ALP: The Admissions Leadership Podcast

In this special edition, Art Coleman (@ArtColemanDC), managing partner and co-founder of EducationCounsel (and a former Deputy Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights), shares the initial chapters of a playbook admissions officers can follow to move forward with confidence (and care) in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision in SFFA v. Harvard and SFFA v. UNC. We discuss what colleges should (and shouldn't do), what people are getting wrong in their interpretations of the rulings, and what the future might hold. Art provides helpful advice on thoughtful design around scholarships and financial aid programs as well as broader recruitment initiatives, while calling for colleges to use a lens shaped by "a design associated with the DEI goals ... that drive their mission." Read: EducationCounsel's Preliminary Guidance Regarding the U.S. Supreme Court's Decision in SFFA v. Harvard and SFFA v. UNC. (with ongoing updates) Many thanks to the National Association for College Admission Counseling for supporting this podcast through the NACAC Podcast Network. Theme music arranged by Ryan Anselment.

Season Finale: Dr. Joffery Gaymon, Vice President for Enrollment at Auburn University, shares what it's like (and what it takes) to make the jump to one of the biggest roles at one of the most recognizable institutions in the U.S. She shares the essential and timeless tools to keep in your toolbox, whatever your ambitions may be, as well as how to keep yourself focused and grounded as the work gets tougher. (And there may be a reference to teaching spin classes.) Rapid Descent Walkout sonsSpecialBest recent readCampus Economics: How Economic Thinking Can Help Improve College and University DecisionsSam WatersonRHBEager to read next: Favorite podcastUnreformed: the Story of the Alabama Industrial School for Negro ChildrenFavorite thing to make in the kitchen: What she uses to take and keep notesMemorable bit of adviceBucket list: Theme music arranged by Ryan Anselment. Many thanks to the National Association for College Admission Counseling for supporting this podcast through the NACAC Podcast Network.

Kent Barnds, Executive Vice President of ExternalRelations: Advancement | Communication | Enrollment | Planning for Augustana College (Rock Island, Ill.), shares how he started as "an accidental admissions person" and become the person with the longest title in the history of the ALP, and what he has learned along the way by becoming a college parent. Great mysteries will be revealed in this episode, including the origin story of Kent's ubiquitous bow ties, what the "W" in his name stands for, and who can lay claim to being the pizza king of the Quad Cities. Rapid Descent Walkout songsEverybody Wants to Rule the WorldBest recent readThey Said This Would be Fun: Race, Campus Life, and Growing UpEager to read next: The Generosity Crisis: The Case for Radical Connection to Solve Humanity's Greatest ChallengesFavorite podcastMarketplaceFavorite thing to make in the kitchen: What he uses to take and keep notesMemorable bit of adviceBucket list: Theme music arranged by Ryan Anselment. Many thanks to the National Association for College Admission Counseling for supporting this podcast through the NACAC Podcast Network.

Robert Gould, Vice President for Strategic Enrollment Management at Augsburg University (Minneapolis), offers a deep dive into an approach to college admission that is turning the process on its head and—in the process—not only fostering a greater sense of belonging for students, but for the admission professionals who work with them. Could it be an antidote to the Great Resignation? Notes Augsburg Applies to YouPower of YouJohn Doerr's Objectives and Key ResultsHarriet Tubman Effect InstituteNicole JohnsonWise MindThe Power of Forgiveness—MinneapolisRapid Descent Walkout songsChanging LandscapesBest recent readForgive For Good: A Proven Prescription for Health and Happiness Measure What Matters: How Google, Bono, and the Gates Foundation Rock the World with OKRsEager to read next: Favorite podcastEdify Justice Advocates PodcastFavorite thing to make in the kitchen: What he uses to take and keep notesRhodia NotebookMemorable bit of adviceLife is a balance of holding on and letting go Bucket list: "Theme music arranged by Ryan Anselment. Many thanks to the National Association for College Admission Counseling for supporting this podcast through the NACAC Podcast Network.

Allan Mathew, Director of Graduate Admissions at Tufts University, discusses the similarities and differences of graduate and undergrad admissions and what he's learned working at three institutions in very different market positions. He also offers compelling insights into the four themes of his doctoral dissertation, which focused on the experiences of chief enrollment officers of color. Rapid Descent Walkout songsRedboneBest recent readAtomic HabitsOffice Optional: How to Build a Connected Culture with Virtual TeamsEager to read next: Crying in H MartFavorite podcastChasing ScratchThe Rights to Ricky Sanchez: The Sixers PodcastFavorite thing to make in the kitchen: What he uses to take and keep notesMemorable bit of adviceBucket list: Theme music arranged by Ryan Anselment. Many thanks to the National Association for College Admission Counseling for supporting this podcast through the NACAC Podcast Network.

Heather Daniels, Director of Admissions at Colorado State University, discusses how she's managed to "come home" to every college she has ever worked for ... and discovers that she and Ken have a surprising braided history. Rapid Descent Walkout songsBelieveBest recent read/eager to read nextCoherenceFavorite podcastUp FirstSmartlessWiser Than MeFavorite thing to make in the kitchen: What he uses to take and keep notesMemorable bit of adviceBucket list: Semester at SeaTheme music arranged by Ryan Anselment. Many thanks to the National Association for College Admission Counseling for supporting this podcast through the NACAC Podcast Network.

Boyd Bradshaw, the inaugural Vice President for Enrollment Management at Towson University (MD), discusses Towson's new comprehensive and integrated approach to enrollment—from recruitment to graduation—and what it has been like organizing the institution around that work. We also learn Boyd's secret and surprising skill that he carries with him to this day. Rapid Descent Walkout songsEye of the TigerBest recent readA Profession on the EdgeEric HooverEager to read nextFavorite podcastBest Podcast in BaseballFavorite thing to make in the kitchen: What he uses to take and keep notesMemorable bit of adviceBucket list: Theme music arranged by Ryan Anselment. Many thanks to the National Association for College Admission Counseling for supporting this podcast through the NACAC Podcast Network.

In this metaphor-loaded episode, Christopher Gray, Dean of Enrollment at Lasell University, discusses living and learning through a successful launch of a tuition reset, why communities matter to marathoners, and a nifty trick to try in your next meeting. Rapid Descent Walkout songsDirt Road AnthemBest recent readExtreme You: Step Up. Stand Out. Kick Ass. Repeat.Fearless Leadership: High Performance Lessons from the Flight DeckEager to read nextQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop TalkingFavorite podcastHacking Your LeadershipFavorite thing to make in the kitchen: What he uses to take and keep notesMemorable bit of adviceBucket list: Old Course at St. AndrewsTheme music arranged by Ryan Anselment.

Eric Hoover, Senior Writer at the Chronicle of Higher Education, joins the ALP to discuss his April 5 Chronicle article, A Profession on the Edge: Why enrollment leaders are wearing down, burning out, and leaving jobs they once loved. He discusses what led to his writing the piece, what surprised him in his discovery, and why things are different now than they were nine years ago when he wrote a similarly provocative piece in September 2014, The Hottest Seat on Campus. Theme music arranged by Ryan Anselment Thank you to the National Association for College Admission Counseling for supporting this podcast through the NACAC Podcast Network.

Season Premiere: Mary Chase, Vice Provost for Enrollment at Creighton University, kicks off the season from her fortress of solitude (which will make sense when you listen), and shares how growing up on a farm, being a college mom, and leaving the first footsteps of the day on a dewy fairway shape her approach to enrollment leadership. Rapid Descent Walkout songsYou TimeBest recent readReality-Based Leadership: Ditch the Drama, Restore Sanity to the Workplace, and Turn Excuses into Results,Eager to read nextSwitch: How to Change Things When Change Is HardFavorite podcastThe Hank Haney PodcastFavorite thing to make in the kitchen: What she uses to take and keep notesMemorable bit of adviceBucket list: Theme music arranged by Ryan Anselment.

Season Finale: Vern Granger, Director of Undergraduate Admissions at the University of Connecticut AND the Chair of the Board for the National Association for College Admission Counseling shares what it takes to manage two jobs that, in themselves, are more than full-time jobs. We also discuss Vern's World Cup predictions, the finer points of bacon, proper peanut butter choices, and the virtue of the handwritten note. Rapid Descent Walkout songsBig PoppaSumthin' SumthinBest recent readThe Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated AmericaEager to read nextStealing Home: Los Angeles, The Dodgers, and the Lives Caught in Between Favorite podcastThe 2 RobbiesFavorite thing to make in the kitchen: What he uses to take and keep notesMemorable bit of adviceBucket list: Theme music arranged by Ryan Anselment.

Wayne Young, Charisse Williams, Mary Ann Tietjen and Joe Ecklund of Creighton University's interdivisional student success team share some of the secret sauce behind how Creighton built and maintained a 3-point jump in first-year student retention over the past three years. The episode includes a look at Colloquium, a unique human-powered intervention with a 70% success rate retaining students who are preparing to leave the institution. Hat-tips throughout the episode to Mary Chase, Creighton's Vice President for Enrollment Management. Although there is no Rapid Descent with the Creighton University team, Charisse identified Industry Baby by Lil Nas X (feat. Jack Harlow) as their walkout song. Theme music arranged by Ryan Anselment.

Andy Borst, Director of Undergraduate Admissions at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, shares tips on nurturing and managing relationships with the media (with hat-tips to Scott Jaschik and Eric Hoover). Andy also shares his morning routine (itself a pro tip) as well as the origins of his name, which we somehow accidentally trip over early in the episode. Rapid Descent Walkout songKnow Your EnemyBest recent readThe Black Family's Guide to College AdmissionsEager to read nextCampus Economics: How Economic Thinking Can Help Improve College and University Decisions The Truth About College Admission,Favorite thing to make in the kitchen: What he uses to take and keep notesMemorable bit of adviceBucket list: Theme music arranged by Ryan Anselment.

Joe Montgomery may be one of the busiest people between enrollment jobs right now: a member of the advisory board to the Partnership for Education Advancement; a consultant through the United Negro College Fund; and now one of the newest members of NACAC's board of directors. Joe reflects on how creating your network with your body of work can sustain you when the headwinds come: "Lean into the headwinds and answers will reveal themselves." Rapid Descent Walkout songBefore I Let GoBest recent readQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop TalkingEager to read nextManaging the Whole Student Life Cycle: A Handbook for Higher EdFavorite podcast(s)Favorite thing to make in the kitchen: What he uses to take and keep notesMemorable bit of adviceBucket list: "Theme music arranged by Ryan Anselment.

Tim Fields (Emory University) and Shereem Herndon-Brown (Strategic Admissions Advice)—co-authors of The Black Family's Guide to College Admissions: A Conversation about Education, Parenting and Race, and co-hosts of the podcast, Application to Admission: Understanding the Choices—provide a master class in leveraging complementary experiences, skillsets and mindsets in the collaborative process as they discuss how their groundbreaking new book grew from idea through process to reality. Rapid Descent Walkout songGot to Give it UpU Don't KnowBest recent readRocket FuelWomen Talk Money: Breaking the Taboo Eager to read nextThe Shape of the RiverHow I Built ThisEarn Your LeisureFavorite thing to make in the kitchen:What he uses to take and keep notesMemorable bit of adviceBucket list: Theme music arranged by Ryan Anselment.

James Miller, Assistant Vice Provost and Dean of Admission at Seattle University, reflects on the value of self-reflection in your own decision-making, the power of pausing when you're "in the grip," and why "relaxed is fast, slow is relaxed" and "slow is fast." (Also, there's randomly like 11 minutes of silence after the bumper music ... consider it an invitation for reflection. 😉) Rapid Descent Walkout songSaving GraceBest recent readIn Conversation: Honoring Ideological Divides On and Off CampusEager to read nextThe DailyStill ProcessingFavorite thing to make in the kitchen:What he uses to take and keep notesLeuchtturm notebooksMemorable bit of adviceBucket list: Theme music arranged by Ryan Anselment.

Five women who ascended to leadership roles just before or during the pandemic discuss what it's like to be the first in their roles—first woman, first person of color, first first-generation college student, first transfer students. Get ready for a torrent of great advice from Eva Blanco Masias of Santa Clara University, Jennifer Sandoval-Dancs of Claremont McKenna College, Lisa Keegan of Bucknell University, Melinda Wood of James Madison University, and Nikki Kahealani Chun of University of Hawai'i at Manoa. Theme music arranged by Ryan Anselment.

Ineliz Soto-Fuller, Assistant Vice President of Undergraduate Admissions for Enrollment Management at Seattle Pacific University, discusses how to lead with integrity and authenticity in the midst of challenging circumstances. Turns out that a clear sense of what authenticity looks and sounds like (as well heavy doses of Quirkle and karaoke) go a long way. Rapid Descent Walkout songRoarVivir Mi VidaBest recent readOn Managing Yourself Eager to read nextThe Midnight LibraryFavorite thing to make in the kitchen:What he uses to take and keep notesMemorable bit of adviceBucket list: Theme music arranged by Ryan Anselment.

Angie Cooksy, Assistant Vice President for Enrollment Management at Bradley University (Peoria, Ill.) and host of the podcast Elevating Admission Voices, discusses how she established herself as a regionally-based (in Kenosha, Wis.) admission professional 15 years ago and has steadily climbed the leadership mountain as a remote teammate ever since. Angie offers several great questions that new middle managers need to know ... and muses on the remarkable wonders of the Woodman's Market cheese aisles. Rapid Descent Walkout songGirl on FireBest recent readOpen Book Eager to read nextThe 5 Languages of Appreciation in the WorkplaceFavorite thing to make in the kitchen:What he uses to take and keep notesRemarkable.Memorable bit of adviceBucket list: Theme music arranged by Ryan Anselment.

Is it the Great Resignation? The Great Reckoning? The Great Contemplation? ALP Alumni Adrienne Amador Oddi (ep. 28), Heath Einstein (7), Marie Bigham (4), Rick Clark (3) and Tony Sarda (15) join Ken in a lively discussion of the causes, implications and potential remedies for the Great Resignation ... as well as some reconsidered walkout songs. Music arranged by Ryan Anselment