MindMaxing: Conversations on Higher Ed
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A podcast dedicated to the past, present, and future of the higher education industry. Featuring in-depth conversations with some of our nation’s higher education leaders.
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5 days ago
Episode #24 | A Conversation with Dr. Mariana Amatullo, Parsons School of Design
*The pandemic presented many barriers to higher education. But it also catalyzed demand for more accessible education. *
*In the latest episode of our MindMaxing Podcast series, “Adolescence to Adulthood,” Lee Maxey speaks with Dr. Mariana Amatullo, Vice Provost for Global Executive Education and Online Strategic Initiatives at Parsons School of Design at The New School (https://execed.newschool.edu/).*
*The pandemic forced many educators to experiment with remote learning for the first time, and while that was challenging, it also sparked innovation. Now, there’s a continued desire for education that is more accessible, especially for learners with complex lives. *
*Dr. Amatullo shares, “We’re seeing an appetite for the flexibility of learning on their own terms and their own time that a hybrid model allows.” *
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Jul 13, 2022
Episode #23 | A Conversation with Mike Flanagan of Mastery Transcript Consortium
*What skills do graduates need to be able to go out into the world?*
*While some education leaders focus solely on getting students to graduate high school, Mike Flanagan, CEO of the Mastery Transcript Consortium, is focused on creating educational pathways that empower graduates even after they’ve collected their diplomas. *
*In the latest episode of our MindMaxing Podcast series, “Adolescence to Adulthood,” Mike discusses how education—from curriculum to assessment to college admissions—is evolving to prepare young people to survive and thrive in a skills-based world. *
*He notes that educators must adapt to teach an essential mix of 21st-century skills, including resilience, the ability to iterate, and how to fail forward. *
*The exciting news is that most educators are up for the challenge.*
*Mike shares, “School has to be different. We have to change how we teach, what we teach, and most importantly, how we assess kids. And what is interesting is that innovation is there. There are literally tens of thousands of school leaders and teachers who are really interested in rethinking all these things.”*
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Jun 27, 2022
Episode #22 | A Conversation with George Irvine, University of Delaware
*As Associate Vice Provost for the Division of Professional and Continuing Studies at the University of Delaware, George Irvine, PhD, is keenly aware that students today ask themselves, **"Why do I need to go to college?"*
*Traditional pathways to higher education are expensive and time-consuming, and even employers are beginning to question the value of a four-year degree. *
*In the latest episode of our MindMaxing Podcast series, "Adolescence to Adulthood," Dr. Irvine notes that a more affordable and flexible education model is needed. The pandemic provided a catalyst for change. *
*According to Dr. Irvine, university leaders are starting to discuss "alternative credentials, stackable badges, digital badges, certificates, and the like. All this nomenclature is basically saying, 'You don't need a four-year period of time. You can make [higher education] shorter, accessible, stackable, and digital.'"*
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Jun 1, 2022
Episode #21 | A Conversation with Anthony Carnevale of Georgetown University
*As Research Professor and Director of the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, Dr. Anthony Carnevale knows the journey adolescents take to adulthood has changed drastically over the last 40 years. *
*Decades ago, a high school education was enough to help a young adult land a job with a living wage. Today, college—if not a secondary degree—is a requirement. *
*In a new episode of our MindMaxing podcast series, “Adolescence to Adulthood,” Dr. Carnevale outlines the political, economic, and social shifts that have made obtaining a college education a necessity—and a challenge—for many students, especially those from lower-income families. *
*He warns, “We’re getting better and better at education and connecting it to labor markets, but it’s being done for the most advantaged kids.”*
*Listen to this fascinating and insightful episode. *
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May 16, 2022
Episode #20 | A Conversation with Rick Dalton of CFES Brilliant Pathways
Rick Dalton, CEO and President of CFES Brilliant Pathways, is committed to helping students overcome obstacles, access educational opportunities, and achieve success in their lives.
While today’s higher education landscape is complex and changing rapidly, Rick notes that students can still take control of their academic destinies.
In the second episode of our MindMaxing podcast series, Adolescence to Adulthood, Rick outlines three crucial steps for ambitious students. His advice is clear: “Get a mentor, think about developing essential skills, and think also about pathways and what it’s going to take to move down your pathway.”
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Apr 28, 2022
Episode #19 | A Conversation with Andy Chan, Wake Forest University
*Andy Chan, VP of Innovation and Career Development at Wake Forest University, knows that being a student in 2022 is a uniquely complicated experience. There are more educational and professional options than ever before. There's also immense societal and cultural pressure to pick the perfect path and flawlessly transition from high school to college to a career. *
* In episode 19 of MindMaxing—the first in the podcast’s second season—Andy urges students to consider education not as a means to an end but as a way to foster the desire to learn and grow over one's lifetime. He says the advice educators, mentors, and parents should give students "is not 'follow your passions'—it's 'follow your interests to **discover **your passions.'"*
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Jun 30, 2021
Episode #18 | A Conversation with Debra Iles, Harvard Kennedy School
Harvard Kennedy School Senior Associate Dean for Executive Education Debra Iles believes that the pandemic has “created the opportunity for us to think differently, to embrace some things that we were perhaps postponing.” Debra and I met virtually for episode 18 of MindMaxing, the final episode in the podcast’s first season, where she reflected on the unique perspective she and her colleagues had throughout the pandemic. Listen to the full episode wherever you find your podcasts or watch it above.
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Jun 23, 2021
Episode #17 | A Conversation with Nancy Coleman, Ed.D., Harvard Extension School
*Harvard University Dean of Division of Continuing Education and University Extension Nancy Coleman, Ed.D., believes creating space for reflection is important, especially in higher education. “If we're truly going to figure out ‘how do we create value for our students?’ … there needs to be some thinking in that. And I found one of the best ways to do that is through connection with my peers, whether it be through UPCEA, or other associations, or other meetings,” Nancy said during our conversation for episode 17 of MindMaxing, our second to last episode of our first season. Listen to the full episode wherever you find your podcasts or watch it above via YouTube.*
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Jun 14, 2021
Episode #16 | A Conversation with John Caron, Excelsior College
*Excelsior College Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs John Caron can see a difference in how colleges and universities are networking since the start of the pandemic. One of the things that Excelsior is doing that John finds interesting is exploring partnership opportunities with other schools, exploring pathways from their non-credit courses and certificates to an Excelsior degree program. “There's an openness maybe as a result of this experience we all went through in 2020 to collaborate and to partner rather than compete with each other,” John said in episode 16 of MindMaxing. Listen to the full episode wherever you find your podcasts or watch it above to hear John’s thoughts on growth opportunities in the face of COVID-19. *
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Jun 8, 2021
Episode #15 | A Conversation with Kim Rutigliano, Southern Methodist University
*Southern Methodist University Managing Director of Global, Online, and Continuing Education Kim Rutigliano is hopeful that the positive shifts colleges and universities went through to make classes accessible due to the pandemic will continue to bring about positive change in the future. “I think, at its best, if we continue on this trajectory, the place that we're leading to is to address issues of access and equity to widen the net of who can attend a college,” Kim said in episode 15 of MindMaxing. Listen to the full episode for her take on what other lessons were learned in the last year.*
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Jun 2, 2021
Episode #14 | A Conversation with Patricia Malone, Stony Brook University
*Stony Brook University Associate Vice President for Professional Education and Assistant Provost for Engaged Learning Patricia Malone joined us for an episode of MindMaxing where she discussed the ways Stony Brook adjusted to COVID-19. From pulling together an army of experts who, virtually overnight, launched dozens of workshops for K-12 teachers to learn best practices in teaching remotely, to developing support systems for students and faculty, Stony Brook worked to support large communities across its campus and the globe as we all adjusted to our new normal. Listen to the full episode above or wherever you get your podcasts.*
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May 25, 2021
Episode #13 | A Conversation with Karen Sibley, Brown University
*Before her retirement earlier this year, former Brown University Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and Dean of the School of Professional Studies Karen Sibley joined MindMax CEO Lee Maxey for episode 13 of MindMaxing. Karen dove into topics like the “crash course” that faculty had to go through to learn the pedagogy for teaching online courses, and her outlook for higher education in the future. She believes that in the next six months, institutions will move away from the idea that there is only one way to do things and that “there will be an embracing of technology in order to do more and serve more effectively in the educational setting.” *
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May 17, 2021
Episode #12 | A Conversation with Melik Khoury, Unity College
*Unity College President Melik Peter Khoury, D.B.A., expects to see significant changes in higher education post-pandemic in the forms of more closures, more mergers, and more overall transformations. “We at Unity College are trying to transform our model to be one that does not talk about innovation, but one that innovates, to design pedagogy and curriculum and pricing specifically for each different type of student, instead of a one-size-fits-all,” Melik said. “That's the exciting thing about the future, is we don't know [how] it's going to end up.” Listen to MindMax CEO Lee Maxey’s conversation with Melik in episode 12 of MindMaxing wherever you find your podcasts.*
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May 11, 2021
Episode #11 | A Conversation with Michael Robertson, Southern Methodist University
*After examining the way Southern Methodist University adapted to the pandemic, Assistant Provost for Global, Online, and Continuing Education Michael Robertson believes a willingness to do two tough things will ensure continued growth in higher education in the long run. “We have to be willing to fail and we have to be willing to be uncomfortable at times, that's just the nature of change,” Michael said during our conversation in episode 11 of MindMaxing, which puts a spotlight on leadership in higher education. *
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May 3, 2021
Episode #10 | A Conversation with Lynne Rosansky, Brandeis University
*In the new, post-COVID-19 world, Brandeis University Rabb School of Continuing Studies Vice President Lynne Rosansky, Ph.D., believes innovation will continue to take shape on and beyond Brandeis University’s campus in terms of its tools and its people. In episode 10 of MindMaxing, Lynne chats with MindMax CEO Lee Maxey and discusses how she envisions the faculty evolving to meet the needs of the students after the pandemic. “I think we will see some really exciting innovation from dedicated faculty [in the long term] who really do want to provide, and know the value of providing, a very amazingly robust and rigorous learning experience to their students,” Lynne said during the conversation. Listen to the full episode wherever you find your podcasts, or watch it above. *
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Apr 26, 2021
Episode #9 | A Conversation with Dave Schejbal, Excelsior College
*For Excelsior College President David Schejbal, Ph.D., the COVID-19 pandemic reminded him just how important the academic experience is and helped him reflect on how it has changed over the years. “I think in many ways, higher education in this country has lost its way over the past couple of decades,” Schejbal said, “because we've gone from talking about the social value and the benefit of higher education and how we help improve people's lives and how we help support the country broadly…And we've reduced a lot of higher education to just a conversation about job training. And in my view, that just isn't what it's about.” Listen to episode nine of MindMaxing to hear how David believes colleges and universities can truly focus on students’ needs as they look ahead to the future.*
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Apr 15, 2021
Episode #8 | A Conversation with Robert Melaragni, Fisher College
*Fisher College Vice President of Enrollment Management Robert “Bob” Melaragni and MindMax CEO Lee Maxey got together (on Zoom) to discuss how COVID-19 has impacted Fisher students, faculty, and staff. As a pioneer in the online learning space, Fisher was well poised to pivot to an online-only model during the pandemic. It also utilized social media platforms and other tools to effectively reach students and their families, and meet their communication expectations. “This prior year has been a good one, a challenging one,” Bob said, “but a good one here at Fisher.” Hear more about how Fisher adapted over the last year and what it plans to do in the coming year in episode 8 of MindMaxing, which you can find wherever you get your podcasts.*
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Apr 14, 2021
Episode #7 | A Conversation with Nami Shukla, San José State University
San José State University Associate Dean for the College of Professional and Global Education Namrata Shukla calls the past year in academia “transformational.” In episode seven of MindMaxing, MindMax CEO Lee Maxey and Namrata, who also goes by Nami, discuss how pivots at SJSU due to COVID-19 have paved the way for positive outcomes, such as the potential for resources to reach more community members, and that students are finding a better work-life balance.
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Apr 7, 2021
Episode #6 | A Conversation with Jerry Rhead, Michigan State University
Looking ahead after a tumultuous year in higher education, Michigan State University Director of Academic Entrepreneurship Gerald “Jerry” Rhead tries to keep a balanced perspective. “A lot of stuff got done in the last year. Some of it great, some of it maybe not so great, but you have an opportunity to look at that from a balanced perspective and say ‘What worked? What do we want to continue to do? How does that benefit our learner?’,” Jerry said in episode six of MindMaxing. Listen to MindMax CEO Lee Maxey’s full conversation with Jerry to hear more about how he believes the University is positioned in the short term to continue building on changes made due to the pandemic, and his overall outlook on the state of higher education.
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Mar 26, 2021
Episode #5 | A Conversation with Sarah Caggiano, Rhode Island School of Design
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Mar 23, 2021
Episode #4 | A Conversation with Dr. Laurel Hogue, University of Central Missouri
An unintended bonus outcome of the pandemic for the University of Central Missouri (UCM) was the re-examination of virtually every area on campus, from grading and admission criteria, to commencement ceremonies (of which they had 10 to accommodate students and families last year). In this episode of MindMaxing, Dr. Laurel Hogue, Vice Provost of Extended Studies at UCM, discusses the evaluation processes and the value of technology with MindMax CEO Lee Maxey.
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Feb 22, 2021
Episode #3 | A Conversation with Kathleen Ehlers, Fisher College
Kathleen Ehlers, Fisher College's Vice President for Online, Graduate and Professional Studies, said 2020 was the hardest year in higher education “to help students in the way they truly need to be helped because of the pandemic.” How did Fisher navigate the challenges presented by COVID-19? Hear more from Kathleen in our third episode of MindMaxing with MindMax CEO Lee Maxey.
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Feb 22, 2021
Episode #2 | A Conversation with John LaBrie, Ed.D., Clark University
For Clark University Dean of School of Professional Studies and Associate Provost for Professional Education, John LaBrie, Ed.D., the most striking thing across the board when he reflects on the last year in higher education, is that no matter a student’s background, the pandemic has been difficult for them on a very personal and heartfelt level. In this episode of MindMaxing, MindMax CEO Lee Maxey and John discuss the impact of COVID-19 on Clark University and dig into John’s outlook for the future of higher education.
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Feb 19, 2021
Episode #1 | A Conversation with J. Kim McNutt - California State University, Dominguez Hills
In our first episode we hear from J. Kim McNutt, Dean of the College of Extended and International Education at California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH). When COVID-19 reached the U.S. in 2020, Kim wasn’t too worried. But when the gravity of the situation became clear, he and his team adapted quickly to meet the needs of students at CSUDH. MindMax CEO Lee Maxey sat down with Kim for a virtual discussion on how agile thinking helped his unit find unpredictable success in an incredibly challenging year.
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