MindMaxing: Conversations on Higher Ed-logo

MindMaxing: Conversations on Higher Ed

Education Podcasts

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.

Location:

United States

Description:

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.

Twitter:

@mindmaxllc

Language:

English

Contact:

5082540626


Episodes

Episode #26 | A Conversation with Kevin Ross, Lynn University

12/5/2022
How can higher ed institutions teach students the value of persistence? In the latest installment of our MindMaxing podcast series, “Adolescence to Adulthood,” Lynn University President Dr. Kevin Ross addresses the importance of making colleges and universities safe spaces for students to try, fail, and try again. Dr. Ross discusses how Lynn’s implementation of a block schedule—which enables students to practice skills like writing and public speaking repeatedly over a period of time—has helped create just this kind of safe space. He notes that restoring a strong campus community post-COVID is also a key part of this effort. “When our campus environments were taken away from us, the value of campus community was far more evident than I think it ever had been,” Dr. Ross says.

Duration:00:17:12

Episode #25 | A Conversation with Will Patch, Niche

8/24/2022
What is the goal of higher education? According to Will Patch, a Senior Enrollment Insights Leader at Niche.com, colleges and universities should prepare students to step into jobs that fulfill them as individuals and benefit their communities. But it’s not such a straightforward path for all students. In the latest episode of our MindMaxing Podcast series, “Adolescence to Adulthood,” Will discusses the existing barriers to higher education, such as standardized testing and expensive tuition, as well as the work Niche does to change the system. Niche connects people to their future schools, neighborhoods, and workplaces, and Will champions any progress that removes obstacles between students and learning—because learning is the key to success. Will shares, “To me, the biggest goal of education should be training people who can be lifelong learners to be inquisitive, to make an impact that is meaningful to them and meaningful to their community.”

Duration:00:42:08

Episode #24 | A Conversation with Dr. Mariana Amatullo, Parsons School of Design

8/9/2022
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.”

Duration:00:21:41

Episode #23 | A Conversation with Mike Flanagan of Mastery Transcript Consortium

7/13/2022
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.”

Duration:00:36:56

Episode #22 | A Conversation with George Irvine, University of Delaware

6/27/2022
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.'"

Duration:00:43:37

Episode #22 | A Conversation with Radhika Seshan of San Diego State University

6/14/2022
What is “traditional” higher education, and does it adequately set young adults up for career success? These are the questions that Dr. Radhika Seshan, Associate Vice President of Career Relations and Strategic Partnerships at San Diego State University, discusses in the latest episode of our MindMaxing Podcast series, "Adolescence to Adulthood." Dr. Seshan notes that today, higher education has an employer-oriented mindset. Parents wonder whether paying for their child's degree is worth...

Duration:00:41:46

Episode #21 | A Conversation with Anthony Carnevale of Georgetown University

6/1/2022
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.

Duration:00:44:53

Episode #20 | A Conversation with Rick Dalton of CFES Brilliant Pathways

5/16/2022
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.”

Duration:00:25:42

Episode #19 | A Conversation with Andy Chan, Wake Forest University

4/28/2022
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.'"

Duration:00:46:15

Episode #18 | A Conversation with Debra Iles, Harvard Kennedy School

6/30/2021
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.

Duration:00:18:49

Episode #17 | A Conversation with Nancy Coleman, Ed.D., Harvard Extension School

6/23/2021
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.

Duration:00:17:41

Episode #16 | A Conversation with John Caron, Excelsior College

6/14/2021
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.

Duration:00:20:18

Episode #15 | A Conversation with Kim Rutigliano, Southern Methodist University

6/8/2021
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.

Duration:00:11:01

Episode #14 | A Conversation with Patricia Malone, Stony Brook University

6/2/2021
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.

Duration:00:18:26

Episode #13 | A Conversation with Karen Sibley, Brown University

5/25/2021
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.”

Duration:00:23:52

Episode #12 | A Conversation with Melik Khoury, Unity College

5/17/2021
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.

Duration:00:21:51

Episode #11 | A Conversation with Michael Robertson, Southern Methodist University

5/11/2021
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.

Duration:00:15:25

Episode #10 | A Conversation with Lynne Rosansky, Brandeis University

5/3/2021
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.

Duration:00:18:05

Episode #9 | A Conversation with Dave Schejbal, Excelsior College

4/26/2021
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.

Duration:00:19:56

Episode #8 | A Conversation with Robert Melaragni, Fisher College

4/15/2021
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.

Duration:00:14:53