Todd Zipper, EVP and GM of Wiley University Services and Talent Development, welcomes Eric Bing, Chancellor & CEO of The College of Health Care Professions (CHCP). Todd and Eric discuss CHCP’s stackable credentials model, the benefits of short-term, hands-on training, and program outcomes.

Topics Discussed: 

The need for flexible reskilling and upskilling opportunities in healthcare 

Why traditional colleges were not built for adult learners with busy lives 

Why CHCP focuses on job placement over graduation 

The results CHCP alumni are seeing upon program completion, including an average salary increase of $15,000 

  Guest Bio  

Eric Bing is the Chancellor & CEO of The College of Health Care Professions. He is known for his work in post-secondary education, healthcare human capital, and workforce training. Eric leads award-winning teams in the development and implementation of post-secondary education, providing opportunities for first generation students and individuals from underserved communities. Under his leadership, CHCP saw enrollment growth of over 20% per year and mostly through referrals. CHCP is now the largest provider of allied health graduates in the state of Texas.

Todd Zipper, EVP and GM of Wiley University Services and Talent Development, welcomes  Lisa Flesher, Chief of Realm 4, Project Acceleration at Arizona State University (ASU). Todd and Lisa discuss the new Dreamscape Learn Pod, the Center for Education Through Exploration, and the amazing results ASU is seeing with high-quality virtual reality experiences.

Topics Discussed:  

The five teaching and learning realms at ASU and how they support innovation 

The opportunity for virtual spaces to turn students into explorers  

How Hollywood and higher ed came together to create fully immersive edutainment  

The ways virtual reality can serve as a compliment to face-to-face learning 

How ASU’s corporate partnerships resulted in better retention rates for businesses 

 

Guest Bio  

 

Lisa Flesher is the Chief of Realm 4, Project Acceleration at Arizona State University. She guides unique, technology-enhanced projects to advance initiatives including Dreamscape Learn, which empowers learners through fully immersive and interactive virtual reality experiences.  

Lisa’s background includes developing technical tools and solutions focused on student support and success, including Starbucks, Global Freshman Academy, me3, and ASU’s partnership with the Al Ghurair Foundation for Education. She earned her undergraduate degree in education and taught seventh grade math before pursuing a master’s in higher and postsecondary education.

Todd Zipper, EVP and GM of Wiley University Services and Talent Development, welcomes Dr. Angela Jackson, Managing Partner at New Profit. Todd and Angela discuss how New Profit is bringing the principles of venture capital into private sector philanthropy and how we can modernize the education to career system.

Topics Discussed:

Why students need access to good coaching so they can succeed in the corporate world

Why we should invest in proximate leaders who have lived the problems we need to fix

How the Future of Work Grand Challenge encourages innovators to solve current workforce challenges

The importance of outcomes-based reporting for universities and MOOCs

Guest Bio

Dr. Angela Jackson is the Managing Partner at New Profit, a Boston-based Venture Fund, where she manages a $50M investment portfolio spanning education and workforce tech. She is passionate about modernizing the public education to career system and advancing academic and professional opportunities for women, people of color, and veterans.

Angela launched the Future of Work Grand Challenge initiative that resulted in the development of an ecosystem of over 60 employers, foundations, and education operating partners that reskilled and placed 25,000 workers impacted by COVID-19 into living-wage jobs. She serves as an advisor to Freedom Learning Group and Education Design Lab and is on the Board of Beyond 12 and Summer Search. Angela is widely published in leading journals including Harvard Business Review and Stanford Social Innovation Review. Her work and writing have been featured in CNN, Huffington Post, Chicago Tribune, and she has spoken at numerous conferences including The Economist, Wall Street Journal, and TED.

Todd Zipper, EVP and GM of Wiley University Services and Talent Development, welcomes Michael Sorrell, President of Paul Quinn College. Todd and Michael discuss the unique ideas that revived Paul Quinn College and why it was important to transform the school into a work college. 

  

Topics Discussed: 

The need for higher ed to advocate for students in underserved communities  

The innovations and successes of Paul Quinn College, including reducing student debt from $40,000 to $12,000 

Why we should take an open-minded and no-fear of failure approach to drive innovation  

How to build a brand through strategic partnerships  

 

Guest Bio 

Michael Sorrell is the longest serving President in the 148-year history of Paul Quinn College and is one of the most decorated college presidents in America. Under his leadership, Paul Quinn has become a national movement for its efforts to remake higher education to serve the needs of under-resourced students and communities.  

 

Michael was named Higher Education’s President of the Year by Education Dive and one of the World’s 50 Greatest Leaders by Fortune Magazine. He is the only three-time recipient of the HBCU Male President of the Year Award (2018, 2016 and 2012). Michael received his J.D. and M.A. in Public Policy from Duke University and his Ed.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.

Todd Zipper, EVP and GM of Wiley University Services and Talent Development, welcomes Kathleen deLaski, Founder and CEO of Education Design Lab. Todd and Kathleen discuss building new education pathways that better serve students.

Topics Discussed:

• The emergence of “the new majority learner”

• The biggest challenges of a skills-based economy

• The reason why only 17% of community college learners working towards a four-year degree attain it

• The benefits of the micropathway approach

• How the COVID-19 pandemic helped providers understand and meet the changing needs of learners

Guest Bio

Kathleen deLaski is the Founder and CEO of Education Design Lab, a non-profit that designs, tests, and implements unique higher education models that address the rapidly changing economy and emerging technology opportunities. She is a social entrepreneur who launched or co-launched four non-profits over the last two decades, all centered on improving the quality of education for students. Kathleen also serves as the president of the deLaski Family Foundation, a leading grant maker in education reform.

Previously, Kathleen created Sallie Mae’s award-winning college access foundation, co-founded Building Hope, a non-profit dedicated to providing facilities, financial, and operational services to charter schools, and helped Michelle Rhee create StudentsFirst, a national advocacy movement to improve school options and quality. She also worked as a journalist and was named by President Clinton as Chief Spokesman for the Pentagon, where she oversaw the military’s worldwide public information team.

Todd Zipper, EVP and GM of Wiley University Services and Talent Development, welcomes Michael London, CEO of Uwill, a technology-based platform that connects students with experienced mental health professionals.

Todd and Michael discuss Uwill’s mission and how higher ed can continue to expand its mental health access for students in need. 

Topics Discussed:

• How Uwill compliments campus-based resources to provide increased access to students requiring more flexibility

• The need for universities to understand and address the high percentage of students who are struggling and not seeking help

• The importance of providing mental health support as a central service

Guest Bio

Michael London is the CEO of Uwill and has over 20 years of experience in EdTech. In 2013, Michael founded Examity, the world leader in learning validation and online proctoring. Over a five-year period, the company grew to more than 1,000 employees and $30 million in revenue. Previously, he was the founding CEO for Bloomberg Institute, funded by Mayor Bloomberg and Bloomberg Ventures. Their flagship solution was offered in more than 500 universities and 45 countries.

Michael is a current Trustee at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and The Rivers School, as well as a Member of the Advisory Board at Babson College, where he graduated with honors. He received his MBA from Boston University.

Todd Zipper, EVP and GM of Wiley University Services and Talent Development, welcomes Bob Ubell, Vice Dean Emeritus of Online Learning at NYU’s Tandon School of Engineering & Senior Advisor to Stevens Institute of Technology. Todd and Bob discuss the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on online learning and the future of digital education.

Topics Discussed:

• The shift in attitude, from pre-pandemic to now, on the efficiency of online learning

• How online, digital education will be crucial for universities long-term

• How online learning is shifting from a faculty-centered learning model to an active learning model

• The need for university leadership to devote the same energy to online programs as their on-campus programs

Guest Bio

Bob Ubell is Vice Dean Emeritus of Online Learning at NYU’s Tandon School of Engineering and Senior Advisor to Stevens Institute of Technology. Considered an expert of digital education, he consults for universities and edtech companies including Coursera, NYU, and The New School and his online programs have enrolled more than 30,000 students. For almost a decade, he headed Tandon Online, ranked #2 by US News & World Report of the nation’s Computer Information Technology online graduate programs. 

Bob has also taken his expertise overseas. In China, he headed three online master’s programs and was a member of the board of the Lianyungang Universal Vehicle Manufacturing Company. In London, he served as American Publisher of Nature, the prominent science weekly, and launched the journal, Nature Biotechnology.

Bob has contributed nearly 90 articles to scholarly and general periodicals, is a columnist for EdSurge, a contributor for Inside Higher Ed, and is the author or editor of 20 books. His most recent book, Staying Online: How to Navigate Digital Higher Education, was released in September 2021.

Todd Zipper, EVP and GM of Wiley University Services and Talent Development, welcomes Tess Michaels, Founder and CEO of Stride Funding. As student debt rises, borrowers are looking for other ways to fund their higher education. Todd and Tess discuss the details of outcome-based funding options and what it means for borrowers.

Topics Discussed:  

• The benefits of outcome-based funding options and how they rely on future cash flows and the ability to repay once employed  

• How Stride is offering more than funding options; including academic, career, and mental health support to drive retention and positive outcomes for students  

• Why the cost and value of education requires alignment across learners, education providers, employers, and finance providers 

Guest Bio  

Tess Michaels is the Founder and CEO of Stride Funding, an alternate way to pay for higher education through outcome-based funding options such as income-share agreements and deferred tuition. Stride Funding provides flexibility for student borrowers by offering personalized rates, a simple application, and shorter repayment plans. 

Prior to Stride Funding, Tess worked at Vista Equity Partners as a Private Equity Associate and at Goldman Sachs as an Investment Banking Analyst. In 2020, she was included on Forbes’ 30 under 30 list for education. Tess received her Bachelor of Arts in Biology at the University of Pennsylvania, a Bachelor of Science in Operations Management at The Wharton School, and an MBA at Harvard Business School.

Todd Zipper, EVP and GM of Wiley University Services and Talent Development, welcomes Ben Nelson, Founder and CEO of the Minerva Project and Minerva University. Todd and Ben discuss how Minerva is evolving higher ed and preparing students for a fulfilling, lifelong career. By offering challenging curriculum, global experiences, and top-notch career development, Minerva’s goal is to inform better leaders, smarter innovators, and more informed global citizens.

Topics Discussed:

• Why Minerva University is a reformer, not a disrupter

• How to leverage social and experiential learning to provide the best outcomes for students

• How courses and curriculum can build off each other to deeply engage learners

• The importance of teaching transferable and practical knowledge

• The future of learning and artificial intelligence

• Why higher ed needs to focus more on education and engagement, not certification

Guest Bio

Ben Nelson is the Founder and CEO of the Minerva Project and Minerva University. Driven by his passion to reinvent higher ed, Ben founded Minerva in 2011 with the goal of preparing exceptional learners.

Before Minerva, Ben spent over 10 years at Snapfish, where he helped build the company from a startup to the world’s largest personal publishing service. He served as CEO at Snapfish from 2005 to 2010 and led the company’s sale to Hewlett Packard for $300 million. Prior to Snapfish, he was President and CEO of Community Ventures, a network of locally branded portals for American communities.

Ben received a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. He became the chair of the Student Committee on Undergraduate Education, a pedagogical think tank that is the oldest and only non-elected student government body at the University of Pennsylvania.

Todd Zipper, EVP and GM of Wiley University Services and Talent Development, welcomes Ted Mitchell, President of the American Council on Education (ACE). Todd and Ted discuss what ACE is currently working on and how are they helping colleges and universities through innovation. Plus, Ted shares his thoughts on how higher education will evolve under the Biden administration. 

Topics Discussed

• What to expect from the Biden Administration regarding affordability and accountability

• How the pandemic negatively impacted enrollment rates for adult learners

• The current student loan debt crisis and potential solutions to solve it

• The effect digital credentialing will have on higher ed

• How institutions can leverage investments from the big MOOC and platform players to bring down costs and drive better outcomes for students

Guest Bio

Ted Mitchell is the President of ACE, the coordinating body for higher education institutions in the United States. ACE’s work encompasses policy advocacy, program development, and research focusing on equity, access, and student achievement. 

Ted’s leadership of ACE, and of the nation’s higher education sector, is informed by a lifetime of work in higher education as a Professor, Dean, College President, Trustee, and most recently as U.S. Under Secretary of Education in the Obama administration. Previously, he served as the President of the California State Board of Education and CEO of the NewSchools Venture Fund, a venture philanthropy investing in K–12 innovation to support low-income students, schools, and communities.

Ted received his bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD degrees from Stanford University. He lives in Washington, DC, with his wife, Christine, and their two children.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​