been criticized for their ability to help non-academically qualified progeny skip the line, McDaniel isn’t difficult to get into. With a 76% acceptance […]

High School Influencers & the College Selection Process
powered by Sounder As the college selection process for our undergrads just keeps on changing — and fundamentally so — do high school students have more influence than we might think? Matt Diteljan, Co-Founder and CEO at Glacier, joins the podcast to talk about identifying and partnering with university influencers and content creators who are […]
Are there legitimate higher ed use cases for NFTs?
Are there legitimate higher ed use cases for NFTs? Reported by Digital Journal, while NFTs obviously have interesting design applications that are already being explored and incorporated within art departments nationwide, Duke University has also started awarding certain educational credentials as NFTs. This in the spirit and practice of the broader movement toward awarding credentials […]
Can added skills help supplement our traditionally low-earning majors?
Can added skills help supplement our traditionally low-earning majors? Reported by The Hechinger Report, the University of Texas System is looking to pilot a program designed to provide microcredentials to students from degree programs that don’t often have an immediate salary payoff after graduation. By providing these students with practical skills in fields such as […]
Is inflation coming for our tuition prices?
Is inflation coming for our tuition prices? Reported by The Hechinger Report, inflation is very likely coming for our tuition prices at the same time enrollments are deeply down. The takeaway? People are already making choices. Re-thinking their driving options. Re-thinking their meal options. Neither we nor they can afford them thinking through whether or […]
Can data science help transfer students from leaving credits on the table?
Can data science help transfer students from leaving credits on the table? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, the Articulation of Credit Transfer project, coordinated by Ithaka S+R, is attempting to salvage the 43% of credits lost when students transfer to a new program and/or institution. The project isn’t a simple course mapping and articulation function, […]
California students can swap volunteer service for college tuition
California students can swap volunteer service for college tuition. Reported by Higher Ed Dive, California’s service program, Californians for All College Corps, will provide eligible students $10,000 in exchange for 450 hours of volunteer service work a year, roughly $22/hour. Designed to be a win-win financial aid supplement for students that specifically covers what a […]
The pandemic which opened up online education led students to pick more locally
The pandemic which opened up online education led students to pick more locally. Reported by Inside Higher Ed, a survey from Anthology showed 44% of students picked an institution closer to home than they may have before the pandemic. While seemingly counterintuitive since the pandemic opened up online learning options, 37% claimed the choice was […]
College completion rates have risen 3 years in a row
College completion rates have risen 3 years in a row. Reported by Inside Higher Ed, a new report from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center shows that 6-year college completion rates reached 62.2%, up 1.2 and 1.5% respectively from the previous two cohorts. The takeaway? Is higher ed in general getting better at helping students […]

Bringing Simulations and the Metaverse to the Higher Ed Classroom
powered by Sounder While Mark Zuckerberg has been “introducing” the metaverse to the world the past few months, some players in the education space have been improving student outcomes using virtual simulations for nearly a decade now, Why should colleges and universities integrate the power of the metaverse into their classrooms as an enrollment growth […]
Will California pilot universal basic income for college students?
Will California pilot universal basic income for college students? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, state senator Dave Cortese is proposing $500/month payments to low-income students at three California State University campuses as a pilot experiment, spurred by findings from the San José State University’s Silicon Valley Pain Index report, which showed the food and housing […]
The automation of higher ed communications can be expensive when they go wrong
The automation of higher ed communications can be expensive when they go wrong. Reported by Inside Higher Ed, Central Michigan University recently notified 58 students that they were recipients of the prestigious Centralis Scholar Award that, among its benefits, includes a full-tuition scholarship. The problem? None of these students had actually won. CMU made a […]
Is Web3 the future of privacy in higher education or the end of it?
Is Web3 the future of privacy in higher education or the end of it? Reported by EdSurge, and suggested by San José State University professor Roxana Marachi, if credentialed records on the blockchain are attached to a student, does a student have any semblance of data privacy or the right to be forgotten? The takeaway? […]
$3.75 Billion in Free College Aid Went Unused in 2021
$3.75 billion in free college aid went unused in 2021. Reported by Nerd Wallet, an estimated 813,000 Pell-eligible high school graduates didn’t submit their FAFSA last year. The two states with the highest FAFSA completion rates from their high school students? Louisiana and Tennessee. What’s one thing they have in common? Both states incentivize their […]
Can technology both contribute to and help solve for our students’ feelings of isolation?
Can technology both contribute to and help solve for our students’ feelings of isolation? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, while online learning offers peak convenience for the working adult, it can also be isolating learning alone. Rio Salado College partnered with InScribe to create RioConnect, a 24/7 virtual community designed for students to engage, encourage […]
Online learning will consolidate higher ed slower than we think
Online learning will consolidate higher ed slower than we think. Reported by EdSurge, For 15 years, we’ve heard how online education will quickly consolidate higher ed, with the best 5 online colleges and the cheapest 5 online colleges taking 90% of our students. But that hasn’t happened yet. Why? Because the biggest online players have […]
Should higher ed return to normal or become something new?
Should higher ed return to normal or become something new? Reported by EY, the ‘ZOOM College’ many students experienced last year wasn’t revolutionary. It didn’t feel like the future. For many students, it felt slightly worse. So why hasn’t higher ed experienced a massive digital transformation like many other industries over the past two decades? […]

235: Comparing College Outcomes with the Equitable Value Explorer
powered by Sounder All numbers need context. That being said, is there a better way to compare colleges by student outcomes? Kim Dancy, Associate Director of Research and Policy, and Piper Hendricks, J.D., Vice President of Communications and External Affairs at the Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP), join the podcast to discuss the Equitable […]
Higher ed charitable donations are helping make up for enrollment losses
Higher ed charitable donations are helping to make up for enrollment losses. Reported by Inside Higher Ed, charitable donations to colleges and universities increased 7% last year to $52.9 billion dollars, led by no-strings attached donations from MacKenzie Scott totaling nearly $7 billion dollars. The takeaway? Nine institutions reported receiving single gifts of $100 million […]

Enrollment Growth Through Increased Accessibility
powered by Sounder Dr. Perry LaRoque, Founder and President at Mansfield Hall and author of Taking Flight: The Guide to College for Diverse Learners and Non-Traditional Students, joins the podcast to discuss the demographic reality that, for many institutions, future enrollment growth necessitates increasing access for more types of students than we’ve historically taught. Higher […]
The University of Kansas plans to cut 42 academic programs
The University of Kansas plans to cut 42 academic programs. Reported by Inside Higher Ed, even the KU University Senate agrees with the elimination of 28 of the 42 programs on the cutting line, since they are largely inactive, but is pushing back on the other 14 that would impact currently enrolled students and faculty. […]
Learning loss during the pandemic was hardest in global regions without reliable internet
Learning loss during the pandemic was even more pronounced in global regions without reliable internet access. Reported by EdSurge, while higher ed enrollment has suffered in America during the pandemic, it virtually shut down 82% of enrolled students in sub-saharan Africa without internet access, where remote learning was not a mere annoyant learning curve, but […]
Should our b-schools go back to in-person once we can?
Should our b-schools go back to in-person once we can? Reported by Business Standard, while our business schools became more online-friendly since the pandemic out of necessity, the question becomes, why should we go back once we can? Online offerings both increased the number of faculty willing and able to teach as well as the […]
The online vs. in-person learning conversation needs to end
The online vs. in-person learning conversation needs to end. Reported by Higher Ed Dive, Don Kilburn, the CEO of UMass Online, claims we are beyond the experiment phase. That online is clearly the way forward for adult learners. And that our focus must become on excellence of delivery. The takeaway? Are we done fighting about […]
Enrollments are down, but college endowments are way up
Enrollments are down, but college endowments are way up. Reported by Inside Higher Ed, while higher ed’s enrollment woes continued last year, the average college endowment increased 35% from the fiscal market’s bull run, to an average of $1.1 billion dollars. Although, this success was not universal across the board. Rich endowments got far richer, […]
Should college teach us to be happy?
Should college teach us to be happy? Reported by CNN, Yale University’s “happiness” course, officially titled “The Science of Well-Being” is the highest enrolled course in the history of the institution. And during a global pandemic that has been extraordinarily rough on our mental health, this free course is filling a big need. The takeaway? […]
Have those students abandoning the higher ed pathway found another?
For the million students who have left the higher ed path since the pandemic, what path are they on instead? Reported by The Hechinger Report, higher ed’s value is indeed in question, so much so that higher ed enrollment is down 1 million students since the start of the pandemic. And while the labor shortages […]
Do our female-led institutions have better pay equity?
Do our female-led institutions have better pay equity? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, while only 1 in 3 college presidents are women, recent research from the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources finds that female senior leaders are paid more at these institutions with female presidents. The takeaway? Should it take female leadership […]

Advanced SEO Strategies for 2022
powered by Sounder Eight out of ten future students are asking questions about their future degree programs online. Is your institution’s website popping up with the right answers? Faton Sopa, Co-founder and CEO of Manaferra, joins the podcast to discuss whether or not SEO still matters in 2022 and the advanced strategies higher ed should […]

232: How the Pandemic Impacted Student Recruiting in China
powered by Sounder Nicolas Chu, Founder and CEO at Sinorbis, joins the Enrollment Growth University podcast to discuss: How the pandemic has impacted international recruiting, specifically in China New digital recruitment strategies for increasing your international enrollment Ready to advance your international recruitment strategy? Let’s dive in. Recruiting students from China during a pandemic The […]
Will SAT’s Digital SAT replace itself?
Will SAT’s digital SAT replace itself? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, features of the new digital version include brevity – a 2-hour test time down from the original 3 – shorter reading passages, and calculators allowed through the math section. The testing centers will remain for authentication purposes. The takeaway? Through the pandemic, the standard […]
One semester into an ungrading experiment
One semester into an ungrading experiment. Reported by EdSurge, Dr. David Clark from Grand Valley State University conducted a student self-grading experiment in his upper-level Euclidean geometry course this past semester. The results? Qualitatively, Clark claims his most energetic, enthusiastic, and best course in 12 years of teaching. The takeaway? Skeptics will say this only […]
Will Arizona State University hit 100M learners by 2030?
Could Arizona State University hit 100 million learners by 2030? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, the goal is for these learners to all participate in an online global management and entrepreneurship certificate program, translated into 40 different languages, and provided free of charge through a $25 million philanthropic gift. Completion of the five graduate-level classes […]
California’s governor proposes $40 billion in higher ed funding for next year
California’s governor proposes $40 billion in higher ed funding for next year. Reported by Higher Ed Dive, California governor Gavin Newsom’s 2022-23 higher education budget plan is part of a broader goal of having 70% of working-aged Californians holding a post-secondary credential by 2030. This is by far the most ambitious state higher ed funding […]
Are our institutions taking the national mental health crisis seriously enough?
Are our institutions taking the national mental health crisis seriously enough? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, Worcester Polytechnic University is grieving after a third student took their own life this past year – this for a campus who had seen only two in the 15 years prior. In response, WPI has launched a 35-member student, […]
Enrollments down 1 million students since the pandemic
Enrollments are down 1 million students since the start of the pandemic. Reported by Inside Higher Ed, student enrollment has declined by 5.1% across the board since the pandemic’s beginnings in spring 2020, with campus leadership more focused on retaining the students and staff they have vs. coming up with massive growth plans. The takeaway? […]
The state of mental health on campus during COVID
What’s the current state of student mental health on campus during COVID? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, a new survey from TimelyMD reports that nine in 10 students claim there is a mental health crisis on campus. The biggest revelation in this report is that student stress is even worse this year than last year. […]

231: How to Position for the Pending Enrollment Cliff
powered by Sounder US demographics are changing rapidly. As Boomers age, Gen Xers are daydreaming about living in a van, Millennials are buying crypto, and Gen Z is wondering what the future holds. They’re the smallest generation in some time, they’re saturated in technology, socially responsible, and dedicated to saving the world. Ellen Johnson, VP […]
University mask mandates get more fabric-specific
University mask mandates get more fabric-specific. Reported by Inside Higher Ed, The University of Southern California announced a new requirement of “medical grade” masks, including N95 and KN95 masks, due to updated guidance from the California Department of Public Health. The takeaway? Will your institution adjust masking mandates as your local public health departments continue […]
Are microcredentials the secret to a tough hiring market?
Let’s say you want to upskill an employee in a particular competency? What if you could direct them a 12-credit hour microcredential at your local university that you were confident they’d come back with ready to hit the ground running on a brand new skill set? Reported by University Affairs, online microcredentials grew in popularity […]
Do our students value their data privacy?
How much do our students value their data privacy? Reported by EdTech Magazine, a research study from the Future of Privacy Forum shows that 71% of students believe they should possess the right to control how their institution uses their student data. At the same time, 70% of students trust their institutions to protect their […]
If higher ed doesn’t own entrepreneurial education
If higher ed doesn’t own entrepreneurial education, will we see a lot more Theranos stories in the future? Reported by University World News, the recent trial of Elizabeth Holmes and her defrauding of investors has raised questions about the education, motivations, and pressures of Holmes and how higher ed can better support and prepare future […]
Amazon has more faith in community colleges than our students
Amazon has more faith in community colleges than our students. Reported by Inside Higher Ed, Amazon is spending $3 million to help launch a new computer science bachelor’s program at technical and community colleges throughout Washington state. Headquartered out of Seattle, Amazon is, in both an act of generosity as well as self-interest, looking to […]
What would ‘radical simplification’ in higher ed look like?
What would ‘radical simplification’ in higher ed look like? Reported by EdSurge, as higher ed grew over the last 50 years, so did our scope. We grew. We did more. We had new ideas. We did more. And then the pandemic hit, and we were forced to do even more. The takeaway? We need a […]

Why Purdue University’s Brand Is the Stories They Tell
powered by Sounder Our universities’ brands are only as strong as the stories we tell. So how can we tell better stories? Ethan Braden, Senior VP of Marketing and Communications at Purdue University, joins the podcast to talk about why a university marcomms teams’ primary role is Chief Storyteller and how critical storytelling has been […]
Do eSports have the same gender issues as our other sports?
Do eSports have the same gender issues as our other sports? Reported by EdSurge, the relative anonymity of online gaming has helped breed some gender toxicity, name-calling and harassment within the sport. And now with esports coming to college campuses, that cultural challenge becomes our challenge as well. Some institutions like the University of Montana […]
So many credentials. So little disruption.
So many credentials. So relatively little disruption. Reported by EdSurge, the “credentials craze” unleashed with MOOCs and competency-based learning has spurred songs of inevitable disruption over the last decade that have still yet to fully disrupt. Yes, more and more companies are taking a skills-first approach to hiring. But there isn’t yet a true replacement […]
Do the STEM fields need more popular role models?
Do the STEM fields need more popular role models? Reported by EdSurge, while computer science is at the top of the in-demand jobs list in the U.S., computer science courses are still not widely accessible to the broad majority of K12 students. How can we get students interested in a field they’re not exposed to? […]
Northeast Ohio colleges pilot a stranded credit forgiveness program
Northeast Ohio colleges are piloting a stranded credit forgiveness program. Reported by Higher Ed Dive, eight public colleges in Ohio have agreed to forgive the institutional debts of students with college credit but no credential, and allow them to re-enroll in any of the 8 participating colleges to complete their degree program. The takeaway? The […]
Are free agent signings coming to NCAA sports?
Are free agent signings coming to NCAA sports? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, Oklahoma quarterback Caleb Williams has been offered $1 million to come and play QB at Eastern Michigan University for his sophomore year, a financial offer promised by local employer, GameAbove Capital. The takeaway? Now that NCAA athletes can get paid, stories and […]
Is the 4-day workweek headed for higher ed?
Is the 4-day workweek headed for higher ed? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, D’Youville College is moving to a 4 day, 32-hour work week for their staff and administrators, without a downward decrease in salaried pay or benefits. This comes with plans to assess student satisfaction scores in 6 months to make sure this new […]
Are we teaching our students durable skills?
Are we teaching our students durable skills? Reported by eCampus News, a new report from Mursion shows that 44 percent of HR professionals would prefer to hire applicants with strong durable skills over hard skills. In that same report, 40% percent of HR professionals believed that durable skills such as teamwork and collaboration are the […]
Will higher ed design its own AI replacements?
Will higher ed design its own AI replacements? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, the field of artificial intelligence continues to take off on our college campuses, with more and more degree programs dedicated to its study and development. The irony here is that education may be one of the industries most impacted by AI’s acceleration, […]
If we thought the current demographic trends were tough for higher ed…
If we thought the current demographic trends were tough for higher ed… Reported by The Brookings Institution, from July 2020 to 2021, the U.S. population grew at an unprecedented 0.12%, the lowest known growth rate since these statistics started being collected in 1900. This number of course includes not only lower birth rates, and decreased […]
Michigan State University offers their faculty a $1,500 pandemic bonus
Michigan State University offers their faculty a $1,500 pandemic bonus. Reported by Inside Higher Ed, MSU will provide all their full- and part-time professors with these bonuses along with three additional personal days in recognition of their incredibly difficult work during the pandemic. The takeaway? This is a beautiful gesture, one that MSU’s stable financial […]
Where is skills-based hiring on the employer adoption curve?
Where is skills-based hiring on the employer adoption curve? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, a recent report from 1EdTech Foundation shows the results from a survey of 750 HR leaders across the country. Highlights include that 36% of these companies are either relaxing or eliminating college degree requirements altogether. All while 50% of those same […]

Student Perception Challenges of Being Both a Faith-Based and STEM-Focused Institution
powered by Sounder Is there an inherent perception conflict between being a faith-based university and being a world class STEM institution? Dr. Mathew Isaac, Professor of Marketing at Seattle University, joins the podcast to discuss the recent research on how the religious language institutions use does in fact impact prospective students’ academic perceptions. Does Religious […]
How can we solve for higher ed’s morale challenges?
How can we solve for higher ed’s morale challenges? Reported by EdSurge, more and more faculty and admins are calling it quits two pandemic years into their very same toughest years in higher ed yet. And the increasing worry is whether or not we have an end in sight, or will have any chance to […]
The pandemic ushers in a new wave of med school applications
The pandemic has ushered in a new wave of medical school applications. Reported by Inside Higher Ed, med school applications increased 17.8 percent this year, including a 21 percent uptick from black students. The takeaway? Similar to 9/11 increasing interest in serving in the military, the global crisis of the pandemic appears to have swelled […]
How do test-optional admissions affect homeschoolers?
How do test-optional admissions affect homeschoolers? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, the massive variability in the curriculum and academic experience of homeschoolers has historically made standardized test scores the easiest way for colleges to compare these students to their public school peers. But in a test-optional admissions world, this makes evaluating homeschool students markedly more […]

High-Impact Media Relations in Higher Education
powered by Sounder Many institutions are using impactful media relations to boost enrollment, especially from key geographies, age ranges, and target markets. But many others haven’t quite worked it out yet. How can your university use media relations as an effective enrollment growth strategy? Stephanie Mullins, Associate Director at BlueSky Education, joins the podcast to […]
Will the GRE kill the LSAT?
Will the GRE kill the LSAT? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, the American Bar Association will now permit law schools to require the Graduate Record Examination in lieu of the Law School Admission Test for admittance decisions. This trend stems from studies out of both the University of Arizona and Harvard University showing that GRE […]
“Test-Optional” But Scores Help?
Test-optional. But scores help? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, a Kaplan survey found that while 67% of MBA programs have waived their admissions exam requirement, often the GMAT, during COVID, 88% of those institutions still claim that submitting a competitive score will indeed help the student’s chances for admission. The takeaway? In some cases, are […]
Will this be the year we truly see an evolution in credentialing?
Will this be the year we truly see an evolution in credentialing? Reported by EdSurge, while we’ve seen the promise of disruption for years, with competency-based education, MOOCs, open badging and more, the bachelor’s degree still sets atop the leaderboard as the broad credentialing standard. And what’s stood in the way of mass adoption of […]

How University of Maryland, Baltimore County Is Solving for the Underrepresentation Problem in STEM Fields
powered by Sounder Founded in 1966, the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) is a mid-size public institution, located five miles outside of Baltimore. Its population of students represents Maryland’s demographics. UMBC is particularly known and lauded for its success in graduating underrepresented individuals in the STEM fields. The school has accomplished a lot of […]
What happens if the humanities decouple from higher education?
What happens if the humanities decouple from higher education? Reported by EdSurge, The Catherine Project gives us a small preview. Largely organized by college professors for free, and meeting with adults to discuss works of literature and philosophy, this is an attempt to reclaim a liberal arts learning the modern academy doesn’t seem to as […]
New college phishing scammers target COVID communications
New college phishing scammers target COVID communications. Reported by Campus Technology, the latest college phishing scam is using a promise of COVID updates and communications to gain access to college network login credentials. And in some of these instances, the scammers have also created mock multi-factor authentication sites to also gain secondary identification information from […]
Would committing to college a year earlier help prevent student melt?
Would committing to college a year earlier help prevent student melt? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, The Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans delivers $20 million in college scholarships every year. The change they made this year? Awarding them a year earlier, to high school juniors. The takeaway? Is shoving all of a student’s college […]
Can money alone unlock AI education moonshots?
Can money alone unlock AI education moonshots? Reported by EdSurge, the edtech company Byju’s has raised $4.5 billion in investment capital over the last decade, and is using part of that funding to invest in moonshots through its Byju’s Lab. The takeaway? Other industries are further along their AI adoption curve than education, partially because […]
Can higher ed help solve for early education’s challenges?
Can higher ed help solve for early education’s challenges? Reported by EdSurge, the pandemic shone a spotlight on the need for high-quality early childhood education, and what happens to women in the workforce when it’s taken away. Dallas College is attempting to help scale a solution for this workforce need in Texas through a $79 […]
Will Google’s AI Tutor Platform help solve self-paced learning’s biggest problem?
If the human feedback loop is the missing piece for self-paced learning success, will AI eventually get online learning there? Reported by Government Technology, Google has designed an AI Tutor Platform designed specifically to uplevel the feedback in online courses, through personalized feedback, assessments, and guidance. The takeaway? Historically, self-paced online learning has been a […]

Is Brand Reputation Moving from the University to the Degree Program?
powered by Sounder Dr. Andrew Gillen, Senior Policy Analyst at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, joins the podcast to discuss why the College Scorecard might start making program reputation an even stronger signal for students than the overall brand reputation of a university. What’s Most Important — University Brand or Degree Program Brand? At the […]
Google’s Certificate Programs reach millions in enrollments in less than two years
Google’s certificate programs went from ideation to millions of enrollments in less than two years. Reported by Inside Higher Ed, while the speed of Google’s education growth is remarkable, what may be even more so is Google’s commitment to treating these certificate completers as equivalent to four-year degree completers. And not only that, they’ve brought […]
What are universities looking for in a new president hire?
What are universities looking for in a new president hire? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, the length of presidential tenure is shortening, with some very notable presidential hires in the last several years that didn’t even make it to the 2 year mark. The takeaway? Do we really know what we’re looking for? An academic […]
High schoolers skeptical of college hits record high
Are high school students skeptical of college hitting a record high? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, a devastating survey from ECMC Group suggests that fewer than half of all teens currently plan on pursuing a four-year college pathway, from 71 percent in May 2020 all the way down to 48 percent today. The takeaway? It’s […]

How to Develop “Wicked Students” to Solve the World’s Most Wicked Problems
powered by Sounder Are we developing the ‘wicked’ students required to solve the world’s most wicked problems? Dr. Paul Hanstedt, Director of the Houston H. Harte Center for Teaching and Learning at Washington and Lee University and author of Creating Wicked Students: Designing Courses For a Complex World, joins the Enrollment Growth University podcast. […]
Can higher ed be responsive enough to nursing labor shortages?
Can higher ed be responsive enough to nursing labor shortages? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, with nurses having some of the most stressful work in the world these past two years, many have left the industry or retired early, causing a labor shortage in this high-demand pandemic-related field. While nursing degree enrollment increased 5.6% this […]
The pandemic killed internships and thereby, job offers
The pandemic killed internships and thereby, job offers. Reported by Inside Higher Ed, while virtual job recruiting increased in popularity this past year, it wasn’t enough to make up for the decrease in traditional recruiting, and graduating seniors in 2021 received approximately 12% fewer job offers than the prior year. And who is getting hit […]
Did the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation create their own College Scorecard?
Did the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation create their own College Scorecard? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, the Equitable Value Explorer is specifically designed to discover inequities in the higher education experience. Based on the College Scorecard data, this tool aims at spotlighting institutions that are better at creating social mobility, not merely graduating successful […]
Will employers formally become our largest educators?
Will employers formally become our largest educators? Reported by IBL News, IBM has announced a global plan to train 30 million people to help close the world’s technical skill gap. This upskilling plan will leverage their existing internal education programs along with partnerships from 170 different academic, industry and NGO players. The takeaway? Today, IBM’s […]
South Carolina launches tuition-free technical college funding
South Carolina has launched tuition-free technical college funding. Reported by Higher Ed Dive, Henry McMaster, the Governor of South Carolina, designated $17 million in federal coronavirus relief money to fund 15,000 students in technical programs within high-demand fields in the state, and is encouraging the state’s legislature to keep this scholarship going through June 2024 […]

What Higher Ed Course Design Should Steal from MOOCs
powered by Sounder MOOCs burst onto the scene in 2014 with a lot of hype and flourish. Some of that enthusiasm of their scaling promise was warranted. Some of the computer science courses in particular were strong. But most MOOCs were pretty terrible. Their course design was amateurish. The pedagogy was boring and ineffective. And […]
Would a lottery system for selective institutions actually hurt low-income students?
Would a lottery system for selective institutions actually hurt low-income students? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, a new study by Educational Researcher used simulation data to show that in enrollment lottery systems where GPA or test score requirements still existed, the share of black, latino and low-income students would likely plummet. The takeaway? There are […]
⅔ of students didn’t apply for emergency aid available to them
⅔ of students didn’t apply for emergency aid available to them. Reported by Higher Ed Dive, in another example of “making it available isn’t the same as making sure it’s utilized”, a new report by the Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice shows that two-thirds of students experiencing basic needs insecurity during the pandemic […]
Will inflation be what finally makes college more affordable?
Will inflation be what finally makes college more affordable? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, after inflation is taken into account, average college tuition and fees actually decreased this year. The takeaway? With enrollment decreases, institutions have been wary of raising prices, despite their own difficult financial situations. Will inflation actually help bring students back to […]
Will Congress help solve college completion?
Will Congress help solve college completion? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, the College Completion Fund would help make sure federal aid isn’t exclusively focused on getting-in-the-door access, but instead provide funding for student support programs that help get enrolled students over the completion finish line. The ASAP model this concept is built around, including high-touch […]
Career switchers finding bigger need for education upleveling than ever before
Career switchers are finding a bigger need for education upleveling than ever before. Reported by the Hechinger Report, while the Great Resignation suggests many Americans don’t find their current job path worth it, finding one that is isn’t all too easy, either. With increasing automation removing many generalist laborer jobs, higher-paying careers are becoming increasingly […]
What if college becomes no longer required to secure a decent job?
What if college becomes no longer required to secure a decent job? Reported by the Hechinger Report, with two consecutive years of 3%+ enrollment drops, we’re looking at the largest two year higher ed enrollment decline in the past 50 years. With many restaurants and retailers offering $15 an hour as a new floor, the […]
Will K12 computer science curriculum trends affect our STEM program enrollments?
Will K12 computer science curriculum trends affect our STEM program enrollments? Reported by EdSurge, more than half of high schools now offer at least one computer science class, with many states now making computer science courses a requirement for high school graduation. But with computer science courses comes technology requirements that can affect representation. Economically […]
The promise of tuition-free community college has crashed yet again
The promise of tuition-free community college has crashed yet again. Reported by Inside Higher Ed, the Build Back Better Act, which originally included Biden’s education plan centerpiece in free community college, went from $290 billion in planned funding down to $40 billion. The Pell Grant increases and support for minority-serving institutions such as HBCUs stayed, […]

How Higher Ed Should Respond to the “Shecession”
powered by Sounder Nearly 10 percent of U.S. undergraduates, or 1.7 million students, are single mothers, according to a 2019 report from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research. The data also shows that nearly 9 out of 10 single student mothers live near or in poverty, and only 8 percent earn a degree within six […]
Can a faith-based university be a world-class STEM institution?
Can a faith-based university be a world-class STEM institution? Or is there a problematic identity issue there? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, a new research article from the Journal of Advertising suggests that religious language can adversely impact a student’s confidence in the quality of the same university’s STEM programs. The takeaway? If you’re a […]
The downstream effects of valuing prestige above all else
What are the downstream effects of valuing prestige above all else? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, Yale’s incoming enrollment has stayed relatively flat for the last 40 years, despite their application rate having 3x’d over the same time period. The takeaway? Controlling enrollment size to maintain the feel of one’s campus experience is a reasonable […]
Washington University in St. Louis is getting creative with their endowment returns
Washington University in St. Louis is getting creative with their recent endowment returns. Reported by Higher Ed Dive, many university endowments went wild last year with the positive movements in the stock market, including Washington University in St. Louis, who earned a whopping 65% return during the 20-21 fiscal year. So what does this newfound […]

What the Metaverse Means for Higher Education
powered by Sounder Major tech companies are starting on their land grab claim to the metaverse. People who follow the higher ed news outlets might have seen this topic cropping up in publications over the last few months, too. What is the metaverse? Why is it such a big deal (or is it)? And will […]
SUNY begins unenrolling students not complying with vaccine mandate
SUNY has begun unenrolling students not complying with the institution’s vaccine mandate. Reported by Higher Ed Dive, while 98% of students had been vaccinated prior to the Sept. 27th deadline, that still left 5,903 students at risk of deregistration at The State University of New York. The takeaway? Will 2% end up being the rough […]
Is unbundling coming for our textbooks?
Is unbundling coming for our textbooks? Reported by EdSurge, start-up Argos Education is building an open-source system called Sojourner that allows institutions and instructors to both aggregate a la carte teaching materials for their courses more easily, and also sell the same ones they themselves create. The takeaway? What will the market demand for open […]
Do start-ups look way sexier than grad school?
Do start-ups look way sexier than grad school? Reported by EdSurge, the wicked cross-disciplinary problems of our time require wicked cross-disciplinary students. And the College Impact Survey out of The Ohio State University shows that 86% of PhD candidates expect to work on wicked, cross-disciplinary problems within their grad programs. But do they? The takeaway? […]
Is incentive-based recruitment for international students coming to an end?
Is incentive-based recruitment for international students coming to an end? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, while there have been long-standing policies against providing U.S. student recruiters with commissions based on the number of students they are able to enroll – in attempt to prevent wrongful incentivization toward enrolling students unable to succeed at an institution […]

The Economics of LRAPs in Your Financial Aid Arsenal
powered by Sounder For many students, the fear of student loan repayment stops college dreams in their tracks right there. The student may get excited when their acceptance letter arrives, but then once they see their financial aid award and the loans they have to borrow…and they’re out. How can colleges help take off the […]
U Bloomington claims their test-optional admission policy “worked”
IU Bloomington claims their test-optional admission policy “worked”. Reported by Inside Higher Ed, having approved a new test-optional policy just prior to the pandemic, IU Bloomington’s modeling had forecasted 15-20% of their applicants would choose to submit applications without test scores. With the ensuing pandemic, that number ended up being 47%. Through this, IU Bloomington […]
What if enrollment algorithms only find a student’s willingness to pay, not succeed?
What if some enrollment algorithms only find a student’s willingness to pay, not succeed? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, enrollment algorithms are only as powerful as what they’re optimized for. Tuition-driven institutions have an incentive to optimize for finding students who can pay. But in that situation, they might drive enrollment, while also driving students […]
Will student trust move away from the brand and to the program level?
Will student trust move away from the brand and to the program level? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, the College Scorecard’s program-level metrics may help program reputation become an even stronger signal than brand reputation. Because now, you can search for a specific degree program and compare graduate success rates, including income, debt, and more […]
Why haven’t the ivy’s moved online yet?
Why haven’t the ivy’s moved online yet? Reported by EdSurge, there are only roughly two dozen online degree programs offered throughout all the Ivy League schools together, with some institutions such as Princeton offering none at all. This is why Harvard’s online programs are branded HarvardX. There is a branding and potentially pedagogical fear of […]
Clinton College waives tuition for this academic year
Clinton College, a small HBCU out of South Carolina, waived tuition for the 2021-2022 academic year. Reported by Higher Ed Dive, after receiving $1.2 million in funding from the American Rescue Plan legislation, roughly the same amount the institution typically charges in tuition and fees each year, Clinton President Lester McCorn decided to announce the […]
Are U.S. News & World Report’s College Rankings Keeping Standardized Tests Around?
Are U.S. News & World Report’s college rankings keeping standardized tests around? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, while the pandemic led to many institutions forgoing ACT and SAT admission requirements this past year, as long as they still make up 5% of U.S. News & World Report’s rankings formula, can colleges forgo them altogether? The […]
How far away are we from higher ed’s mass personalization future?
How far away are we from higher ed’s mass personalization future? Reported by Fierce Education, Arizona State University has been a leader in the AI-empowered classroom through its learning design principles, including each student having unique learning needs, that students learn best by solving problems not watching others solve problems, and that lesson mastery must […]

How to Develop a Peer Tutoring Growth Strategy
powered by Sounder Over the last five years, the number of students seeking counseling has doubled on some campuses. These student support challenges are creeping across campus from mental health to career services and other areas of student support, including tutoring. Could peer networks help mitigate this student support shortage? Chelsea Waite, Senior Researcher at […]
Some optimism about the future of higher education
Need some optimistic news about the future of higher education? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, more than 90% of incoming first-year students are optimistic about their personal future. This study seems to be somewhat in contrast to other reports about 62% of first-year students experiencing anxiety in the past year, and less than 50% reporting […]
What will ZOOM education look like 10 years from now?
What will ZOOM education look like 10 years from now? Reported by EdSurge, Zoom’s open source development kit means that the education innovations may not come from ZOOM themselves. But rather from third-party building blocks to bring technological, interactive, and adaptive benefits into a synchronous remote classroom. The takeaway? While higher education needs to steer […]

Social Media Consortium vs. Manager at Drexel University
powered by Sounder Going into the pandemic, Drexel’s social media strategist was a grad student. The school had never had a dedicated social media position on the centralized marketing team. And social media was about to become the front lines of crisis communications for the university… Joseph Master, Assistant Vice President, Marketing & Digital Strategy […]
Could online learning providers like Coursera become more prestigious than Harvard?
Could online learning providers like Coursera become more prestigious than Harvard? Reported by EdSurge, there has always been a concern about the quality difference between in-person and online learning. So much so that Harvard created HarvardX to demarcate the difference. To clarify that these aren’t the same experiences. And yet, author Arthur Levine predicts a […]
What does the metaverse mean for higher education?
What does the metaverse mean for higher education? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, Facebook’s recent name change to Meta has created a lot of fervor and questioning as to what the metaverse actually is, with the early 2000s game Second Life being many of our’s closest participation to this future state Mark Zuckerberg now speaks […]
The college gender gap is even bigger than you think
The college gender gap is even bigger than you think. Reported by The Brookings Institution, much has been said about the increasing enrollment disparity between men and women. But if you look at the completion data, the gap gets even wider. In the 2018-2019 academic year, only 74 men received a bachelor’s degree for every […]
The post-pandemic enrollment bounceback didn’t happen
The post-pandemic enrollment bounceback didn’t happen. Reported by Inside Higher Ed, many across higher ed were hopeful that our fall enrollment numbers would bounce back from the prior year’s 3.4% drop in a post-vaccination world. Instead, they fell another 3.2%. The takeaway? The pandemic fast-forwarded our adaptation to online education. But did it fast-forward another […]
The Ethics of Withholding Student Transcripts
What is the ethical case for withholding a student transcript? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, about 6.6 million students have stranded credits through estimates of up to $15 billion in unpaid fees and tuition. With many colleges using federal pandemic aid to pay off this student debt and release these credits, the question is whether […]
Is a union for admissions workers on the horizon?
Is a union for admissions workers on the horizon? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, admissions student workers at Hamilton College have filed a petition to seek a union election, calling for “higher wages, a uniform disciplinary process and greater respect”. The takeaway? This spring, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) formally withdrew a Trump-era proposal, […]
Cornell College Launches Freeway Scholarship to Increase Neighbor State Enrollment
Cornell College is launching a Freeway Scholarship to increase their neighboring state enrollment. Reported by Inside Higher Ed, with a total cost of attendance upwards of $63,000 a year, it can be hard for students of neighboring states to choose Cornell over their state’s public institution because of the tuition disparity. A new renewable scholarship […]
Can both political parties find alignment on a college completion program?
Can both political parties find alignment on a college completion program? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, while Democrats have focused on Pell expansion and free college programs, many Republicans suggest expanded Pell should only go to institutions with high graduation rates from their Pell students – that there should be greater accountability behind federal funding. […]
Ensuring OER resources are culturally relevant
Could culturally relevant OER resources improve student outcomes even further? Reported by EdSurge, while much research points to the effectiveness of open educational resources (OER) being on-par with traditional resources, researchers from Framingham State University wonder if culturally relevant resources could improve learning outcomes for underserved students even further. A three-year federal grant of $441,000 […]
Weighing sticker price shock vs. out-of-pocket student stop-out hurdles
How should an institution weigh sticker price shock vs. out-of-pocket student stop-out hurdles? Reported by EdSurge, separating room and board, textbooks, and other fees from their tuition price is designed to make the sticker price appear as affordable as possible. And yet, it is all too often these extra out-of-pocket fees that end up being […]
Making the on-campus experience so experientially better than the online one
Can institutions make their on-campus experience a lot more appealing than their online one? Reported by EdSurge, as online education continues to grow in popularity, some institutions are doubling down on their on-campus infrastructure. For instance, Arizona State University is partnering with Dreamscape Interactive to build a virtual reality lab that makes a fully immersive […]
Walden University uses AI assistant for personalized tutoring
Walden University is using an AI assistant for personalized tutoring. Reported by Campus Technology, Walden’s AI-powered tutor, Julian, can help identify learning gaps and generate new activities designed to reinforce critical concepts, customized to the individual learner. The takeaway? The combination of faculty-led instruction, and AI-empowered support is becoming more and more interesting. Beyond the […]

Faculty Perception of Online Learning Since the Pandemic
powered by Sounder At the beginning of the pandemic, emergency remote learning appears to have been a largely negative experience for both students and faculty. Since then, though, has faculty’s perception of online learning improved? According to the data, it hasn’t. Let’s talk about why. Dr. Kathleen Ives, Senior Vice President for Engagement at UPCEA, […]
Software engineering majors can now earn 35% of their college credits through an IBM apprenticeship
Software engineering majors can now earn 35% of their college credits through an IBM apprenticeship. Reported by Higher Ed Dive, six colleges, including California State University, San Bernardino will now recognize participants in IBM’s software engineering apprenticeship program with 45 credit hours. The takeaway? There continue to be extraordinarily creative initiatives coming out of higher […]
Columbia College Chicago Bans Children in the Classroom
Columbia College Chicago has banned children in the classroom. Reported by Inside Higher Ed, this “under no circumstance” policy has been defended by the administration as a safety effort, especially during a time of COVID, in which many children, and all those under 12, aren’t able to be vaccinated yet. But it also ignores the […]
The University of Arkansas acquires for-profit Grantham University for $1 to expand online reach
The University of Arkansas acquires for-profit Grantham University for $1 to expand their online reach. Reported by Higher Ed Dive, this acquisition includes the 4,000 currently enrolled Grantham students and doubles the number of available online degree offerings available to University of Arkansas students. The takeaway? As for-profit institutions anticipate increased scrutiny under the Biden […]
How is the test-optional admissions trend affecting K12 college prep?
How is the test-optional admissions trend affecting K12 college prep? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, some K12 schools looking to ensure the college readiness and acceptance rates of their students are looking toward new extracurricular initiatives. From adding college course options in high school to creating more in-person field trip experiences, to focusing on application […]

The Educational Promise of Narrative-Based AI
powered by Sounder Educators have been waiting for the promise of AI in education to arrive since the late 1960s. Sure, we’ve had some successful, if albeit narrow, applications. Math and chess are classic examples. We’ve even seen universities use AI to identify students who may need additional attention to stay enrolled. Now, however, AI’s […]
The post-pandemic tuition increases have begun
The post-pandemic tuition increases have begun. Reported by Higher Ed Dive, after an incredibly difficult enrollment and therefore revenue year for many colleges, we’re starting to see this reflection in new tuition increases, including at the state systems in California, Iowa, and Minnesota. The takeaway? The financial stress of the pandemic was incredibly hard on […]
Are NDA’s coming for higher ed?
Are non-disclosure agreements coming for higher ed? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, University of Alabama system employees were recently asked to sign a confidentiality agreement, prohibiting them from speaking to non-system employees about their non-public work. This is potentially in response to a local publication that has been reporting on financial irregularities out of the […]
Ransomware attack takes down Howard University for two days
A ransomware attack took down Howard University for two full days. Reported by Slate, a ransomware attack rendered Howard University’s wi-fi network unusable, forcing the cancellation of all online and hybrid classes for two days. The takeaway? Most college networks were intentionally designed to provide open access to a wide variety of students and administrators, […]
Which institutions and cities are set up to leverage the AI revolution?
Which institutions and cities are set up to leverage the AI revolution? Reported by The Brookings Institution, many institutions often try and spin up new degree programs to try and leverage growing trends. But is the upcoming artificial intelligence revolution an even bigger opportunity? Today, the San Francisco Bay area looks to be the leading […]
COVID-19 breakout transitioned La Salle University to online learning
A recent COVID-19 breakout transitioned La Salle University back to online learning. Reported by University Business, despite an 85% on-campus vaccination rate, a nearly 50 student COVID case count triggered the decision to shift university-wide to virtual learning. The takeaway? This ability to instantly shift to virtual when necessary is a capability higher ed didn’t […]
Can the University System of Georgia faculty create their own mask mandates for their classrooms?
Can the University System of Georgia faculty create their own mask mandates for their classrooms? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, while The University System of Georgia has opposed both mask and vaccine mandates across their 26 institutions, many USG faculty are concerned about the personal health risk this opens themselves up to in the classroom. […]
UMass creates their online college by buying Brandman University
The University of Massachusetts System has finally built their online-only college, by acquiring Brandman University. Reported by Inside Higher Ed, private nonprofit Brandman University will now become UMass Global in exchange for $130 million over the next 10 years. The takeaway? This is an interesting potential exit strategy for institutions looking for one. Those who […]

How to Scale Supplemental Instruction
powered by Sounder Supplemental instruction (SI) improves academic performance for student participants. The research shows this. What we don’t yet have solved for is how to scale SI so it benefits more learners and ultimately improves our institutions? Nicolò Bates, Founder and CEO at TEDU, and Jessica Brooks, Director at the International Center for Supplemental […]
What good is free college without affordable broadband?
What good is free college without affordable broadband? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, one of the most invisible inequities during last year’s emergency remote learning experiment was the fact that many students had very varied access to high-speed internet, including 57 percent of students claiming that accessing high-speed internet was difficult for them as reported […]
Is narrative-based AI the next evolution of artificial intelligence in education?
Is narrative-based AI the next evolution of artificial intelligence in education? Reported by EdSurge, while the buzzword of “AI” gets thrown around a lot in education, this often means fairly basic adaptivity – merely rearranging learning sequence – at its most generous. But the National Science Foundation grant has just awarded Digital Promise $20 million […]
The digital limitations of our “digital native” students?
Do our “digital native” students have more digital limitations than we thought? Reported by EdSurge, a recent College Innovation Network survey reported that a full 20% of our students struggled with the EdTech tools required in their online courses during the pandemic. The takeaway? For our faculty, the EdTech we choose and how we onboard […]
How can higher ed navigate the “shecession”?
How can higher ed navigate the “shecession”? Reported by EdSurge, this pandemic has hit our student mothers the hardest, with the Institute for Women’s Policy Research labeling this crisis a “shecession” due to limited in-person schooling options for their children. The takeaway? Some institutions have piloted some promising initiatives for their student mothers, including child-friendly […]
Intel’s AI for Workforce program is bringing curriculum to 18 community colleges
Intel’s AI for Workforce program is bringing their artificial intelligence curriculum to 18 community colleges across the country. Reported by Higher Ed Dive, Intel’s program is attempting to develop their own future workforce in partnership with local community colleges. The curriculum includes more than 200 hours of technical content as well as ethical training regarding […]

Searching for New Enrollment Staffing Models
powered by Sounder Dr. Tom Green, Associate Executive Director at AACRAO, joined the podcast to discuss the evolution of the one-stop shop admissions model and Harvard University’s plans for Kennedy School to integrate its admissions and financial aid positions. Here’s a quick background on the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO). At […]
Pearson launches B2C student textbook subscription in Pearson+
Pearson launches a B2C student textbook subscription in Pearson+. Reported by Higher Ed Dive, a Pearson+ subscription will cost a student $14.99/month for access to the platform’s full library of books and other academic content. That’s about $180 a year (if students don’t cancel over the summer break, which seems likely), equal to or less […]
Acadeum is now offering 500 high school courses for dual college enrollment
Acadeum is now offering 500 high school courses for dual college enrollment. Reported by Higher Ed Dive, this pilot only includes four transfer colleges who will also be providing the courses, including Baker College, Franklin University, Western Texas College, and Strayer University. Eligibility requirements include junior year standing and a 3.0 GPA. The takeaway? What […]
Bowdoin College increases minimum wage to $17 per hour
Bowdoin College has increased their minimum wage to $17 per hour. Reported by Higher Ed Dive, this increase comes 10 months ahead of schedule in response to a state-wide worker shortage, hoping both to attract new local employees and retain their existing workforce that has stayed through the pandemic. The takeaway? Higher ed had some […]

Finding Future-Friendly Digital Marketing Channels
powered by Sounder Andrea Maconachy, EVP of Marketing at All Campus, joined the Enrollment Growth University podcast to talk about finding blue ocean marketing opportunities in an increasingly difficult and attribution-fuzzy paid media landscape. Where to Steer Marketing Dollars when Digital Attribution looks Fuzzy? Attribution has never been perfect. But new platform changes and […]
A Tripling of the Second Chance Pell Grant Program
The Second Chance Pell Grant program is expanding again. Reported by Higher Ed Dive, The U.S. Department of Education is tripling the number of participating colleges and universities, from 67 up to 200 based on the positive results of the first six years of this pilot. The takeaway? Now more institutions than ever will be […]
Is the 1-stop enrollment shop model evolving again?
Is the 1-stop enrollment shop model evolving again? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, Harvard University’s Kennedy School has announced their new integrated enrollment staffing model, in which their enrollment counselors will also serve as financial aid counselors. The takeaway? Is this simply an evolution from a 1-stop shop model to a 1-point of contact model? […]
ASU develops dual enrollment high school pathway with Amazon Web Services
Arizona State University has developed a new dual enrollment high school pathway with Amazon Web Services. Reported by Higher Ed Dive, 10,000 high school students from low-income districts will take asynchronous cloud computing classes this fall, earning an AWS certification along with college credit from ASU. The takeaway? More than 200 colleges and universities now […]
Sharing STEM field diversification strategies
How can we learn off other institutions’ learning curves regarding their STEM field diversification strategies? Reported by EdSurge, a 2019 study found that University of Maryland, Baltimore County was the most successful at retaining diverse STEM students. From their Meyerhoff Scholars program, to their alumni mentorship strategies, to their high school bridge programs, UMBC has […]

Staying Online
powered by Sounder What sets apart a great online learning experience from an ordinary one? Bob Ubell, Author & Vice Dean Emeritus of Online Learning at New York University’s Tandon School of Engineering returns to the Enrollment Growth University podcast to talk about lessons from his new book, Staying Online: How to Navigate Digital Higher […]
How colleges can create better peer-to-peer support channels?
How can our institutions create better peer-to-peer support channels? Reported by EdSurge, we’re up against a sheer logistical limitation for our faculty alone to be able to fully support the academic and personal struggles of our students. That’s why many institutions are growing their peer-to-peer support networks. Not to outsource amateur-level counseling, but to create […]
Our faculty’s perception of online learning isn’t getting better
Our faculty’s perception of online learning isn’t getting any better. Reported by EdSurge, while the emergency remote learning experience of Spring 2020 at the beginning of the pandemic provided a fairly negative online experience for both students and faculty, a recent study showed that faculty opinions of online learning haven’t actually improved since. And this […]

The Diminishing Employer Demand for the Traditional MBA
powered by Sounder In a recent survey of 500 employers, 77% said that universities needed to reinvent the MBA. What’s wrong with the foundational degree of business schools? And what would it look like if we did reinvent it? Andrew Crisp, Co-Founder at CarringtonCrisp, joined the Enrollment Growth University podcast to discuss their recent study, […]
Two Boston colleges instate weekly coronavirus testing mandates, even for vaccinated students
Two Boston colleges have instated weekly coronavirus testing mandates, even for their vaccinated students. Reported by Higher Ed Dive, both Northeastern and Boston University are requiring weekly testing for their on-campus students and employees. Above and beyond the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendations, this weekly testing mandate also includes their fully vaccinated students […]
No test scores requirement led to the University of California’s largest enrollment class diversity ever
The new no-test scores requirement led to the University of California System’s largest enrollment class diversity ever. Reported by Inside Higher Ed, a full 43% of University of California freshman came from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups this year, the most in system history, through a 13% total increase in student applications. The takeaway? While […]
FAFSA Completion Declines 4.8%
The FAFSA completion rate declined 4.8% year-over-year. Reported by Inside Higher Ed, the high school graduating class of 2021 completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid at a rate nearly 5% lower than the preceding class. For schools with majority black and latino student populations, this decline was greater than 8%. And with the […]
Hope College hopes to go tuition-free
Hope College is hoping to go tuition-free. Reported by Inside Higher Ed, Hope College is attempting to raise $1 billion in order to move to a permanent tuition-free funding model for their students. This not only requires an immense front-end fundraising effort, but new students will also be required to sign a non-binding commitment to […]
Reviewing potential discriminatory language in student reference questionnaires
Could the language in our student reference questionnaires be discriminatory? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, letters of recommendation for Dallas Theological Seminary’s graduate programs include questions about the student’s physical condition, intelligence, teachability, sexuality, and a qualitative analysis of their relationship. These questions have raised serious concerns about the legality of asking such questions as […]
New law makes all Illinois public colleges test-optional
A new law is making Illinois’ public colleges test-optional moving forward. Reported by Inside Higher Ed, Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker signed legislation requiring all Illinois public colleges and universities to offer test-optional admissions, enstating into law what has been a broader willing trend in higher ed over the last several years. The takeaway? Test-optional isn’t […]
The Ethics of Student Experience Experimentation
How do we navigate the ethics of student experience experimentation? Reported by EdSurge, edtech companies have amazing experimentation opportunities. The ability to A/B test a product or curriculum change within the learning management system, and see the direct impact of that change. Without this experimentation, it’s so hard to improve learning outcomes. But do students […]
Is doubling the Pell Grant the best way to increase higher ed access?
Is doubling the Pell Grant the best way to increase higher ed access? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, while the Pell Grant (which currently provides $6,495 of need-based aid a year) used to cover nearly 80% of the cost of college for lower-income students, rising college costs mean that it now covers less than a […]

Rediscovering the Social Contract of Successful Universities
powered by Sounder Since its origins, the university has persisted, not because it has stayed the same but because it has been remarkably flexible. Dr. Emily Levine, Associate Professor of Education and (by courtesy) History at Stanford University joined the Enrollment Growth University podcast to talk about her new book, Allies and Rivals: German-American […]
The Department of Education cancels $500 million in student loans from ITT Tech
The Department of Education has canceled $500 million in student loans from ITT Tech. Reported by Inside Higher Ed, with many veterans having complained about how ITT Tech stole their GI Bill funds by misleading students about their job prospects and issuing credits students found incredibly difficult to transfer to other institutions upon the institution’s […]
Quantifying the financial impact of COVID
Can we start to quantify the financial impact of COVID? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, a full 40% of students experienced financial disruption during COVID. With 29% of undergraduates reporting losing a job or a loss of income from reduced work hours, and 9% reporting having difficulty paying for food. The takeaway? Many of our […]
Should higher ed focus on teaching durable skills?
Should our institutions focus on teaching durable skills vs. technical skills with fast-approaching expiration dates? Reported by eCampusNews, while more and more institutions are partnering with or integrating bootcamps or similar technical programs within their existing degree programs, it’s the collaboration, communication, and broader people skills HR managers claim our new grads are missing out […]

The False Hope Created by Test-Optional Admissions Policies
powered by Sounder Dr. Jerry Lucido, Professor and Executive Director at the Center for Enrollment Research Policy and Practice at the University of Southern California joined the Enrollment Growth University podcast to talk about the potential false hope created by this year’s mass move to test-optional admissions policies. How Test-Optional Admissions Affected this Year’s […]
Will the role of the small college president shift from chief fundraiser to M&A lead?
Will the role of the small struggling college president shift from chief fundraiser to head of mergers & acquisitions? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, with reports that Mills College is exploring acquisition plans by Northeastern University, this begs the question of how the role of the small college president may evolve over the next 20 […]
Will online campus counseling remain post-pandemic?
Will online campus counseling remain post-pandemic? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, prior to the pandemic, only 8% of institutions offered telehealth mental health and counseling services. But online services have ended up helping colleges reach entirely new populations of students, with video counseling sessions up 7000% from mid-March to June 2020. The takeaway? While state […]
Amherst College admits first ever majority non-white class
Amherst College has admitted their first ever majority non-white class. Reported by Inside Higher Ed, one of the top ranked liberal arts colleges in the country, this small Massachusetts institution which didn’t even admit women until 1975 is now one of the most diverse private colleges in the country. The secret? A commitment to diversity […]
Does the COVID-19 College Vaccine Challenge lack incentives?
Does the COVID-19 College Vaccine Challenge lack incentives? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, this White House initiative is an attempt to encourage college campuses – many of which were superspreader locations last year – to encourage their students, faculty and staff to get vaccinated against the coronavirus. For those campuses who are successful in doing […]
What should our “go remote” ripcord look like this fall?
What should our “go remote” ripcord look like this fall? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, Northern Illinois University and their faculty have determined in advance that an 8% student positivity rate on campus will allow for any instructor to choose to move their class instruction online if they would like to. The takeaway? Making threshold […]
Can the University of Iowa eliminate masking speech on campus?
Can the University of Iowa eliminate masking speech on campus? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, initial Fall 2021 classroom speech guidance stated that instructors “may only make statements regarding mask usage or vaccinations in the context of course material discussions of health-related issues.” But following criticism, the institution is rethinking these speech limitations. The takeaway? […]
Is a student transfer pandemic coming our way?
Is a student transfer pandemic heading our way? Reported by Encoura, for the ⅓ of first-year students who claim the pandemic affected their college choice, what’s going to happen to them once they have other options? Because among this ⅓, around 44% believe they will likely or definitely transfer in the future, more than double […]

The ROI on Employer Education Programs
powered by Sounder The business community has a tremendous amount of skin in the employee education and re-skilling game. The amount of money employers invest annually in tuition reimbursement, formal, and informal training every year actually eclipses what the federal government provides in grants and loans. Jason Tyszko, Vice President, Center for Education and […]
Cornell says no to faculty remote work requests
Cornell University says ‘no’ to faculty remote work requests. Reported by Inside Higher Ed, Cornell will not consider faculty requests to teach remotely, even from those seeking accommodations for chronic illness or disability. The takeaway? Cornell is going all-in on in-person education for their on-ground classes. But does this blanket refusal for remote work open […]
New Vatican rules see online learning as secret to college accessibility for the needy
A new Vatican ruling sees online learning as the secret to pontifical college accessibility for the needy. Reported by UPCEA, the Vatican Congregation for Catholic Education is pushing pontifical institutions to expand their online opportunities to prisoners, migrants, homeless, and those in religious vocations with full-time work responsibilities. The takeaway? While in-person instruction and community-driven […]
Supreme Court rejects Indiana University vaccine mandate challenge
The Supreme Court has rejected a challenge to Indiana University’s vaccine mandate. Reported by Higher Ed Dive, eight Indiana University students sued the institution, claiming that the vaccine mandate infringes their constitutional rights. Higher courts pointed to legal precedent, including a 1905 Supreme Court decision upholding the ability for public entities to enforce vaccination laws, […]
Do test-optional admission requirements hurt Asian students the most?
Do test-optional admission requirements hurt Asian students the most? A new report from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce suggests that test-optional admissions requirements likely decrease Asian American student enrollment in elite colleges and universities by 2%. This mirrors the narrative defended by Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA), which has sued several […]

A “Moneyball” Approach to Hiring Undervalued Transfer Students
powered by Sounder Dr. Benjamin Selznick, Assistant Professor at James Madison University, joined the Enrollment Growth University podcast to discuss why transferring may be a feature, not a bug, and why employers may be significantly undervaluing transfer students’ innovation capabilities. The Truth About Transfer Students Is college creating innovators? In 2009, that question spurred […]
Colorado will give out associate’s degrees to past college drop-outs for time served
Colorado will give out associate’s degrees to past college drop-outs for time served? Reported by UPCEA, more than 13,000 Coloradans have earned more than 70 college credits at state universities on their way to a bachelor’s degree, but stopped short over the past five years. Now, a new law will grant these students with an […]
Yale wins in initial judgment against emergency online learning refund request
Yale has won initial judgment in a case against a student who wanted a refund for having been switched to online learning last year. Reported by UPCEA, key to the decision was the plaintiff being unable to demonstrate how online classes were inferior to in-person instruction. The takeaway? This is perhaps a small sigh of […]
Target follows Walmart’s 100% free tuition news with their own
Target follows Walmart’s 100% free tuition news with their own. Reported by CNN, Target plans on investing 200 million over the next four years into this new education benefit, where part-time and full-time Target employees can enroll in in more than 250 degree program options across 40 different institutions, starting as early as day 1 […]
Walmart offers free tuition and books to their 1.5 million employees
Walmart is now offering their 1.5 million employees free college tuition and books. Reported by The Washington Post, Walmart plans to spend $1 billion over the next five years on learning and development initiatives, in an attempt to better recruit and upskill their own internal workforce. While this Live Better U program is limited to […]
Two different paths back to “normal” in higher ed
There are two different paths back to “normal” in higher ed. Reported by Higher Ed Dive, one is simply pretending we’re there already. No vaccine mandates. No mask mandates. Cross your fingers, and open up for fall. A few states and a few dozen universities appear to be taking this approach. But the Centers for […]
Did our faculty lose some academic governing power during this pandemic year?
Did our faculty lose some academic governing power during this pandemic year? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, a new survey from the American Association of University Professors suggests that many faculty believe their institutions have utilized the “emergency” nature of the pandemic to flout shared governance and make rapid changes, including laying off faculty and […]
How will higher ed navigate the Delta variant?
How will higher ed navigate the Delta variant? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, fall opening plans that were on track are now starting to be revisited with worsening news about how contagious the new Delta variant of the COVID-19 virus looks to be. More institutions like The University of Memphis are now saying that masks […]
77% of employers want to reinvent the MBA
77% of employers want to reinvent the MBA. Reported by Yahoo! Finance, a survey of 500 employers returned the startling news that the vast majority of employers believe our MBAs aren’t relevant enough for the future, with only 35% of these employers formally partnering with universities for their learning and development initiatives. On the positive […]

Building Global Cohorts
powered by Sounder A diversity of experiences is proven to improve group problem solving. That’s why bringing folks from all over the world into the same classroom, whether that’s digitally or in person, adds an incredible amount of value. So how can we better build global learning cohorts in our colleges and universities? Karan […]
Illinois sees a 29% percent drop in black student enrollment
Illinois colleges saw a 29% percent drop in black student enrollment between 2013 and 2018. Reported by Inside Higher Ed, these crisis-level statistics have forced a formal exploration for solutions from a 45-person working group, which has come back with outlined strategies for improving student pipelines and college preparation, focusing on creating more inclusive and […]
Trinity Washington University uses COVID Funds to Clear Unpaid Balances for 400 Students
You wake up one day, and your student balance is gone? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, Trinity Washington University has used their COVID-19 relief funds to pay off the balances of nearly 400 undergraduate students, at an average of $4,583 per student. The goal is to provide their students with a clean slate to enter […]
Do we understand the price elasticity of online learning?
Do we understand the price elasticity of online learning? Reported by EdSurge, while one promise of online education has always been that of scale, many institutions find online learning infrastructure more expensive to build and maintain than their in-person learning environments, all while keeping capped class sizes to ensure more personalized student attention. As such, […]
Becoming an autism-supportive college
What does it take to become an autism-supportive college? Reported by EdTech Magazine, Bellevue College uses a strengths-based approach to help students on the autism spectrum navigate online learning. IT teams work to keep in mind communication differences – that they might only be hearing or seeing 10% of what the student meant to say. […]
UNC System doubles down on adult learners
Build it, or they will leave. Reported by UPCEA, University of North Carolina System President Peter Hanz declared a new commitment to adult learners, as part of the state’s goal to have 2 million working-age North Carolinians with a post-secondary degree or credential by the year 2030. This announcement partially stems from the fact that […]
Are hybrid colleges the affordable solution for students who online-only doesn’t work for?
Are hybrid colleges the affordable solution for students who online-only doesn’t work for? Reported by EdSurge, one big downside of online-only education is the isolation involved. Despite the resources and effort colleges offer their online students, these resources often go underutilized, and the student feels truly on their own. For the highly self-motivated student, there […]
Would a moneyball approach to hiring increase the demand for undervalued transfer students?
Would a moneyball approach to hiring increase the demand for undervalued transfer students? Reported by EdSurge, it’s the employees most used to working within change that most employers find the most valuable. Therefore, is a transfer student transcript a wonderful signal of flexibility, thoughtfulness, and adaptability? New research from The Ohio State University suggests that […]

The Pandemic’s Internship Interruption
powered by Sounder Last year, only 20% of college students participated in an internship, down from 60% the year before. Of those, nearly three-quarters were virtual. The internships that didn’t go online often got rescinded or students had to scramble to change plans. How has the pandemic’s internship interruption affected our students? Dr. Andrew […]
Is “first course free” an effective motivator for our traditional students?
Is “first course free” an effective motivator for our traditional students? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, two foundations are providing first course free for New Hampshire high school graduates at any of the state’s seven community colleges this fall. A wonderful gesture for students and to help our struggling community colleges, is this the right […]
Will this year be a comeback year for the ACT and SAT?
Will this year be a comeback year for the ACT and SAT? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, while 60% of colleges and universities plan on maintaining test-optional admissions next year, some are moving right back to their pre-pandemic admission considerations. For instance, the University System of Georgia announced their plans to resume test score admission […]

The Agile College
powered by Sounder It’s time for a sobering reality check. The consistent year-over-year enrollment gains many institutions experienced earlier this century may have been more about favorable demographics than they were brilliant growth strategies. But demographics aren’t our friends anymore. What are the biggest demographic challenges that higher ed is going to be up against […]
What will the effects of our new “waitlist” nation be?
What will the effects of our new “waitlist” nation be? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, test-optional admission decisions are up drastically due to the pandemic, with 20% of students nationally currently sitting on a wait list. This number is even greater for students of color, at 29%. The takeaway? While test-optional admissions have done a […]
Malcolm Gladwell’s critique of higher education continues
Malcolm Gladwell’s critique of higher education continues. Reported by UNCF, the best-selling author’s podcast, Revisionist History, is specifically digging into the U.S. News & World Report rankings this season. Questioning whether or not the publication’s popular ranking system is helpful for anything beyond determining and sort-ranking which institutions selectively admit more students of higher academic […]
The growing market for extended reality degree programs
Is there a growing market for extended reality degree programs? Reported by EdSurge, Husson University is one of the first in the country to offer an extended reality degree program, designed as a cross-curricular program, incorporating the fields of augmented reality, visual design, and coding. The takeaway? When is the right time to go all-in […]
Is automated proctoring smart cost-saving or a false-positive travesty?
Is automated proctoring smart cost-saving or a false-positive travesty? Reported by EdSurge, with academic integrity and the legitimacy of our credentials on the line, many institutions have turned to automated proctoring to ensure the honesty and truthfulness of their students’ grades. But with so many false-positive cases reported, technology issues recognizing darker skinned students, and […]
Will grade-optional become the next test-optional trend?
Will grade-optional become the next test-optional trend? Reported by EdSurge, while many universities moved to pass/fail grading as an attempted act of compassion during the pandemic, many students remained uncertain about the long-term ramifications of accepting that courtesy. Would a “satisfactory” or a “pass” look even worse than a B or a C on an […]
Why not open up Pell Grants for very short-term credential programs?
What does inclusive online teaching look like? Reported by EdSurge, the Columbia University Center for Teaching and Learning has circled back with three primary learnings after a pandemic learning year. One: ensuring students have the technological capabilities to be successful online students is critical. Do all of your students have a personal device able to […]
Why not open up Pell Grants for very short-term credential programs?
Why not open up Pell Grants for very short-term credential programs? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, while Pell Grants are still not available to low-income students for very short-term credentials such as eight-week vocational programs, the question is why not? One angle of skepticism for critics of these proposals is whether or not it’s honest […]
How will the NCAA’s new rules for athletes’ personal monetization affect college enrollment?
How will the NCAA’s new rules for athletes’ personal monetization affect college enrollment? Reported by CNBC, NCAA athletes will now be able to make money off personal endorsements while a college athlete. This is a complete 180-degree turn from the previous policy that prevented athletes from making a dime for their efforts beyond college scholarships, […]

Solving the Middle Skills Gap at Harvard University
powered by Sounder The future of work lies in the modern middle, and higher ed will have to adapt its structures and offerings to be ready for the way work is evolving. How should colleges and universities think about serving and (ideally) credentialing the middle-skills gap? Do we insist on the four-year degrees we’re […]
Are SPACs coming for EdTech?
Are SPACs coming for EdTech? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, these “special purchase acquisition companies” have become popular investment vehicles for private companies, allowing for faster fundraising than the route of an initial public offering. The takeaway? With $2.2 billion dollars in private investment dollars entering into the education market in 2020, will SPACs chase […]
Will technical colleges evolve into 2-year colleges faster than the other way around?
Will technical colleges evolve into 2-year colleges faster than the other way around? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, a bill is up for consideration in Wisconsin allowing the state’s technical schools to offer additional 2-year degrees. But with enrollment halving over the past decade across the University of Wisconsin System’s 2-year schools, these institutions are […]
We’re entering year two of our internship interruption
We’re entering year two of our internship interruption. Reported by Higher Ed Dive, 38% of students saw their internship or post-graduate job cancel due to the pandemic last year, unsure if remote internships could work – if it could be a positive experience for both parties. And even today, employers seem to still be unsure […]
ZOOM hands back free speech to colleges
ZOOM is handing back free speech to colleges. Reported by Higher Ed Dive, ZOOM has announced a change in policy which gives institutions more control over the virtual events they host on their platform. This policy change was spurred after ZOOM canceled the virtual events at several colleges because of their conflicts with the respective […]
Michigan’s free college plan for frontline workers draws 120,000 applicants
Michigan’s free college plan for frontline workers has seen massive interest. Reported by Higher Ed Dive, more than 120,000 applicants have come in for Michigan’s Future for Frontliners program, designed to provide free tuition after aid for working adults. All of this stems from Michigan’s Sixty by 30 initiative, designed to make 60% of the […]

The Learners First Framework
powered by Sounder The future is inevitable. Holding our collective breath and waiting for things to return to normal isn’t an effective strategy for facing that future. In fact, the changes we need to make are going to become more evident and more serious as time passes. How do we better meet the needs of […]
UNCC is closing the degree completion gap within financial populations
UNCC is closing the degree completion gap between financial populations. Reported by Higher Ed Dive, for the vast majority of stop-outs and drop-outs, their decision is almost always a financial one. So when UNC Charlotte shrinks the gap in 6-year graduation rate between Pell Grant recipients and not from 14.1% to 3%, it’s time to […]
One step closer to Arizona Starbucks University
We’re getting one step closer to Arizona Starbucks University. Reported by Higher Ed Dive, the ASU-Starbucks Center for the Future of the People and the Planet will open later this year on Arizona State University’s campus. This research and innovation lab will specifically focus on testing out sustainable and plant-based offerings, specifically within the nine […]
3,000 personalized acceptance videos from the president of West Texas A&M
How can colleges stand out in an increasingly commoditized higher ed? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, West Texas A&M president Walter Wendell recorded 3,000 personalized congratulations videos to admitted students designed to improve their yield. The takeaway? In an incredibly competitive higher ed market, bold moves like this are required to stand out. I can’t […]
The institutions that stayed open benefited the most last year
Why is St. Norbert College on track for their biggest enrollment year ever? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, perhaps it’s because they stayed open in-person all throughout last year? There were seemingly large risks in that decision. But a year of “normalized” student experience? Campus visit opportunities remaining open throughout the year? Those ended up […]
Will the $10k degree change higher ed?
Will the $10k degree change higher ed? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, Southern Utah University’s $9k bachelor’s in general studies designed for degree completion students attracted 111 students for the pilot this past fall, with hopes of eventually enrolling several thousand students. But any more than that and Southern Utah administrators believe it couldn’t scale […]

Fully Embracing the Flipped Classroom
powered by Sounder The flipped classroom has existed as an organized model for nearly two decades. It’s not a fad. It’s not fading into the wallpaper. It’s not disappearing from the academy. In fact, the flipped classroom was beautiful preparation for the direction higher ed is taking post pandemic. From now on, we’re not going […]
Gates Foundation proposes a new framework for determining college value
The Gates Foundation has proposed a new metric for determining college value. Reported by EdSurge, the new framework is designed to determine: after 10 years of earning a college degree, whether or not the graduate’s earning power is better than a high school graduate’s, plus able to recoup the cost of college; at or above […]
Valdosta State is creating an online college designed to compete with the national players
Valdosta State University is creating an online college designed to compete with the national players. Reported by Higher Ed Dive, offering eight bachelor’s degrees costing $299 per credit hour puts it 10% more affordable than Southern New Hampshire University and 33% more affordable than University of Phoenix. The takeaway? So Valdosta State is obviously going […]
Has the test-optional trend help student underrepresentation?
Has the test-optional trend helped student underrepresentation? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, proponents of test-optional admissions for equity reasons are celebrating a new study published in the American Educational Research Journal, suggesting a 10-12% increase in first-time enrollment from underrepresented minority students in the first few years after a college moves to test-optional admissions. The […]
Students’ fall uncertainty is coming from us telling them to wait
For many students, their fall college uncertainty comes from us telling them to wait. Reported by Inside Higher Ed, the perfect storm of test-only admissions, more students than ever applying to selective colleges, and colleges not knowing how to precisely forecast for an uncertain fall has created a new ‘waitlist generation’. The takeaway? 40% of […]
While the nation’s alcohol consumption rose during the pandemic, our students’ actually decreased
While the nation’s alcohol consumption rose during the pandemic, our students’ actually decreased. Reported by Inside Higher Ed, students aged 19 and older who changed residences during the pandemic reported a 49% reduction in their drinking last year, compared to a 21% reduction among students who maintained their residence. The takeaway? Less parties? Less drinking? […]

A $1 Million XPRIZE Is Coming to Education Research
powered by Sounder Many people know about the XPRIZE, which is designed to incentivize moonshot innovations (literally in some cases), but they may not know that the XPRIZE has now come to and for education. Mark Schneider, Director of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), joined the Enrollment Growth University podcast to discuss the $1 […]
Does back to normal mean faculty training can stop?
Does back to normal mean faculty training can stop? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, our institutions put a massive focus on online pedagogy training this past year. But if we’re moving back to in-person next year, can we stop? Or is our faculty’s proficiency as educators, not merely subject matter experts, the singular difference in […]
Did we sell any undergrads on long-term online education last year?
Did we sell any undergrads on long-term online education last year? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, a new survey from Maguire Associates suggests that a majority of first-year college prospects would still prefer fall classes be held face-to-face. And nearly half of transfer students still want in-person instruction this fall, after only 70% self-reporting to […]
The most selective schools got even more selective’r this year
The most selective schools got even more selective’r this year Reported by Inside Higher Ed, despite a very difficult enrollment year in the aggregate for higher education, many of the most selective institutions had their highest app years ever. This is partially because the test-optional policy from COVID’s interference with SAT and ACT test taking […]
New Jersey’s ambitious plan to get 65% of their working-age adults a credential by 2025
New Jersey has an ambitious plan to get 65% of their working-age adults a credential by 2025. Reported by Higher Ed Dive, more than just fingers-crossed wishful thinking, New Jersey has developed a partnership with non-profit course provider, Modern States, to provide “freshman year for free”, allowing students to complete the self-paced courses and then […]
Will Florida start surveying students on their perceived freedom of speech?
Will Florida start surveying students on their perceived freedom of speech? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, Florida’s legislature has approved a bill requiring their state’s public colleges to administer an annual survey designed to gauge student and staff perceptions regarding their own freedom of expression. The takeaway? While many argue the bill is redundant to […]

Will Higher Ed Win the Adult Upskilling Game?
powered by Sounder Becky Klein-Collins, Vice President of Impact at CAEL, joined the Enrollment Growth University podcast to discuss whether or not “college” is the most obvious opportunity for adults to upskill today, and whether or not it deserves to be. The Current Dismal Job Market for Non-college Graduates The pandemic revealed that people with […]
Surprise. Faculty don’t approve of their own consolidation.
Surprise. It turns out faculty don’t like the idea of their own institutions becoming consolidated. Reported by Higher Ed Dive, nearly 70% of faculty within Pennsylvania’s state system don’t approve of the plan to consolidate their six institutions into two, despite enrollment within the six having trended downward over the past decade. The takeaway? Getting […]
High-income students are the most likely to complete their FAFSA
High-income students are the most likely to complete their FAFSA. Reported by Higher Ed Dive, a new EAB survey shows that 80% of high school seniors have now completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). But of those 20% who haven’t, the share of those being low-income students is double that of high-income […]
Will the pandemic expedite college closures or provide a federal relief life raft?
Will the pandemic expedite college closures or provide a federal relief life raft? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, prior to the pandemic, many experts were predicting an onslaught of college closures. And despite one of the roughest enrollment years in recent history due to the pandemic, less than a dozen nonprofit institutions have closed their […]
Does the flipped classroom model over-estimate students’ self-motivation?
Does the flipped classroom model over-estimate students’ self-motivation? Reported by EdSurge, the flipped classroom assumes we live in a world where information is abundant and largely free. And in that world, our professors need not be the gatekeepers of the knowledge itself, but of the application and learning processes. And therefore, couldn’t we save a […]

Guaranteed Income Insurance Upon Graduation
powered by Sounder For most people, college is a very, very good bet — the best thing they can do with their money. The problem is that any individual is not the average. Wade Eyerly, CEO and Co-Founder at Degree Insurance, joined the Enrollment Growth University podcast to talk about incentivizing prospective students with a […]
American colleges don’t negotiate with terrorists. We simply pay them off.
Americans don’t negotiate with terrorists. Unless we’re American colleges, and just think paying them off is easier. Reported by Higher Ed Dive, cybersecurity targets on colleges have become increasingly aggressive, with attacks having doubled between 2019 and 2020, costing colleges nearly a half million dollars on ransom pay out on average. While some institutions like […]
Will other colleges follow Rutger’s vaccine mandate?
Will other colleges follow Rutger’s vaccine mandate? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, Rutgers University was the first institution to announce a vaccine requirement for students to be able to return to campus this fall. While requiring vaccination for on-campus learning is common at most institutions, COVID-19 vaccines are only approved by the FDA under an […]

Could the Humanities Separate our STEM Degree Programs from Bootcamps?
powered by Sounder Dr. Anne-Marie Núñez, Professor of Educational Studies at The Ohio State University, joined the Enrollment Growth University podcast to talk about the ethical questions our society asks STEM technologists to determine for us today, and whether or not they have the global citizenship awareness to answer them well. What kind of people […]
Will higher ed restructure around a learners-first framework?
Will higher ed restructure around a learners-first framework? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, The Presidents Forum composed of college and university presidents and chancellors has developed 10 guiding principles for reinventing higher education, including a focus on learner objectives, an embrace of lifelong learning, and signaling through skills. The takeaway? It feels like higher ed […]
Will state relief money prioritize college-employer partnerships?
Will state relief money prioritize college-employer partnerships? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, California’s new budget includes nearly $49 billion in higher education investment, including $1 billion to establish a career development program to link campuses with employers. The takeaway? This is our chance, higher ed friends. We’ve seen some healthy strides in the last handful […]
Is a new XPrize the solution for finding new higher ed innovation?
Is a new XPrize the solution for finding new higher ed innovation? Reported by EdSurge, while giant prize contests have been successful in accelerating innovation in other industries such as commercial space flight, will those same incentives work in the higher education learning sciences? The U.S. Dept. of Education’s new Digital Learning Challenge XPrize is […]
Is there room for VR in higher ed’s future?
Is there room for VR in higher ed’s future? Reported by EdSurge, from Oculus, Google Glass, and Pokemon Go, the fad of virtual and augmented reality has always felt promising, but has yet to achieve super deep mainstream status. And with the past year’s push to online education and many witnessing both the pros and […]
What does Coursera going public mean for its growth plans?
What does Coursera going public mean for its growth plans? Reported by EdSurge, raising $250 million at more than a $3.6 billion valuation implies massive growth hopes for the company that already serves 77 million registered learners. But how to scale? Because currently they only work with 150 selective colleges and universities, and seem to […]

Solving the Academic Integrity Problem in Higher Ed
* powered by Sounder We’ve known about the cheating problem in higher education for years. But thanks to the proliferation of academic resource sites on the internet, it’s getting worse. And all the plagiarism-checking tools in the world don’t seem to be holding back the tide. How can we solve the academic integrity problem […]
Work as a pathway to college?
Historically, students have chosen college as a pathway to work. But is that script starting to flip? Reported by EdSurge, more and more people are able to say, “I studied IT at Google.” “I studied computer science at IBM.” “I studied marketing at Hubspot.” There is a parallel credential track and pathway on the employer […]
California’s plan to increase in-state graduation rates
California’s plan to increase in-state graduation rates? Let their community colleges offer more bachelor’s degrees. Reported by Higher Ed Dive, new California bills look to expand the number and options of bachelor’s degrees offered by community colleges (contingent on them not overlapping with public university offerings). The goals here are to provide more affordable bachelor’s […]
Will Kansas set the precedent for a full 2020 pandemic tuition refund?
Will Kansas set the precedent for a full 2020 pandemic tuition refund? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, Kansas state lawmakers are promoting a proposal that would require public institutions to refund half of student’s tuition dollars for any instructional days made virtual due to the pandemic, estimated at more than $150 million dollars. The takeaway? […]
Should higher education be badging our soft skills?
What if our credentials aren’t enough to convince employers that our students have strong soft skills? Because 40% of recruiters believe employers aren’t, according to a 2019 Ellucian survey. Reported by Higher Ed Dive, the non-profit Education Design Lab has launched a new microcredentials platform that allows colleges and universities to badge their soft skills, […]
Will Engageli win the higher ed ZOOM wars?
Will Engageli win the higher ed ZOOM wars? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, Engageli raised $33 million in funding in their Series A round, bringing their total funding raised up to $47 million. While many companies are building higher ed-specific functionality on top of the ZOOM platform, Engageli is a standalone platform and competitor to […]
The spring semester has continued higher ed’s enrollment slide
The spring semester has continued higher ed’s enrollment slide. Reported by Higher Ed Dive, undergraduate enrollment fell 3.3% compared to last spring, which fell 1.1% from the pre-pandemic year prior. Those hit hardest? Community college enrollment with a 10% decline year-over-year – institutions who specifically serve the students from families likely hardest hit economically from […]

Preparing for a Facebook Performance Drop Off
powered by Sounder Alison Zeringue, Director of Account Management at Search Influence, joined the Enrollment Growth University podcast to discuss the broader trends we’ve been seeing from both tech companies and advertising platforms towards both user and data privacy, and how higher ed marketing teams need to respond to Apple’s iOS 14.5 update. Trends Toward […]
Which institutions will mandate COVID vaccinations prior to returning to campus?
Which institutions will mandate COVID vaccinations prior to returning to campus? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, Rutgers University announced their plans to require students to be vaccinated for COVID prior to returning to campus this fall. While there is a lot of precedent for this kind of decision, the lack of long-tail studies on this […]
Arizona’s community colleges can now offer 4-year bachelor’s degrees
Arizona’s community colleges can now offer 4-year bachelor’s degrees. Reported by Higher Ed Dive, if the community college can demonstrate how the 4-year program meets current workforce needs and existing student demand not solved for by other four-year colleges, they will now be eligible for approval. This brings the total to about two dozen states […]
Southern Utah University launches the $9,000 degree
Reported by Higher Ed Dive, while many universities are trying to figure out the $10,000 degree, Southern Utah University just released a $9,000 one. President Scott Wyatt is looking to offer this general studies degree completion bachelor’s at-cost in alignment to their mission of social mobility. To keep costs low, the degree has a very […]
What could a fully remote faculty workforce look like?
What could a fully remote faculty workforce look like? Reported by EdSurge, due to the pandemic’s push away from in-person courses, that begs the question of where our faculty need to be to teach them? Will the market dynamics of adjunct and full-time faculty change even further? Will institutions start hiring highly-acclaimed adjuncts to teach […]

New Ways to Demonstrate Student ROI
powered by Sounder More than half of all college students say, “My institution only cares about the money it can get from me.” And 80% of students say they’re concerned about getting a job — any type of job — when they graduate. A fourth of students believe a 4-year degree is the only route […]
Will the rise of esports further our college sports gender gap?
Will the rise of esports further our college sports gender gap? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, while the surging popularity of esports has been an absolutely fascinating cross-disciplinary and athletic story, recent analysis from the Associated Press shows that 88% of scholarships for college esports programs are going to male students, with 90% of the […]
College’s due diligence responsibilities regarding student admissions fraud?
What are a college’s due diligence responsibilities in sniffing out admissions fraud from incoming students? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, individuals were recently indicted for helping international students gain “guaranteed” admission to selective colleges in exchange for thousands of dollars in fees. These fees paid for essays, doctored transcripts, fill-in takers for TOEFL and SAT […]
Life expectancy data provides a new morbid higher ed value prop
New life expectancy data provides a new morbid higher ed value prop. Reported by Inside Higher Ed, a college degree is now a better indicator of life expectancy than race. And a 25-year old American adult with a bachelor’s degree now has a 3.1 years longer life expectancy than those without a degree. The takeaway? […]
650,000 of our higher ed colleagues lost their jobs last year
650,000 of our higher ed colleagues lost their jobs last year. Reported by Inside Higher Ed, colleges and universities have cut 13% of their workforce since last year, aligned closely with the 14% decline experienced in institutional revenue. The takeaway? Many of these jobs were likely on-campus roles. And as we start to move back […]
Will Biden make community college free?
Will Biden make community college free? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, President Biden unveiled his $109 billion plan for tuition-free community college. In this plan, many states will be provided $3 in federal funding for every $1 they commit in state funding to make the first two years of community college tuition free for the […]
SNHU just bought a bootcamp
Southern New Hampshire University just bought a coding bootcamp. Reported by Higher Ed Dive, SNHU has acquired boot camp provider, Kenzie Academy. Back in 2015, SNHU announced a partnership with Flatiron School to combine their degree program with a bootcamp curriculum and apprenticeship. But now, they’re apparently planning to integrate the bootcamp model more directly […]
Is higher ed going to win the adult upskilling game?
Is higher ed going to win the adult upskilling game? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, nearly half of all Americans between the ages of 25-64 don’t have a postsecondary credential. At the same time, the pandemic fast-forwarded a whole lot of employer changes, including comfortability with remote and outsourced employees. More and more of these […]

Effectively Utilizing Your Alumni’s Social Capital
powered by Sounder In a 2018 Strada-Gallup Alumni Survey, only 9% of college graduates said their alumni network was helpful or very helpful in navigating the job market. That statistic comes from a group of people who thought they were getting access to a valuable network of graduates when they enrolled in their college. How […]
Did our campus improvement plans reset with COVID?
Did our campus improvement plans reset with COVID? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, many of our priority campus improvement plans before COVID are likely at the back of the line today. And even very recent builds are being looked at as problematic today if they don’t have state of the art HVAC systems or prioritize […]
Do the humanities need saving or storytelling?
Do the humanities need saving or storytelling? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, humanities departments across higher ed have been suffering from declining enrollments. And yet some departments are growing through creative strategies such as student ambassadors for the department, cross-university partnerships, events and takeovers of shared campus spaces, and advertising the outcomes of their alumni […]
Does education faddism prevent us from focusing on good teaching?
Does education faddism prevent us from focusing on good teaching? Reported by EdSurge, we’re always on the lookout for the silver bullet to make education better, cheaper and more scalable? Can self-paced solve everything? Can adaptive learning solve everything? And while these pursuits toward the 10x’ing of higher education are likely extraordinarily important, do they […]
Coding bootcamps won’t teach our students to be good citizens
What if coding bootcamps don’t teach our students to be good citizens, too? Reported by EdSurge, the morality of our technology and AI are starting to come into question. With wrongful arrests from facial recognition software, using surveillance monitoring in certain areas of the city and not others, and more being called into question. The […]

Driving Social Mobility at Dominican University
powered by Sounder Higher education likes to think of itself as an engine of social mobility. But how deeply do we actually believe it? Sure, mountains of data support what a degree can do for a student, especially a student who comes from a less-privileged background. Historically, though, we’ve valued things like SAT scores that […]
Are students becoming increasingly hesitant to engage in discourse?
Are students becoming increasingly hesitant to engage in discourse? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, a survey from Heterdox Academy found that 60% of students were hesitant to talk with classmates and professors about certain issues in the six weeks leading up to the 2020 election. This hesitancy differed based on the student’s own political affiliation. […]
K12 Catholic student enrollment decline affecting the Catholic college pipeline
The decline in K12 catholic student enrollment is negatively affecting the Catholic college pipeline as well. Reported by Inside Higher Ed, Roman Catholic K12 enrollment declined by 6.4% this fall, the largest annual drop in the past 50 years. The strongest feeders for our catholic colleges and universities? These very K12 catholic schools. The takeaway? […]
Are our students data points or data users?
Are our students data points or data users? Reported by EdSurge, higher ed is getting more and more savvy about using data to improve the student experience, optimize the enrollment process, and maximize revenue. But should we be the only ones using this data, or should we be transparently empowering our students to see and […]
Looking back at our low evaluation scores from our emergency remote teaching
Looking back, what can we learn from the low evaluation scores we received from our students from our emergency remote teaching? Reported by EdSurge, the vast majority of student dissatisfaction from our emergency remote learning last spring and summer came from higher ed’s slow learning curve on how different the online classroom needed to be […]

The Why Behind Our Students’ Financial Dropouts
powered by Sounder Amy Glynn, Vice President of Student Financial Success at CampusLogic, joined the Enrollment Growth University podcast to discuss new research on the financial reasons students are actually dropping out of college, and how we can create award letters that make sure we’re communicating our financial offer as clearly as possible. What’s Wrong […]
Will new COVID variants impact college re-opening plans?
Will new COVID variants impact college re-opening plans? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, while the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine success rates put college re-opening plans in hyperdrive, three new variants are creating concern that we may re-open too early. The takeaway? While we don’t yet fully understand these vaccines’ effectiveness against these new variants, college […]

The First 1-Million Student University
powered by Sounder Every year for the last decade, the number of degree-seeking students in the U.S. has fallen. In 2021, we’re down 2.5 million enrollees from our peak. But that doesn’t mean people have stopped learning or that some universities aren’t thriving. Coursera claims 76 million learners are enrolled on its platform, and at its […]
Do income share agreement models de-risk students or institutions?
Do income share agreement models de-risk students or institutions? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, many institutions are experimenting with income share agreements, and many of the same are reporting positive early feedback. But for many of these pilots, their ISAs are granted exclusively to high-achieving students, and these aren’t necessarily the students we’re trying to […]
Has your institution been ransomwared yet?
Has your institution been ransomwared yet? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, the University of California San Franscisco School of Medicine paid hackers $1.14 million in ransom to prevent the release of data, with ransomware attacks costing institutions an average of $447,000 in 2020. And a recent BlueVoyant study of 30 institutions reported that all 30 […]
Are our grads getting better at speaking about their skills?
Are our graduates getting better at speaking about their skills to their prospective employers? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, much has been said about the disconnect between the education higher ed is providing and the skills employers are looking for. But a new survey from the Association of American Colleges and Universities reports that 87% […]
Higher ed was making serious degree completion progress pre-pandemic
A quick reminder that pre-pandemic, higher ed was making some serious degree completion progress. Reported by Higher Ed Dive, the total population aged 25 and over with at least a bachelor’s degree rose from 28% in 2009 to 32% by 2019. Students who identified as black, native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander? They increased their degree attainment […]
Colleges move their swag toward eco-conscious social-good swag
Some colleges are moving away from traditional swag toward eco-conscious social-good swag for a socially conscious generation of students. Reported by Higher Ed Dive, The University of Puget Sound has shifted their $25k budget for admitted student swag toward letting their admitted students determine what local charities should receive the funds instead, setting an expectation […]
Virginia launches tuition-free community college for in-demand fields
Virginia launches tuition-free community college for in-demand fields. Reported by Higher Ed Dive, Virginia governor Ralph Northam signed legislation designating that for low and middle-income students, degree programs targeting in-demand fields such as healthcare, computer science, and early childhood education will be tuition-free. The takeaway? While the Biden presidency has pledged for even more ambitious […]

Self-Service Enrollment Platforms for Post-Traditional Students
powered by Sounder When COVID hit, almost all our students became post-traditional learners almost overnight. This transformation revealed a lot about the student experience. At many schools, degree-seekers — especially non-traditional students — find themselves coping with multiple systems and departments that may not speak to each other. What would it take to create a […]
Will Biden’s $100 billion broadband plan solve rural student college access?
Will Biden’s $100 billion broadband plan solve rural student college access? Reported by Vox, included in President Biden’s 2 trillion dollar American Jobs infrastructure proposal includes $100 billion designed to provide all Americans with affordable high-speed internet access. The takeaway? With 30 million Americans currently without access to any broadband, let alone affordable broadband, the […]
Making sure Course Hero doesn’t become college’s villain?
How can we make sure Course Hero doesn’t become college’s villain? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, Embry-Riddle University created a search engine to help their professors identify proprietary course materials uploaded to Course Hero, including homework assignments, quizzes, and tests, by students to help other students study. So far, this search engine has found 237,293 […]
Are online textbooks here to stay?
Are online textbooks here to stay? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, while last year marked a massive uptick in online education, what about online textbooks? A full 62% of faculty used ebooks this past academic year, up from 53% the year prior. The takeaway? Nearly half of students still prefer print course materials according to […]
College endowment returns underperformed last year, too
College endowment returns underperformed last year, too, returning only 1.8% year-over-year. Reported by Inside Higher Ed, while enrollment revenue suffered significantly across higher ed this past academic year, most college endowments also didn’t benefit from the tech stock market rally from last year, since higher ed endowments are more broadly invested in bonds and other […]
How determinant was our attitude going into COVID on our outcomes?
How determinant was our attitude going into COVID on our outcomes? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, a new study out of the University of Augsburg and the University of Manheim surveyed faculty attitudes going into their transition to remote instruction, and compared it against student ratings of their teaching quality. It turns out that the […]
Preparing for a post-vaccination fall on our college campuses
What will a post-vaccination fall look like on our college campuses? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, the University of Wisconsin System is planning to hold 75% of their classes on-campus in person this fall, down only slightly from the 80% that were held in-person pre-pandemic. Is that too optimistic of a game plan? The takeaway? […]
The downsides of ‘find yourself’ messaging from colleges
What are the downsides of our ‘find yourself’ messaging we tell our students? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, while many colleges brand themselves as the place where students learn autonomy and self-discovery, the “hands-off” implication of that story may be precisely the wrong message for first-generation students who may need more help finding themselves in […]

The State of Continuing Education, 2021
powered by Sounder Amrit Ahluwalia, Editor in Chief of The EvoLLLution (an online publication founded by Modern Campus), joined the podcast to talk about the results from their State of CE survey addressing the gap between what modern learners want and what higher education actually offers. When asked by researchers from the Strada Network, 68% of adults […]
Will Duolingo surpass TOEFL as the standard for international student’s English testing?
Will Duolingo surpass TOEFL as the standard for our international student’s English testing? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, in the past 2 years, Duolingo has gone from their English language test being accepted by dozens of institutions up to more than 3,000 colleges today. In response, ETS, the maker of the TOEFL test, has released […]
Has online proctoring kept up with this past year’s leap in online education?
Has online proctoring kept up with this past year’s leap in online education? Reported by EdSurge, students used to having built-in proctors with their in-person classes are now experiencing new opportunities and temptations to cheat they may never have had before. And professors are seeing cheating skyrocketing as a result, with a majority of students […]
Are most colleges underutilizing their alumni?
Are most colleges effectively utilizing their alumni? Reported by EdSurge, most colleges are great at asking alumni for their money, but not themselves – for mentorship, advice and experiential learning opportunities. And yet, it’s hard to know which would actually be more valuable. While an estimated half of jobs come through networks and connections, only […]
Are anonymous apps a bastion of free speech, troll city, or both?
Are anonymous apps a bastion of free speech, troll city, or both? Reported by EdSurge, you may remember Yik Yak’s short-lived life on college campuses back between 2014-2017. Some academic researchers point to most of the conversation on that anonymous app as mundane or even helpful places for people to share struggles about taboo subjects […]
Are we graduating the most expensive and least skilled prospects for the modern workforce?
New college graduates may have been impacted more than anyone during the pandemic from a job market perspective. Reported by EdSurge, new Burning Glass data has found a decreasing number of entry-level jobs that required a degree. Therefore, these new college graduates are sidelined along with workers who have much more experience than they do. […]
Are Google’s Career Certificates a Threat to Higher Ed?
Are Google’s career certificates a threat to higher education? Reported by Inc., Google has released several new certificate programs on the Coursera platform, including data analytics, UX design, and project management. Each promising the skillset required for entry-level opportunities in high-demand fields, in only 6 months of part-time study, and for a total of $240 […]
Students now have 1,000,000 different credentials to earn
Our students now have 1,000,000 different credentials they can earn. Reported by Higher Ed Dive, the latest count from non-profit Credential Engine puts the number of unique credentials, including degrees, certificates and badges students can earn in the U.S. over a million. Of these, more than 550,000 are from non-academic non-degree granting organizations, providing badges, […]
Studying the incentives for in-person college openings
What were the incentives for in-person openings this past fall? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, a new working paper from College Crisis Initiative (C2i) out of Davidson College shows a significant correlation between those private nonprofit colleges with large international student populations and their propensity to open in-person this past fall. Not opening would not […]

Building New Transfer Pathways for Higher Education
powered by Sounder When a student needs to pick up a course to graduate early or meet admissions criteria, what are their options? Beyond taking an expensive and time-consuming course in a traditional or online format, of course. It’s a problem that StraighterLine set out to solve. Dr. Amy Smith, Chief Learning Officer at StraighterLine, […]
What do institutions do with a $20 million surprise gift?
What do institutions do with a $20 million surprise gift? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, Mackenzie Scott, former partner of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, gave $800 million of gifts in total to 42 different colleges and universities last year, many of those ones often overlooked by mega-donors – more than half which were historically black […]

Embodied Instruction Research at University of California, Santa Barbara
powered by Sounder What’s the best way to support student learning and instructional development to produce meaningful learning? It’s a question a lot of us are taking more seriously than ever after the events of 2020. Dr. Andrew Stull, Associate Project Scientist at University of California, Santa Barbara, joined the Enrollment Growth University podcast to […]
When will our first 1-million student university arrive?
When will our first 1-million student university arrive? Reported by Forbes, Brandon Busteed, President of University Partners at Kaplan is not only pitching but questioning why elite universities haven’t gotten here already. With enrollment in degree-seeking programs having decreased in each of the last 10 years, it is hard to imagine a reverse on this […]
Is the HyFlex model higher ed’s future?
Is the HyFlex model higher ed’s future? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, the hybrid-flexible model allows students to participate online or in-person as they please, per their schedule and preference. The ultimate in flexibility, it also requires two simultaneous modality setups for each and every class. Yet, many of our education systems have been experimenting […]
Will getting to herd immunity at our colleges be more difficult than we think?
Will getting to herd immunity at our colleges be more difficult than we think? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, a recent survey from College Pulse shows that only 7 out 10 undergraduates believe that their college can force them to get vaccinated in order to attend. And with 1/3 of all students surveyed concerned about […]
Will our newfound agility remain after the pandemic?
Will our newfound agility remain after the pandemic? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, Florida International University President Mark Rosenberg’s pandemic playbook became one of flexibility and creativity. And while in this world of partial chaos, he admits that managing the expectations of so many different stakeholders can be extraordinarily difficult, the benefits of improvisational thinking […]
Pandemic marketing helps the institutions doing the most creative digital work
Has pandemic marketing hurt and helped certain institutions more than others? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, the institutions with the strongest brand marketing presence pre-pandemic may not have translated to a digital-exclusive pandemic environment. But for those who already had a strong digital presence? Those who were already used to online admissions events? Those who […]
1/3 of students seeking campus counseling are doing so because of the pandemic
1/3 of students seeking campus counseling are doing so because of the pandemic. Reported by Inside Higher Ed, a new report by the Center for Collegiate Mental Health, which includes survey data from 50,000 students who visited 1 of 143 campus counseling centers during the previous academic team, shows that 33% of these visitors sought […]

Parents Learn Free at Holy Names University
powered by Sounder College students learning virtually are motivating their parents to go back to school, creating an even larger trend toward multi-generational simultaneous attendance. How can we create initiatives that serve and support these learners? Dr. Sheila Smith McKoy, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Holy Names University, joined the Enrollment Growth […]
Is getting back to normal dependent on our student’s willingness to vaccinate?
Is getting back to normal dependent on our student’s willingness to vaccinate? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, a new College Pulse survey suggests that 75% of students will be getting the coronavirus vaccine as soon as its made available to them. But what does that 25% left mean? Will institutions require students vaccinate to return […]
D.C. Leads the Nation in Student Debt
D.C. leads the nation in student debt Reported by Inside Higher Ed, by the end of 2020, the average loan balance in the District of Columbia was $54,982, with a full 16% of the D.C. population sitting with an outstanding student loan. This compares to North Dakota’s average student loan balance coming in at about […]
What do 5G and 10G mean for the future of online education?
What do 5G and 10G mean for the future of online education? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, this pandemic brought to light the broadband access issues we still have across the country affecting so many of our students. And so, while 5G and 10G offer the promise of incredible data collection and interactivity, just making […]
Telling students college is worth it isn’t enough
Telling students college is worth it isn’t enough. Reported by EdSurge, the statistic that students with a bachelor’s degree earn 84% in their lifetime than those who don’t is likely on almost every college’s website. Yet the overwhelmingly quantitative stories alone don’t seem to be enough to rid the growing questioning of the ROI of […]
Do colleges owe their students an apology?
Do colleges owe their students an apology? Reported by EdSurge, the pandemic caught the world off-guard and ill-prepared. But does that mean that higher ed shouldn’t take accountability for any of the actions or inactions they’ve made since last March? Perhaps sitting in a financial position of weakness like most colleges are right now, those […]

AI-Empowered Instruction at Duke University
powered by Sounder How do we know precisely what students in our classes have learned? And what they haven’t? Traditional assessments don’t tell us quite enough to create a meaningful feedback loop between students and instructors. But there may be a better way. Jon Reifschneider, Director of Masters Studies, AI for Product Innovation at Duke […]
Columbia University students enter a tuition strike
Columbia University students have entered a tuition strike. Reported by Higher Ed Dive, while the institution froze their undergraduate tuition for this academic year during the pandemic at $61,000 a year, the highest private tuition in the country, students are demanding systemic changes to institutional policy, including a 10% tuition reduction, a 10% increase in […]
Is our test-optional emergency plan becoming test-optional permanent?
Is our test-optional emergency plan becoming test-optional permanent? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, Colorado lawmakers have introduced a bill which would remove the requirement for public colleges to use a national assessment score, such as the ACT or SAT, from their admissions criteria altogether. Popularized over the past five years by institutions who looked into […]
How to ensure our graduates get jobs non-grads can’t
How can we ensure that our graduates get jobs that non-graduates can’t? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, a new report by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York shows that 41% of recent college graduates work in jobs that don’t require a degree. Which begs the question, is our curriculum truly preparing students for success […]

How Guided Pathways Can Reduce a Student’s Time and Cost to Completion
powered by Sounder Students enter community colleges at every level of preparedness. Consequently, some degree-seekers have a long way to go before they reach their goal. Those juggling jobs and families along with school often drop out along the way. What’s the solution to the completion problem at community colleges? Dr. Ann Buchele, Vice President […]
The “Common App effect” on enrollment
What is the “Common App Effect” on enrollment? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, with more than 900 institutions now participating in the Common Application, which allows students to complete one application and submit to any participating members, subject to certain additional application fees and supplemental application information. And yet, applications to the largest institutions grew […]
Are demographic trends in higher ed’s favor?
Are demographic trends in higher ed’s favor? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, Nathan D. Grawe’s new book, The Agile College, gives a similarly concerning story about higher ed demographics as his previous treatise, Demographics and the Demand for Higher Education. Now with data projections peeking into the mid-2030s, falling birth rate trends paint a much […]
Parents learn free at Holy Names University
Parents learn free at Holy Names University? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, through HNU’s Parent Promise Program, up to two parents or guardians of enrolled students can register for two free undergraduate courses. While this feels like a really clever marketing campaign, it’s also intended to serve as a real enrollment driver. The takeaway? While […]
New York may provide priority admission to nursing students
New York may provide priority admission to nursing students. Reported by Higher Ed Dive, the pandemic has exacerbated what was already a critical nationwide nursing shortage. Proposed legislation would prioritize licensed RNs for admission into New York’s public colleges. The takeaway? With the pandemic causing nursing instructors to quit their jobs, and with fewer hospitals […]
We are hard-wired toward faces. So what does that mean for online instruction?
We are hard-wired toward faces. How should that inform our pedagogy when designing online courses? Reported by EdSurge, researchers at UC Santa Barbara are testing the theory of embodied instruction, which suggests that students rely on the instructor’s body for cues on where and what to focus their attention. But can the professor also distract […]

Taking Over a Marcomms Division Mid-Pandemic at Miami University of Ohio
powered by Sounder Higher ed is experiencing a crisis most of us have never seen at this scale — the pandemic, its economic fallout, and the amplifying reckoning around racial injustice. For people accepting a new role in the middle of this storm, the times call for unusual leadership skills, perhaps nowhere more than in […]
What does AI-empowered teaching look like?
What does AI-empowered teaching look like? Reported by EdSurge, Duke University’s Jon Reifschneider has been experimenting with artificial intelligence to get a better understanding of exactly where his online students are in terms of understanding with the course curriculum. By identifying topical patterns of common struggle, Jon is able to both spend extra time during […]
When will the credential be worth the same as a degree?
Will the short-term credential ever be worth the same as a degree? Reported by EdSurge, while more and more institutions are building new workforce credentialing pathways, what will make these short-term credentials equal in the eyes of the market? And is there an argument to be made that they might be even more valuable from […]
Will the pandemic finally propel short-term certifications to increased legitimacy?
Will the pandemic finally propel short-term certifications to increased legitimacy? Reported by EdSurge, while to move to skills-based hiring has been a slow one, the speed at which the economy is shifting will force quicker educational solves in order to keep up with the external transformation. And in that world, shorter-term skills training programs and […]
Loan repayment data added to the College Scorecard
Loan repayment data has been added to the College Scorecard. Reported by Inside Higher Ed, students can now see the percentage of student borrowers who fall into different loan repayment statuses after entering repayment. This long asked for brand new addition to the College Scorecard is designed to help better understand real student outcomes as […]
Will for-profit institutions be specifically targeted under a Biden administration?
Will for-profit institutions be specifically targeted under a Biden administration? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, Jason Altmire, President and CEO of Career Education Colleges and Universities has penned an open letter to the Biden Administration, out of concern that past Obama administration rules eliminated by the previous education secretary Betsy DeVos would be reestablished. Included […]
Seeing a Fauci bump in our health science degree programs?
Are we seeing a Fauci bump in our health science degree programs? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, in a world of disappointing higher ed enrollment stories, medical school applications are up 18% year over year. Nursing applications are similarly up 6% year over year. The takeaway? Seeing a public health pandemic, wanting to be a […]
Pitzer college now offers bachelor’s degree pathways for incarcerated citizens
Pitzer College now offers bachelor’s degree pathways for incarcerated citizens. Reported by Inside Higher Ed, Pitzer College’s Inside-Out program is designed to teach incarcerated students in tandem with traditional students who travel to the prison facility to be taught. Available only to those incarcerated students who had already earned an associate’s degree and were scheduled […]

Solving the Rural Student Underrepresentation Problem in Higher Ed
powered by Sounder Dr. Leslie Daugherty, Education Designer at Education Design Lab, joined the Enrollment Growth University podcast to discuss their BRIDGES inaugural cohort and how creating workforce partnership pathways can help solve the rural student underrepresentation problem in higher ed. The Problem of Rural Student Underrepresentation in Higher Ed “As a first- year admission […]
May the best digital recruiters win
May the best digital recruiters win. Reported by Higher Ed Dive, for the college who historically made their class through ACT list buys, direct mail, and lots of travel and events, this year is an entirely new learning curve. And it’s those institutions who had to rely on, and get great at, digital marketing and […]
Can guided pathways help improve our student retention rates?
Can a guided pathways approach help improve our student retention rates? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, this approach has helped Cleveland State Community College increase their retention rate by 8.5% since 2015. This includes structured program mapping and advising support to help students understand exactly what courses they need to take to stay on track, […]

Embedding Industry Certifications into our Degree Programs
powered by Sounder Market certifications have been embedded in community colleges, but we haven’t seen that same level of interest at the bachelor’s degree level. Yet we know that an increasing number of job postings require applicants to hold both a bachelor’s degree and proven skills relevant to that occupation. What is the value in […]
What will help tip people’s trust back toward higher education?
What will help tip people’s trust back toward higher education? Because reported by Higher Ed Dive, higher education has a serious trust issue. With more and more prospective students questioning the price, questioning the value, and questioning whether or not to enroll at all. The College Scorecard was a federal attempt to create both better […]
Will higher ed ever get back the 500,000 students we lost?
Will higher ed ever get back the 500,000 students who didn’t enroll this year due to COVID? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, undergraduate enrollment dropped 3.6% year-over-year, a difference of more than 560,000 students, including a whopping 327,500 fewer first-year students, a 13.1% decrease from the prior year. The takeaway? Many students didn’t see the […]
If the CDC recommends universal testing, can all colleges afford it?
If the CDC recommends universal testing, can all colleges afford it? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, while The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have not yet recommended universal testing, the American College Health Association now recommends colleges and universities should test both students and employees twice a week to manage control over the virus […]
Are last 2-year universities an inevitable evolution of online education growth?
Are last 2-year universities an inevitable evolution of continued online education growth? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, companies like StraighterLine, Outlier, and Coursera have also made venture capital fundraising waves recently to provide students with gen ed classes pre-approved as transfer courses to prominent institutions. The takeaway? For those students who choose online education as […]
Is remote proctoring in real legal danger?
Is remote proctoring in real legal danger? Reported by EdSurge, more than 2,000 parents have signed a letter urging McGraw-Hill to end their relationships with proctoring software company, Proctorio. One critique in this letter that is shared with many AI photo/video identification software programs is the increased difficulty to locate students of color in the […]
The recession came for our flagships, too
The recession came for our flagships, too. Reported by Higher Ed Dive, The University of Vermont is reporting that 27 of their academic programs are on the chopping block due to budget fallouts. The takeaway? With many state universities offering faculty buyouts, and being forced to layoff hundreds of others, short of a big federal […]

How Skillifying Can Make our Institutions More Employer-Friendly
powered by Sounder Kelly Ryan Bailey, Global Skills Evangelist at Emsi, a labor market analytics firm, joined the Enrollment Growth University podcast to talk about forging new partnerships with local employers by creating a shared skills language between us. “Skillifying” Education Employers typically need to move a lot faster than traditional higher education can go. […]
What if employers start recognizing skills, but not degrees?
What if employers start recognizing skills, but not degrees? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, more than 80 member companies including Walmart and General Motors have signed onto Business Roundtable’s new career pathways initiative, specifically designed to improve equity and diversity in the workplace. The takeaway? Our degree programs are only as strong as the employer […]
Will next fall be in-person?
Will next fall be in-person? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, The California State University system has formally announced their plans to be largely in-person next fall, despite being primarily online this spring, hoping to provide students with enough heads-up to be confident in their enrollment decisions as they begin to make them. While the logistical […]
How far ahead of the vaccine line will our faculty be in front of our students?
How far ahead of the vaccine line will our faculty be in front of our students? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, in New York, Oklahoma and Arkansas, college staff are already included in priority groups and currently eligible to receive the vaccine. The takeaway? Are our spring, summer, and fall campus plans contingent on our […]
How have test-optional admission policies affected elite colleges?
How have test-optional admission policies affected elite colleges? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, New York University for instance has already received more than 100,000 applications from first-year students for next fall, a 20% increase from last year, of which NYU will enroll no more than 6,500 of. The takeaway? The decreased hurdle of certain ACT […]
First-year college student rate drops a whopping 22% year-over-year
The rate of high school graduates entering college this fall dropped a whopping 22% year-over-year. Reported by Higher Ed Dive, while all high school groups declined this year, urban, low-income and minority student schools sent even fewer graduates to college, widening already existent enrollment gaps. The takeaway? Not only has the pandemic created an existential […]
Are hate crime reports increasing black student enrollment to HBCUs?
Are hate crime reports increasing black student enrollment to HBCUs? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, a recent paper published by Stanford University’s Center for Education Policy Analysis shows a 20% enrollment increase by first-time black college students at HBCUs in states where hate crime reports have increased since 2016. The takeaway? The political climate of […]
Solving the rural student underrepresentation problem in higher ed
How can we solve for the rural student underrepresentation problem in higher ed? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, five participating rural community colleges will be working with Educational Design Lab over the next five years to determine new educational models and pathways for rural student success through the help of a $1.9 million grant from […]

UC San Diego Delivers 65,000 COVID Tests a Month Via Vending Machine
powered by Sounder The pandemic is changing everything in higher education. How can institutions use their resources to help keep their communities safe? Brett Pollak, Director of Workplace Technology Services at UC San Diego, joined the Enrollment Growth University podcast to talk about using vending machines to create a self-administration protocol for 65,000 COVID tests […]
A new framework for incorporating industry certifications into degree programs?
Do we need a new framework for incorporating industry certifications into degree programs? Reported by Higher Ed Dive, Workcred has partnered with several higher education associations to develop one. This 6-step framework includes creating a common language around credentialing, aligning curriculum with certification content, and identifying how students can share their credentials with employers. The […]
What does a Biden presidency mean for higher ed relief?
What does a Biden presidency mean for higher ed relief? Reported by The Institute for College Access & Success, since the passage of the CARES Act last March, which provided $30.8 billion through its Education Relief Fund, colleges have requested an additional $120 billion in federal aid relief. The takeaway, while the most recent relief […]
How did colleges self-police their COVID testing protocols last fall?
How did colleges self-police their COVID testing protocols last fall? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, survey results from the American College Health Association show that only 37.2% of colleges tested students upon their arrival to campus last fall. The takeaway? Will a new Biden presidency and administration usher in a clearer national strategy on testing […]
COVID compliance enforced by a jury of your student peers?
COVID compliance enforced by a jury of your student peers? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, Rice University’s COVID Community Court is a student-led judiciary responsible for sentencing on COVID non-compliance cases, including fines, community service, and education courses. The takeaway? Is peer-to-peer punishment easier to accept than a top-down system of university rules enforcement? And […]
Why hasn’t Auburn University increased their black student representation?
Why hasn’t Auburn University increased their black student representation? Reported by Inside Higher Ed, while the state of Alabama’s black population represents 26% of all citizens, Auburn University’s black population is only 5%. But despite a task force being assembled in 2015 to address these concerns, which did indeed provide recommendations including intentional recruitment strategies […]

Social Listening for Program Research
powered by Sounder What if you could measure your brand and reputation to better engage with key audiences through data derived from online public conversations? Dr. Liz Gross, CEO at Campus Sonar, joined the Enrollment Growth University podcast to talk about how social listening can be utilized beyond mere brand monitoring exercises, including sophisticated programmatic […]
Could our Teaching Assistants be replaced by AI’s creating AIs?
Could our teaching assistants be replaced with AI’s creating AIs? Reported by EdSurge, historically the cost of building an AI tutoring tool – up to 1,000 faculty hour